← All Insights

Sydney Projects

DA vs CDC in Sydney: What Approval Do You Need for a New Home?

Understand whether your Sydney new home needs a Development Application or Complying Development Certificate before you start designing or building.

TL;DR Most new homes in Sydney need either a Development Application (DA) or a Complying Development Certificate (CDC). A CDC is faster, but only works when the design fits strict planning rules. A DA is slower, but gives more flexibility for custom homes, sloping sites, heritage areas, unusual blocks, or designs that do not fit the standard controls. Before you pay for detailed plans, check zoning, lot size, setbacks, height limits, floor space ratio, stormwater, trees, bushfire, flood, heritage, BASIX, and whether your site can use the fast-track pathway. Introduction One of the first confusing parts of building a new home in Sydney is approval. People often ask a builder, "Can we just do this through CDC?" Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes the answer is no. The problem is…