E2 Commercial Centre zone in NSW

E2 is a zone in the NSW Standard Instrument, and 65 of the 147 council Local Environmental Plans (LEPs) use it. This page shows what the zone is for and what those councils allow in it, counted from each council’s own land use table.

Used by: 65 of the 147 council LEPs
Dwelling houses: allowed in 7 of the 65
Uses the table doesn’t name: allowed with consent in 54 of the 65
Tables as at: 19 August 2026

What the zone is for

Every council that uses E2 includes these objectives, word for word. They come from the Standard Instrument, the template all NSW council plans are built on:

To strengthen the role of the commercial centre as the centre of business, retail, community and cultural activity.
To encourage investment in commercial development that generates employment opportunities and economic growth.
To encourage development that has a high level of accessibility and amenity, particularly for pedestrians.
To enable residential development only if it is consistent with the Council’s strategic planning for residential development in the area.
To ensure that new development provides diverse and active street frontages to attract pedestrian traffic and to contribute to vibrant, diverse and functional streets and public spaces.

41 of the 65 LEPs add objectives of their own, so the full list for a property depends on its council.

Can you build a house in E2?

A dwelling house is allowed in 7 of the 65 LEPs that use E2 (with consent in 7). It is prohibited in 58.

Whether a particular lot can take a house also depends on rules mapped to that lot, such as the minimum lot size, so check the address before relying on this.

Allowed in most councils (36)

Each number is a count of LEPs, not properties. No consent needed means the use itself doesn’t need a development application. With consent means it does. Can’t say is not a ban: either that council has no rule for the use, or it is a broad term whose types the table treats differently, so it depends on the type of project.

Use	No consent needed	With consent	Prohibited	Can’t say
Amusement centres	0	65	0	0
Artisan food and drink industries	0	65	0	0
Backpackers’ accommodation	0	65	0	0
Building identification signs	6	59	0	0
Business identification signs	2	63	0	0
Centre-based child care facilities	0	65	0	0
Community facilities	0	65	0	0
Entertainment facilities	0	65	0	0
Function centres	0	65	0	0
Hotel or motel accommodation	0	65	0	0
Information and education facilities	0	65	0	0
Local distribution premises	0	65	0	0
Medical centres	0	65	0	0
Passenger transport facilities	0	65	0	0
Places of public worship	0	65	0	0
Recreation areas	0	65	0	0
Recreation facilities (indoor)	0	65	0	0
Registered clubs	0	65	0	0
Respite day care centres	0	65	0	0
Restricted premises	0	65	0	0
Roads	12	53	0	0
Commercial premises	0	64	0	1
Home businesses	13	51	1	0
Home occupations	43	21	1	0
Mortuaries	0	64	1	0
Oyster aquaculture	0	64	1	0
Recreation facilities (outdoor)	0	64	1	0
Tank-based aquaculture	0	64	1	0
Vehicle repair stations	0	64	1	0
Veterinary hospitals	0	64	1	0
Car parks	0	62	3	0
Home industries	4	58	3	0
Boarding houses	0	57	8	0
Flood mitigation works	2	55	8	0
Environmental protection works	20	36	9	0
Advertising structures	0	51	14	0

Councils differ (29)

These uses are allowed by some councils that use E2 and prohibited by others, so the answer depends on which council the land is in.

Use	No consent needed	With consent	Prohibited	Can’t say
Shop top housing	0	47	18	0
Signage	0	47	4	14
Service stations	0	46	19	0
Home-based child care	12	31	22	0
Environmental facilities	3	39	23	0
Port facilities	0	39	26	0
Bed and breakfast accommodation	0	38	27	0
Water reticulation systems	3	34	28	0
Research stations	0	28	37	0
Creative industries	0	24	41	0
Water recycling facilities	0	23	42	0
Wholesale supplies	0	23	42	0
Electricity generating works	0	22	43	0
Farm stay accommodation	0	22	43	0
Hostels	0	22	43	0
Wharf or boating facilities	0	22	43	0
Water recreation structures	0	21	44	0
Water treatment facilities	0	21	44	0
Boat launching ramps	0	20	45	0
Helipads	0	20	45	0
Water supply systems	0	20	34	11
Jetties	0	19	46	0
Boat sheds	0	18	47	0
Charter and tourism boating facilities	0	18	47	0
Moorings	1	16	48	0
Sewerage systems	0	11	38	16
Light industries	0	9	44	12
Tourist and visitor accommodation	0	6	10	49
Waste or resource management facilities	0	5	33	27

Prohibited in most councils (44)

Most of the LEPs that use E2 prohibit these, either by naming them or through the catch-all rule below.

