E3 Productivity Support zone in NSW

E3 is a zone in the NSW Standard Instrument, and 95 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: 95 of the 147 council LEPs
Dwelling houses: allowed in 7 of the 95
Uses the table doesn’t name: allowed with consent in 77 of the 95
Tables as at: 19 August 2026

What the zone is for

Every council that uses E3 includes these objectives, word for word. They come from the Standard Instrument, the template all NSW council plans are built on:

To provide a range of facilities and services, light industries, warehouses and offices.
To provide for land uses that are compatible with, but do not compete with, land uses in surrounding local and commercial centres.
To maintain the economic viability of local and commercial centres by limiting certain retail and commercial activity.
To provide for land uses that meet the needs of the community, businesses and industries but that are not suited to locations in other employment zones.
To provide opportunities for new and emerging light industries.
To enable other land uses that provide facilities and services to meet the day to day needs of workers, to sell goods of a large size, weight or quantity or to sell goods manufactured on-site.

67 of the 95 LEPs add objectives of their own, so the full list for a property depends on its council.

Can you build a house in E3?

A dwelling house is allowed in 7 of the 95 LEPs that use E3 (with consent in 7). It is prohibited in 88.

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 (52)

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
Animal boarding or training establishments	0	95	0
Boat building and repair facilities	0	95	0
Building identification signs	9	86	0
Business identification signs	7	88	0
Business premises	0	95	0
Centre-based child care facilities	0	95	0
Community facilities	0	95	0
Depots	0	95	0
Function centres	0	95	0
Garden centres	0	95	0
Hardware and building supplies	0	95	0
Home industries	4	91	0
Hotel or motel accommodation	0	95	0
Industrial retail outlets	0	95	0
Industrial training facilities	0	95	0
Information and education facilities	0	95	0
Landscaping material supplies	0	95	0
Light industries	0	95	0
Local distribution premises	0	95	0
Markets	0	95	0
Mortuaries	0	95	0
Neighbourhood shops	0	95	0
Office premises	0	95	0
Oyster aquaculture	0	95	0
Passenger transport facilities	0	95	0
Places of public worship	0	95	0
Plant nurseries	0	95	0
Recreation areas	0	95	0
Recreation facilities (indoor)	0	95	0
Recreation facilities (major)	0	95	0
Recreation facilities (outdoor)	0	95	0
Research stations	0	95	0
Respite day care centres	0	95	0
Roads	26	69	0
Rural supplies	0	95	0
Service stations	0	95	0
Specialised retail premises	0	95	0
Storage premises	0	95	0
Take away food and drink premises	0	95	0
Tank-based aquaculture	0	95	0
Timber yards	0	95	0
Vehicle body repair workshops	0	95	0
Vehicle repair stations	0	95	0
Vehicle sales or hire premises	0	95	0
Veterinary hospitals	0	95	0
Warehouse or distribution centres	0	95	0
Wholesale supplies	0	95	0
Flood mitigation works	3	84	8
Environmental protection works	41	44	10
Public administration buildings	0	85	10
Car parks	0	84	11
Boarding houses	0	78	17

Councils differ (38)

These uses are allowed by some councils that use E3 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
Restaurants or cafes	0	65	30	0
Signage	0	65	9	21
Water reticulation systems	8	57	30	0
Home occupations	38	22	35	0
Kiosks	0	60	35	0
Environmental facilities	2	54	39	0
Port facilities	0	53	42	0
Home businesses	10	39	46	0
Pubs	0	49	46	0
Transport depots	0	49	46	0
Truck depots	0	49	46	0
Home-based child care	21	27	47	0
Registered clubs	0	46	49	0
Highway service centres	0	42	53	0
Restricted premises	0	42	53	0
Entertainment facilities	0	40	55	0
Water recycling facilities	0	39	56	0
Shop top housing	0	38	57	0
Electricity generating works	0	37	58	0
Serviced apartments	0	34	61	0
Freight transport facilities	0	33	62	0
Amusement centres	0	32	63	0
Water treatment facilities	0	32	63	0
Helipads	0	31	64	0
Food and drink premises	0	30	30	35
Sex services premises	0	29	66	0
Water supply systems	0	29	41	25
Jetties	0	27	68	0
Boat launching ramps	0	24	71	0
Home occupations (sex services)	2	22	71	0
Resource recovery facilities	0	24	71	0
Waste or resource management facilities	0	18	40	37
Sewerage systems	0	16	54	25
Shops	0	3	67	25
Tourist and visitor accommodation	0	1	55	39
Commercial premises	0	0	27	68
Industries	0	0	69	26
Retail premises	0	0	52	43

Prohibited in most councils (34)

Most of the LEPs that use E3 prohibit these, either by naming them or through the catch-all rule below.

Show all 34

Use	With consent	Prohibited	Can’t say
Cemeteries	2	93	0
Air transport facilities	2	91	2
Cellar door premises	4	91	0
Forestry	4	91	0
Heavy industrial storage establishments	2	91	2
Residential accommodation	0	90	5
Correctional centres	6	89	0
Rural industries	4	89	2
Eco-tourist facilities	7	88	0
Farm buildings	7	88	0
Airstrips	8	87	0
Exhibition villages	8	87	0
Extractive industries	8	87	0
Open cut mining	9	86	0
Exhibition homes	10	85	0
Farm stay accommodation	10	85	0
General industries	10	85	0
Camping grounds	11	84	0
Mooring pens	13	82	0
Agricultural produce industries	14	81	0
Caravan parks	14	81	0
Liquid fuel depots	14	81	0
Marinas	14	81	0
Biosolids treatment facilities	17	78	0
Roadside stalls	17	78	0
Waste disposal facilities	17	78	0
Crematoria	18	77	0
Sewage treatment plants	18	77	0
Charter and tourism boating facilities	19	76	0
Agriculture	0	75	20
Moorings	20	75	0
Wharf or boating facilities	20	75	0
Boat sheds	23	72	0
Water recreation structures	23	72	0

Uses the table doesn’t name

Every council’s table ends with a rule for anything it hasn’t listed. 18 of the 95 LEPs prohibit any use their E3 table doesn’t name. The other 77 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 E3 (95)

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 E3 Productivity Support zoning in NSW?

E3 Productivity Support is one of the zones in the NSW Standard Instrument, used by 95 of the 147 council Local Environmental Plans. Its first standard objective is: “To provide a range of facilities and services, light industries, warehouses and offices.”

Can you build a house in E3 zoning?

A dwelling house is allowed in 7 of the 95 LEPs that use E3 (with consent in 7). It is prohibited in 88. 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 E3 table doesn’t list?

18 of the 95 LEPs prohibit any use their E3 table doesn’t name. The other 77 allow such uses with consent. That catch-all rule is part of each council’s table, so a use can be prohibited in E3 without being named.

How do I check if my property is zoned E3?

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.

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

Free planning consultation

A qualified town planner will be in touch within 1 business day.

Full name

Phone

What are you looking to do? When are you hoping to start? Property address Anything else? (optional)

Your details and property information go to an independent town planner we work with, who will contact you about this enquiry. See our Privacy Policy.