ZoneScout

Where can you build Group homes in NSW?

“Group 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 26 zones and prohibited in 28.

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.

ZoneWithout consentWith consentProhibitedCan’t sayCouncils with this zone
E4 General Industrial—10717—124
E1 Local Centre—103171121
R1 General Residential—97——97
R2 Low Density Residential—87——87
E3 Productivity Support—7817—95
R3 Medium Density Residential—74——74
MU1 Mixed Use—7314—87
R5 Large Lot Residential—7036—106
RU5 Village—7030—100
E2 Commercial Centre—5411—65
RU1 Primary Production—3473—107
RU4 Primary Production Small Lots—2034—54
E5 Heavy Industrial—197—26
RU2 Rural Landscape—1633—49
W4 Working Waterfront—1211—23
C4 Environmental Living—1150—61
R4 High Density Residential—1119—30
C3 Environmental Management—976—85
SP4 Enterprise—95—14
SP3 Tourist—842—50
RE2 Private Recreation—6119—125
SP2 Infrastructure—21321135
RU3 Forestry—180—81
RU6 Transition—113—14
SP1 Special Activities—177—78
SP5 Metropolitan Centre—1——1
C1 National Parks and Nature Reserves——123—123
C2 Environmental Conservation——91—91
RE1 Public Recreation——134—134
W1 Natural Waterways——63—63
W2 Recreational Waterways——59—59
W3 Working Waterways——10—10

How those answers were reached. 1,373 of the “prohibited” answers and 574 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 group 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 group 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 group 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

Last reviewed: the published LEPs. Rules can change — verify with your council before starting work.

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.

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