R1 General Residential zone in NSW

R1 is a zone in the NSW Standard Instrument, and 97 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: 97 of the 147 council LEPs
Dwelling houses: allowed in 97 of the 97
Uses the table doesn’t name: allowed with consent in 57 of the 97
Tables as at: 19 August 2026

What the zone is for

Every council that uses R1 includes these objectives, word for word. They come from the Standard Instrument, the template all NSW council plans are built on:

To provide for the housing needs of the community.
To provide for a variety of housing types and densities.
To enable other land uses that provide facilities or services to meet the day to day needs of residents.

54 of the 97 LEPs add objectives of their own, so the full list for a property depends on its council.

Can you build a house in R1?

A dwelling house is allowed in 97 of the 97 LEPs that use R1 (with consent in 97).

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 (34)

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
Attached dwellings	0	97	0
Boarding houses	0	97	0
Centre-based child care facilities	0	97	0
Community facilities	0	97	0
Dwelling houses	0	97	0
Group homes	0	97	0
Home occupations	97	0	0
Hostels	0	97	0
Multi dwelling housing	0	97	0
Neighbourhood shops	0	97	0
Places of public worship	0	97	0
Residential flat buildings	0	97	0
Respite day care centres	0	97	0
Roads	34	63	0
Semi-detached dwellings	0	97	0
Seniors housing	0	97	0
Shop top housing	0	97	0
Oyster aquaculture	0	96	1
Pond-based aquaculture	0	96	1
Tank-based aquaculture	0	96	1
Dual occupancies	0	92	5
Exhibition homes	0	91	6
Home-based child care	38	53	6
Recreation areas	2	89	6
Bed and breakfast accommodation	0	90	7
Home businesses	9	81	7
Building identification signs	3	86	8
Business identification signs	1	88	8
Environmental protection works	44	45	8
Secondary dwellings	0	86	11
Flood mitigation works	2	83	12
Exhibition villages	0	79	18
Home industries	1	78	18
Serviced apartments	0	77	20

Councils differ (36)

These uses are allowed by some councils that use R1 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
Emergency services facilities	0	71	26	0
Information and education facilities	0	71	26	0
Water reticulation systems	10	61	26	0
Educational establishments	0	69	27	1
Environmental facilities	2	67	28	0
Hotel or motel accommodation	0	61	36	0
Sewage reticulation systems	0	61	36	0
Recreation facilities (indoor)	0	54	43	0
Recreation facilities (outdoor)	0	53	44	0
Backpackers’ accommodation	0	51	46	0
Caravan parks	0	49	48	0
Port facilities	0	47	50	0
Camping grounds	0	41	56	0
Jetties	0	40	57	0
Boat sheds	0	39	58	0
Kiosks	0	37	60	0
Water supply systems	0	37	30	30
Water recycling facilities	0	36	61	0
Boat launching ramps	0	35	62	0
Restaurants or cafes	0	35	62	0
Water recreation structures	0	35	62	0
Water treatment facilities	0	35	62	0
Veterinary hospitals	0	34	63	0
Home occupations (sex services)	3	27	67	0
Signage	0	30	32	35
Public administration buildings	0	29	68	0
Electricity generating works	0	26	71	0
Passenger transport facilities	0	26	71	0
Advertising structures	0	25	72	0
Food and drink premises	0	23	67	7
Tourist and visitor accommodation	0	23	22	52
Residential accommodation	0	17	1	79
Sewerage systems	0	12	39	46
Commercial premises	0	2	50	45
Agriculture	0	0	56	41
Industries	0	0	65	32

Prohibited in most councils (53)

Most of the LEPs that use R1 prohibit these, either by naming them or through the catch-all rule below.

Show all 53

Use	No consent needed	With consent	Prohibited	Can’t say
Air transport facilities	0	0	97	0
Forestry	0	0	97	0
Freight transport facilities	0	0	97	0
Heavy industrial storage establishments	0	0	97	0
Rural industries	0	0	97	0
Crematoria	0	1	96	0
Resource recovery facilities	0	1	96	0
Vehicle body repair workshops	0	1	96	0
Extractive industries	0	2	95	0
Industrial training facilities	0	2	95	0
Mortuaries	0	2	95	0
Restricted premises	0	2	95	0
Sex services premises	0	2	95	0
Transport depots	0	2	95	0
Truck depots	0	2	95	0
Vehicle repair stations	0	2	95	0
Warehouse or distribution centres	0	2	95	0
Amusement centres	0	3	94	0
Animal boarding or training establishments	0	3	94	0
Boat building and repair facilities	0	3	94	0
Correctional centres	0	3	94	0
Highway service centres	0	3	94	0
Industrial retail outlets	0	3	94	0
Storage premises	0	3	94	0
Wholesale supplies	0	3	94	0
Recreation facilities (major)	0	4	93	0
Depots	0	5	92	0
Airstrips	0	6	91	0
Open cut mining	0	6	91	0
Research stations	0	6	91	0
Farm buildings	0	7	90	0
Service stations	0	7	90	0
Charter and tourism boating facilities	0	8	89	0
Farm stay accommodation	0	8	89	0
Helipads	0	8	89	0
Marinas	0	8	89	0
Rural workers’ dwellings	1	8	88	0
Waste or resource management facilities	0	1	87	9
Biosolids treatment facilities	0	12	85	0
Funeral homes	0	12	85	0
Mooring pens	0	12	85	0
Plant nurseries	0	12	85	0
Wharf or boating facilities	1	11	85	0
Sewage treatment plants	0	13	84	0
Local distribution premises	0	15	82	0
Markets	1	14	82	0
Entertainment facilities	0	18	79	0
Eco-tourist facilities	0	20	77	0
Registered clubs	0	20	77	0
Moorings	2	19	76	0
Cemeteries	0	22	75	0
Car parks	0	23	74	0
Function centres	0	23	74	0

State policy also applies here

NSW state policy allows secondary dwellings in R1 to R5 zones wherever a house is allowed, whatever the council’s own table says. The counts here are the councils’ tables only. See the rules.

Uses the table doesn’t name

Every council’s table ends with a rule for anything it hasn’t listed. 40 of the 97 LEPs prohibit any use their R1 table doesn’t name. The other 57 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 R1 (97)

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 R1 General Residential zoning in NSW?

R1 General Residential is one of the zones in the NSW Standard Instrument, used by 97 of the 147 council Local Environmental Plans. Its first standard objective is: “To provide for the housing needs of the community.”

Can you build a house in R1 zoning?

A dwelling house is allowed in 97 of the 97 LEPs that use R1 (with consent in 97). 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 R1 table doesn’t list?

40 of the 97 LEPs prohibit any use their R1 table doesn’t name. The other 57 allow such uses with consent. That catch-all rule is part of each council’s table, so a use can be prohibited in R1 without being named.

How do I check if my property is zoned R1?

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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