Reference Data · New South Wales
Port Stephens DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
6 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Port Stephens Development Control Plan 2025 — C4.A Residential Development - General. As at 2026-08-05.
NSW has no statewide dwelling setback or site-coverage standard. The LEP sets zone, height and FSR; the numbers that shape a build sit in each council's DCP. Below are the 6 controls Port Stephens publishes numerically. Anything its DCP assesses on merit rather than a fixed number is simply absent from this table — it is not a zero, and it is not a permission.
Port Stephens Council — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 4.5 m | Minimum 4.5m OR the existing average building line of the adjoining properties, whichever is less (C4.2). Exception: 6m front setback in the Koala Bay–Tanilba Bay area (Figure 36) to allow Koala movement. |
| Secondary street setback | 3 m | — |
| Side setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Rear setback | 2 m | — |
| Landscaped area | 25% | — |
| Private open space | 24 m² | — |
Source: Port Stephens Development Control Plan 2025 — C4.A Residential Development - General. Clauses: C4.2 (front setback), C4.3 (side setback), C4.4 (secondary setback), C4.5 (rear setback), C4.6 (setback from public/waterfront land), C4.16 (site coverage & landscaping), C4.17-C4.18 (private open space). Open the source DCP.
Qualifications that change how these read
- Setbacks are HEIGHT-tiered (single-storey vs three-storey+), not lot-area-tiered. Recorded values are the single-storey / standard dwelling-house figures: side 0.9m (walls up to 4.5m; C4.3), rear 2m (C4.5). Upper tiers: side 3m and rear 6m for three-storey+.
- front_setback_m recorded as 4.5 but the control is '4.5m OR the existing average building line of adjoining properties, whichever is less' (C4.2) — a prevailing-line alternative; 6m in the Koala Bay–Tanilba Bay precinct (map-dependent, Figure 36).
- NO numeric maximum SITE COVERAGE % is stated in the DCP. Bulk/coverage is governed indirectly via the 25% soft-landscaping requirement (C4.16) plus a 9m max building height (C4.1). All site_coverage fields left null.
- Landscaping control (C4.16) is expressed as 25% of site area as 'soft' landscaping excluding all hardstand — described as 'soft landscaping', not 'deep soil', so landscaped_deep_soil=false. Does NOT apply to R5 Large Lot Residential, RU1, RU2 (C4.A4).
- Setback from public/waterfront land: single-storey 3m / three-storey+ 8m (C4.6). Battle-axe handle/access-corridor/easement setback minimum 0.9m (C4.8). Garages min 5.5m from front boundary or 1m behind building line, whichever greater (C4.9).
- Private open space: min 24m2 ground floor (C4.17); where ground-floor POS not possible, a balcony >=16m2 with min depth 2.5m may substitute (C4.18). No lot-area-based small-site reduction, so pos_small_site fields null.
- Secondary street setback (corner lots) = minimum 3m from the secondary property boundary (C4.4).
How this was compiled, and how far to trust it
These values were machine-extracted from the source DCP and have not been independently re-checked. Treat them as screening grade: good enough to compare councils and to know which questions to ask, not a substitute for reading the clause before you rely on it. This is a different and lower tier of confidence than our Victorian zone schedules, which are read and verified from the source planning scheme by a person. We do not present the two as equivalent.
A council's DCP can be amended at any time and this page reflects the document as at 2026-08-05. Where a control is absent above, the DCP either sets no number or assesses that parameter on merit.
This information is provided for research and preliminary screening only. It does not constitute professional planning, legal or architectural advice. Always verify with Port Stephens Council before making decisions.
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