Where can you build Exhibition homes in NSW?
“Exhibition homes” is a defined term in the NSW planning system, and every council’s Local Environmental Plan decides which zones allow it. Across 147 council LEPs it is permitted in 18 zones and prohibited in 31.
Zone by zone, across 147 NSW councils
Each row counts councils, not properties. “Without consent” means no application is needed; “with consent” means a development application. “Can’t say” is not a ban — those councils have not addressed this use in that zone at all.
| Zone | Without consent | With consent | Prohibited | Can’t say | Councils with this zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 General Residential | — | 91 | 6 | — | 97 |
| RU5 Village | — | 80 | 20 | — | 100 |
| R5 Large Lot Residential | — | 71 | 35 | — | 106 |
| R2 Low Density Residential | — | 66 | 21 | — | 87 |
| R3 Medium Density Residential | — | 54 | 20 | — | 74 |
| MU1 Mixed Use | — | 34 | 53 | — | 87 |
| E1 Local Centre | — | 28 | 92 | 1 | 121 |
| R4 High Density Residential | — | 18 | 12 | — | 30 |
| E2 Commercial Centre | — | 12 | 53 | — | 65 |
| E3 Productivity Support | — | 10 | 85 | — | 95 |
| E4 General Industrial | — | 8 | 116 | — | 124 |
| RU4 Primary Production Small Lots | — | 5 | 49 | — | 54 |
| RU1 Primary Production | — | 3 | 104 | — | 107 |
| RU2 Rural Landscape | — | 2 | 47 | — | 49 |
| SP3 Tourist | — | 2 | 48 | — | 50 |
| C4 Environmental Living | — | 1 | 60 | — | 61 |
| RU6 Transition | — | 1 | 13 | — | 14 |
| SP5 Metropolitan Centre | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| C1 National Parks and Nature Reserves | — | — | 123 | — | 123 |
| C2 Environmental Conservation | — | — | 91 | — | 91 |
| C3 Environmental Management | — | — | 85 | — | 85 |
| E5 Heavy Industrial | — | — | 26 | — | 26 |
| RE1 Public Recreation | — | — | 134 | — | 134 |
| RE2 Private Recreation | — | — | 125 | — | 125 |
| RU3 Forestry | — | — | 81 | — | 81 |
| SP1 Special Activities | — | — | 78 | — | 78 |
| SP2 Infrastructure | — | — | 134 | 1 | 135 |
| SP4 Enterprise | — | — | 14 | — | 14 |
| W1 Natural Waterways | — | — | 63 | — | 63 |
| W2 Recreational Waterways | — | — | 59 | — | 59 |
| W3 Working Waterways | — | — | 10 | — | 10 |
| W4 Working Waterfront | — | — | 23 | — | 23 |
How those answers were reached. 1,431 of the “prohibited” answers and 296 of the “with consent” answers come from the zone’s catch-all row — the scheme does not name this use in that zone, but it says what happens to everything it has not named. That is a real answer, not a guess, and it is the reason a count of explicit listings would tell you the opposite in some zones.
What this page cannot tell you
Which zone your land is in, and whether your project is characterised as a exhibition homes in the first place. The first is a question about an address; the second is a planning judgement. Check an address for the zone and the overlays on it.
Frequently asked questions
Are exhibition homes allowed in every council in New South Wales?
No. Each council’s Local Environmental Plan has its own land use table, and they differ. This page counts, zone by zone, how many of the 147 NSW council LEPs permit it, prohibit it, or say nothing either way.
My zone shows a number under “Can’t say” — what does that mean?
It means those councils neither name this use in that zone nor have a catch-all row covering everything they have not named. It is not a ban and it is not permission. Only an explicit listing in the prohibited rung, or a catch-all that prohibits, is a prohibition.
Does this tell me whether my project counts as exhibition homes?
No, and that is deliberate. Deciding which defined term your project is called is a planning judgement, not something this page can do for you. Search your address for the zone, then talk to a planner about how the project is characterised.
Sources
General guidance only — not professional planning advice. Land use tables change as councils amend their LEPs; always confirm against the current instrument for your land.
Talk to a town planner in New South Wales
This page covers the general rules. A qualified town planner can tell you what applies to your actual block — the zone, the overlays and the approval path — before you spend money on drawings.
- Qualified, practising town planners
- Advice on your property, not a generic rule
- No cost, no obligation