Where can you build Residential care facilities in NSW?
“Residential care facilities” 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 17 zones and prohibited in 29.
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. Either the council has no rule for this use in that zone, or the use is a broad term whose types the table treats differently, so the answer depends on which type a project is.
| Zone | Without consent | With consent | Prohibited | Can’t say | Councils with this zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 General Residential | — | 97 | — | — | 97 |
| RU5 Village | — | 85 | 15 | — | 100 |
| R3 Medium Density Residential | — | 74 | — | — | 74 |
| R2 Low Density Residential | — | 51 | 36 | — | 87 |
| MU1 Mixed Use | — | 43 | 44 | — | 87 |
| E1 Local Centre | — | 31 | 89 | 1 | 121 |
| R4 High Density Residential | — | 21 | 9 | — | 30 |
| RE2 Private Recreation | — | 17 | 108 | — | 125 |
| R5 Large Lot Residential | — | 15 | 91 | — | 106 |
| E2 Commercial Centre | — | 5 | 60 | — | 65 |
| C4 Environmental Living | — | 3 | 58 | — | 61 |
| E3 Productivity Support | — | 1 | 94 | — | 95 |
| RE1 Public Recreation | — | 1 | 133 | — | 134 |
| RU1 Primary Production | — | 1 | 106 | — | 107 |
| RU4 Primary Production Small Lots | — | 1 | 53 | — | 54 |
| SP3 Tourist | — | 1 | 49 | — | 50 |
| SP5 Metropolitan Centre | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| C1 National Parks and Nature Reserves | — | — | 123 | — | 123 |
| C2 Environmental Conservation | — | — | 91 | — | 91 |
| C3 Environmental Management | — | — | 85 | — | 85 |
| E4 General Industrial | — | — | 124 | — | 124 |
| E5 Heavy Industrial | — | — | 26 | — | 26 |
| RU2 Rural Landscape | — | — | 49 | — | 49 |
| RU3 Forestry | — | — | 81 | — | 81 |
| RU6 Transition | — | — | 14 | — | 14 |
| 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. 1,118 of the “prohibited” answers and 152 of the “with consent” answers come from the zone’s catch-all row. The scheme doesn’t 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 residential care facilities 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 residential care facilities 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 the council’s table doesn’t settle it. Either it neither names this use in that zone nor has a catch-all row for everything it has not named, or this is a broad term (such as agriculture or retail premises) and the table lists some of its types but not the term as a whole. It is not a ban and it is not permission.
Does this tell me whether my project counts as residential care facilities?
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 block, including the zone, overlays and approval path, before you spend money on drawings.
- Qualified, practising town planners
- Advice specific to your property
- Free, with no obligation