Show all 44

Use	No consent needed	With consent	Prohibited	Can’t say
Forestry	0	1	64	0
Rural industries	0	1	64	0
Cemeteries	0	2	63	0
Caravan parks	0	3	62	0
Farm buildings	0	3	62	0
Truck depots	0	3	62	0
Air transport facilities	0	2	61	2
Airstrips	0	4	61	0
Crematoria	0	4	61	0
Exhibition villages	0	4	61	0
Freight transport facilities	0	4	61	0
Heavy industrial storage establishments	0	1	61	3
Animal boarding or training establishments	0	5	60	0
Camping grounds	0	5	60	0
Correctional centres	0	5	60	0
Eco-tourist facilities	0	5	60	0
Extractive industries	0	5	60	0
Waste disposal facilities	0	5	60	0
Depots	0	6	59	0
Resource recovery facilities	0	6	59	0
Dwelling houses	0	7	58	0
Industrial training facilities	0	7	58	0
Storage premises	0	5	58	2
Multi dwelling housing	0	8	57	0
Transport depots	0	8	57	0
Boat building and repair facilities	0	9	56	0
Vehicle body repair workshops	0	9	56	0
Open cut mining	0	10	55	0
Residential accommodation	0	0	55	10
Warehouse or distribution centres	0	10	55	0
Highway service centres	0	11	54	0
Industrial retail outlets	0	11	54	0
Agriculture	0	0	53	12
Biosolids treatment facilities	0	12	53	0
Exhibition homes	0	12	53	0
Group homes	0	13	52	0
Sewage treatment plants	0	13	52	0
Industries	0	0	51	14
Marinas	0	14	51	0
Recreation facilities (major)	0	14	51	0
Residential flat buildings	0	14	51	0
Home occupations (sex services)	2	13	50	0
Mooring pens	0	16	49	0
Sex services premises	0	16	49	0

Uses the table doesn’t name

Every council’s table ends with a rule for anything it hasn’t listed. 11 of the 65 LEPs prohibit any use their E2 table doesn’t name. The other 54 allow such uses with consent.

That is why a use can be counted as prohibited above in more councils than actually name it.

What the zone doesn’t tell you

Lot size, height and floor space are set on the LEP maps for each property, so they vary within the same zone.
Heritage, flood and bushfire mapping can limit what is possible on a lot even where the zone allows it.
State policies can apply as well as the council’s table. Granny flats are dealt with under the Housing SEPP, and small works such as sheds can be exempt development under the Codes SEPP. See the NSW granny flat rules and NSW shed rules.

An address search shows all of this for one property.

Council LEPs that use E2 (65)

Some councils have more than one LEP, each covering part of the area.

Land zoned under a State Environmental Planning Policy rather than a council LEP, such as some growth precincts, isn’t included in these counts.

Frequently asked questions

What is E2 Commercial Centre zoning in NSW?

E2 Commercial Centre is one of the zones in the NSW Standard Instrument, used by 65 of the 147 council Local Environmental Plans. Its first standard objective is: “To strengthen the role of the commercial centre as the centre of business, retail, community and cultural activity.”

Can you build a house in E2 zoning?

A dwelling house is allowed in 7 of the 65 LEPs that use E2 (with consent in 7). It is prohibited in 58. Whether a particular lot can take a house also depends on rules mapped to that lot, such as minimum lot size, so check the address.

What happens to uses the E2 table doesn’t list?

11 of the 65 LEPs prohibit any use their E2 table doesn’t name. The other 54 allow such uses with consent. That catch-all rule is part of each council’s table, so a use can be prohibited in E2 without being named.

How do I check if my property is zoned E2?

Search the address on ZoneScout. It reads the zone from NSW Government planning data and shows that council’s own land use table, along with the lot size and any heritage, flood or bushfire mapping.

Sources

Land use tables as at 19 August 2026. Councils amend their LEPs, so confirm against the current plan for your land.

General information only, not planning advice. Whether a project counts as a particular defined use is a planning judgement for your council or a planner.

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