Reference Data · New South Wales
Shellharbour City DCP: the dwelling controls, as published.
4 controls for low-density residential — dwelling houses, taken from Shellharbour Development Control Plan (in effect 26 June 2013; current version as amended by Amendment 5, effective 10 July 2025). As at 2026-08-29.
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 — here, the 4 that Shellharbour City publishes numerically. Anything its DCP assesses on merit rather than a fixed number is absent from this table: not a zero, and not a permission.
Shellharbour City — published dwelling controls
| Control | Published value | Qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 4.5 m | Table 3.1 (Cl 3.2), front/primary building line: single-storey component of a single dwelling = 4.5m; two-storey component = 6.0m; garages = 5.0m (5.5m where a stacked space sits in front); open carports = 5.0m. Eaves, gutters, decks, balconies, porticos, verandahs, pergolas may encroach up to 1.0m. Varied (lower) building lines apply on named streets — Shell Cove Rd, Barrack Point (Table 3.5); Little Lake Cres, Warilla (Table 3.6); and Shell Cove Stage 6F lots (3.0m). Value shown is the standard single-storey dwelling primary building line. |
| Secondary street setback | 2.4 m | — |
| Side setback | 0.9 m | — |
| Rear setback | 3 m | — |
Source: Shellharbour Development Control Plan (in effect 26 June 2013; current version as amended by Amendment 5, effective 10 July 2025). Clauses: Chapter 3 Residential Development — Cl 3.2 Building lines & boundary setbacks (Table 3.1 front, Table 3.2 secondary, Table 3.3 side, Table 3.4 rear); Cl 3.8 Private open space (Cl 3.8.13); Cl 3.3.29 front-setback landscaping; Chapter 20.15 Single Dwellings landscaping. Open the source DCP.
Scope: R2 dwelling houses. These are the controls for R2, Shellharbour City’s low-density residential zone. Do not apply these figures to a dual occupancy, duplex, secondary dwelling or multi-dwelling housing development — Shellharbour Development Control Plan (in effect 26 June 2013; current version as amended by Amendment 5, effective 10 July 2025) sets those out separately, and Feasibly has not codified them.
What qualifies these Shellharbour City controls?
- Shellharbour DCP structures residential controls by development type, not by zone; the single-dwelling setback figures above apply across residential zones (incl. R2 Low Density Residential). Cl 3.5 confirms R2/R3 zoning.
- NO site coverage / building-footprint % control exists for dwelling houses in the DCP — bulk is governed only by building height (Cl 3.1) plus the LEP height/lot-size standards. site_coverage fields null.
- NO numeric landscaped-area or deep-soil control for single dwellings: Cl 20.15 (Single Dwellings) is advice only. The 33% front-setback landscaping (Cl 3.3.29) sits under the Multi-dwelling housing subheading and the 1.5m frontage landscape bed (Cl 20.16) under Dual occupancy/Multi dwelling — neither is stated for a single dwelling house. landscaped fields null.
- NO private-open-space minimum stated for a single dwelling house: the 40 sqm min (with 4m x 5m principal POS, Cl 3.8.13) explicitly applies to dual occupancy and multi dwelling housing only. pos_min_sqm null.
- Side setback 0.9m is the single-storey component; two-storey component = 1.2m (Table 3.3). Where no garage/carport is proposed, one side must be 2.7m for vehicle access.
- Rear 3.0m is ground floor; first floor 6.0m; a single-storey component may encroach to a minimum 900mm rear setback over a maximum 8m length (Table 3.4).
- min_boundary_setback_m left null — the DCP states no separate blanket 'minimum boundary setback'; the minimum boundary distance is captured by the side (0.9m single-storey) and rear (0.9m single-storey encroachment) figures.
- Current DCP confirmed from document front matter: commenced 26 June 2013, amendments 1–5, latest Amendment 5 effective 10 July 2025 (Council resolution 23 June 2025). CDN and S3 hosts ban Zyte (520); PDF retrieved via direct curl download (33MB) then pdftotext -layout.
Wondering how this compares with asking an AI to read the scheme? We wrote that up here.
How reliable is this Shellharbour City DCP data?
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 2026-08-29. 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 Shellharbour City before making decisions.
Shellharbour City planning controls — common questions
Do these Shellharbour City controls apply to a duplex or dual occupancy?
No. The figures on this page are Shellharbour City’s dwelling-house controls. A dual occupancy, duplex, secondary dwelling or multi-dwelling housing development is assessed under different standards, and Shellharbour Development Control Plan (in effect 26 June 2013; current version as amended by Amendment 5, effective 10 July 2025) states them separately — Feasibly has not codified those, so do not apply the numbers above to one.
Which zone do these Shellharbour City controls apply to?
R2 Low Density Residential — Shellharbour City’s low-density residential zone. Confirmed against the zones the Shellharbour City LEP actually contains. This page presents the low-density residential case; some DCP sections also cover other residential zones, and the source above names the zones it applies to.
What planning controls does Shellharbour City publish for dwellings?
Shellharbour City publishes 4 dwelling controls in Shellharbour Development Control Plan (in effect 26 June 2013; current version as amended by Amendment 5, effective 10 July 2025): front setback, secondary street setback, side setback, rear setback. Each value and its clause reference is listed on this page, as at 2026-08-29.
Does NSW have a statewide dwelling setback standard?
No. The Local Environmental Plan sets zone, building height and floor space ratio, but the numbers that shape a dwelling — setbacks, site coverage, landscaped area and private open space — sit in each council’s Development Control Plan. That is why these figures are published per council rather than per state.
How reliable are these Shellharbour City figures?
They are machine-extracted from Shellharbour Development Control Plan (in effect 26 June 2013; current version as amended by Amendment 5, effective 10 July 2025) and have not been independently re-checked, so treat them as screening grade — good enough to compare councils and to know which questions to ask, not a substitute for reading the clause. This is a lower confidence tier than our Victorian schedules, which a person reads and verifies from the source scheme.
Do these controls apply to every property in Shellharbour City?
No. These are the council-wide published figures for low-density residential — dwelling houses. The zone, any overlays and the consent triggers that actually apply depend on the individual parcel, and a control absent from this page means the DCP either sets no number or assesses that parameter on merit — not that the requirement is zero.
Check a specific address in Shellharbour City
These are the council-wide numbers. Zone, overlays and the consent triggers that actually apply depend on the parcel.
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