R3 Medium Density Residential zone in NSW

R3 is a zone in the NSW Standard Instrument, and 74 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: 74 of the 147 council LEPs
Dwelling houses: allowed in 68 of the 74
Uses the table doesn’t name: prohibited in 46 of the 74
Tables as at: 19 August 2026

What the zone is for

Every council that uses R3 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 within a medium density residential environment.
To provide a variety of housing types within a medium density residential environment.
To enable other land uses that provide facilities or services to meet the day to day needs of residents.

51 of the 74 LEPs add objectives of their own, so the full list for a property depends on its council.

Can you build a house in R3?

A dwelling house is allowed in 68 of the 74 LEPs that use R3 (with consent in 68). It is prohibited in 6.

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 (25)

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
Attached dwellings	0	74	0	0
Boarding houses	0	74	0	0
Centre-based child care facilities	0	74	0	0
Community facilities	0	74	0	0
Group homes	0	74	0	0
Multi dwelling housing	0	74	0	0
Neighbourhood shops	0	74	0	0
Oyster aquaculture	0	74	0	0
Places of public worship	0	74	0	0
Respite day care centres	0	74	0	0
Roads	11	63	0	0
Seniors housing	0	74	0	0
Tank-based aquaculture	0	74	0	0
Home occupations	59	11	4	0
Recreation areas	1	68	5	0
Dwelling houses	0	68	6	0
Home businesses	10	58	6	0
Bed and breakfast accommodation	0	67	7	0
Environmental protection works	23	43	8	0
Business identification signs	0	65	9	0
Home-based child care	19	46	9	0
Dual occupancies	0	62	11	1
Semi-detached dwellings	0	62	12	0
Building identification signs	1	60	13	0
Hostels	0	57	17	0

Councils differ (28)

These uses are allowed by some councils that use R3 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
Flood mitigation works	0	55	19	0
Secondary dwellings	0	55	19	0
Exhibition homes	0	54	20	0
Residential flat buildings	0	54	20	0
Shop top housing	0	47	27	0
Home industries	2	39	33	0
Serviced apartments	0	41	33	0
Educational establishments	0	39	33	2
Emergency services facilities	0	39	35	0
Exhibition villages	0	37	37	0
Environmental facilities	2	33	39	0
Information and education facilities	0	33	41	0
Water reticulation systems	1	31	42	0
Recreation facilities (outdoor)	0	27	47	0
Backpackers’ accommodation	0	26	48	0
Hotel or motel accommodation	0	25	49	0
Public administration buildings	0	25	49	0
Recreation facilities (indoor)	0	24	50	0
Water recycling facilities	0	23	51	0
Jetties	0	19	55	0
Water supply systems	0	18	39	17
Signage	0	17	18	39
Tourist and visitor accommodation	0	13	16	45
Residential accommodation	0	11	3	60
Sewerage systems	0	10	41	23
Agriculture	0	0	28	46
Commercial premises	0	0	26	48
Industries	0	0	48	26

Prohibited in most councils (61)

Most of the LEPs that use R3 prohibit these, either by naming them or through the catch-all rule below.

Show all 61

Use	No consent needed	With consent	Prohibited	Can’t say
Freight transport facilities	0	0	74	0
Heavy industrial storage establishments	0	0	74	0
Rural industries	0	0	74	0
Sex services premises	0	0	74	0
Storage premises	0	0	74	0
Vehicle repair stations	0	0	74	0
Air transport facilities	0	1	73	0
Correctional centres	0	1	73	0
Crematoria	0	1	73	0
Depots	0	1	73	0
Eco-tourist facilities	0	1	73	0
Forestry	0	1	73	0
Industrial retail outlets	0	1	73	0
Industrial training facilities	0	1	73	0
Mortuaries	0	1	73	0
Restricted premises	0	1	73	0
Vehicle body repair workshops	0	1	73	0
Wholesale supplies	0	1	73	0
Animal boarding or training establishments	0	2	72	0
Transport depots	0	2	72	0
Truck depots	0	2	72	0
Amusement centres	0	3	71	0
Boat building and repair facilities	0	3	71	0
Highway service centres	0	3	71	0
Recreation facilities (major)	0	3	71	0
Research stations	0	3	71	0
Rural workers’ dwellings	0	3	71	0
Warehouse or distribution centres	0	3	71	0
Cemeteries	0	4	70	0
Extractive industries	0	4	70	0
Function centres	0	4	70	0
Service stations	0	4	70	0
Waste or resource management facilities	0	2	70	2
Wharf or boating facilities	0	4	70	0
Farm buildings	0	5	69	0
Marinas	0	5	69	0
Airstrips	0	6	68	0
Camping grounds	0	6	68	0
Charter and tourism boating facilities	0	6	68	0
Entertainment facilities	0	6	68	0
Farm stay accommodation	0	6	68	0
Open cut mining	0	6	68	0
Home occupations (sex services)	1	6	67	0
Mooring pens	0	7	67	0
Passenger transport facilities	0	7	67	0
Registered clubs	0	7	67	0
Local distribution premises	0	8	66	0
Veterinary hospitals	0	8	66	0
Caravan parks	0	9	65	0
Biosolids treatment facilities	0	10	64	0
Helipads	0	10	64	0
Moorings	0	10	64	0
Electricity generating works	0	11	63	0
Kiosks	0	11	63	0
Restaurants or cafes	0	11	63	0
Sewage treatment plants	0	11	63	0
Water recreation structures	0	14	60	0
Advertising structures	0	15	59	0
Boat sheds	0	16	58	0
Boat launching ramps	0	17	57	0
Car parks	0	17	57	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. 46 of the 74 LEPs prohibit any use their R3 table doesn’t name. The other 28 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 R3 (74)

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 R3 Medium Density Residential zoning in NSW?

R3 Medium Density Residential is one of the zones in the NSW Standard Instrument, used by 74 of the 147 council Local Environmental Plans. Its first standard objective is: “To provide for the housing needs of the community within a medium density residential environment.”

Can you build a house in R3 zoning?

A dwelling house is allowed in 68 of the 74 LEPs that use R3 (with consent in 68). It is prohibited in 6. 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 R3 table doesn’t list?

46 of the 74 LEPs prohibit any use their R3 table doesn’t name. The other 28 allow such uses with consent. That catch-all rule is part of each council’s table, so a use can be prohibited in R3 without being named.

How do I check if my property is zoned R3?

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.