R5 Large Lot Residential zone in NSW

R5 is a zone in the NSW Standard Instrument, and 106 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: 106 of the 147 council LEPs
Dwelling houses: allowed in 106 of the 106
Uses the table doesn’t name: allowed with consent in 62 of the 106
Tables as at: 19 August 2026

What the zone is for

Almost every council that uses R5 includes these objectives, word for word. They come from the Standard Instrument, the template all NSW council plans are built on:

To ensure that large residential lots do not hinder the proper and orderly development of urban areas in the future.
To ensure that development in the area does not unreasonably increase the demand for public services or public facilities.
To minimise conflict between land uses within this zone and land uses within adjoining zones.
To provide residential housing in a rural setting while preserving, and minimising impacts on, environmentally sensitive locations and scenic quality. (105 of the 106)

40 of the 106 LEPs add objectives of their own, so the full list for a property depends on its council.

Can you build a house in R5?

A dwelling house is allowed in 106 of the 106 LEPs that use R5 (with consent in 106).

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 (21)

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
Dwelling houses	0	106	0
Home occupations	106	0	0
Oyster aquaculture	0	106	0
Pond-based aquaculture	0	106	0
Roads	41	65	0
Tank-based aquaculture	0	106	0
Bed and breakfast accommodation	0	105	1
Environmental protection works	66	38	2
Home-based child care	49	55	2
Home businesses	14	86	6
Business identification signs	3	96	7
Building identification signs	6	90	10
Recreation areas	0	96	10
Home industries	5	90	11
Community facilities	0	91	15
Flood mitigation works	4	87	15
Respite day care centres	0	88	18
Environmental facilities	2	85	19
Centre-based child care facilities	0	86	20
Dual occupancies (attached)	0	85	21
Water reticulation systems	24	58	24

Councils differ (46)

These uses are allowed by some councils that use R5 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	77	29	0
Places of public worship	0	77	29	0
Dual occupancies	0	71	25	10
Exhibition homes	0	71	35	0
Extensive agriculture	44	24	33	5
Bee keeping	33	34	39	0
Farm buildings	0	66	40	0
Information and education facilities	0	66	40	0
Sewage reticulation systems	0	64	42	0
Roadside stalls	2	60	44	0
Secondary dwellings	0	60	46	0
Jetties	0	59	47	0
Recreation facilities (outdoor)	0	58	48	0
Neighbourhood shops	0	56	50	0
Veterinary hospitals	0	56	50	0
Boat launching ramps	0	54	52	0
Water recreation structures	0	53	53	0
Boat sheds	0	52	54	0
Group homes	0	52	54	0
Water recycling facilities	0	51	55	0
Camping grounds	0	46	60	0
Boarding houses	0	45	61	0
Dairies (pasture-based)	19	25	62	0
Horticulture	4	40	62	0
Eco-tourist facilities	0	43	63	0
Exhibition villages	0	39	67	0
Water supply systems	0	39	21	46
Caravan parks	0	38	68	0
Water treatment facilities	0	38	68	0
Home occupations (sex services)	3	33	70	0
Cemeteries	0	34	72	0
Kiosks	0	34	72	0
Moorings	3	30	73	0
Cellar door premises	0	32	74	0
Plant nurseries	0	32	74	0
Animal boarding or training establishments	0	27	79	0
Farm stay accommodation	0	27	79	0
Waste or resource transfer stations	0	27	79	0
Signage	0	22	42	42
Intensive plant agriculture	1	17	71	17
Sewerage systems	0	18	40	48
Tourist and visitor accommodation	0	8	44	54
Residential accommodation	0	5	39	62
Agriculture	0	3	48	55
Commercial premises	0	0	75	31
Industries	0	0	66	40

Prohibited in most councils (59)

Most of the LEPs that use R5 prohibit these, either by naming them or through the catch-all rule below.

Show all 59

Use	No consent needed	With consent	Prohibited	Can’t say
Air transport facilities	0	0	106	0
Freight transport facilities	0	0	106	0
Heavy industrial storage establishments	0	0	106	0
Multi dwelling housing	0	0	106	0
Restricted premises	0	0	106	0
Amusement centres	0	1	105	0
Correctional centres	0	1	105	0
Industrial training facilities	0	1	105	0
Residential flat buildings	0	1	105	0
Sex services premises	0	1	105	0
Vehicle body repair workshops	0	1	105	0
Vehicle repair stations	0	1	105	0
Wholesale supplies	0	1	105	0
Industrial retail outlets	0	2	104	0
Intensive livestock agriculture	0	2	104	0
Mortuaries	0	2	104	0
Transport depots	0	2	104	0
Boat building and repair facilities	0	3	103	0
Registered clubs	0	3	103	0
Rural industries	0	2	103	1
Storage premises	0	2	103	1
Warehouse or distribution centres	0	3	103	0
Rural workers’ dwellings	0	4	102	0
Service stations	0	4	102	0
Serviced apartments	0	4	102	0
Airstrips	0	5	101	0
Crematoria	0	5	101	0
Shop top housing	0	5	101	0
Entertainment facilities	0	6	100	0
Hostels	0	6	100	0
Recreation facilities (major)	0	6	100	0
Highway service centres	0	7	99	0
Marinas	0	7	99	0
Function centres	0	8	98	0
Semi-detached dwellings	0	8	98	0
Truck depots	0	8	98	0
Hotel or motel accommodation	0	9	97	0
Depots	0	10	96	0
Local distribution premises	0	10	96	0
Waste or resource management facilities	0	2	96	8
Attached dwellings	0	11	95	0
Car parks	0	11	95	0
Recreation facilities (indoor)	0	11	95	0
Wharf or boating facilities	0	12	94	0
Forestry	0	13	93	0
Charter and tourism boating facilities	0	15	91	0
Landscaping material supplies	0	15	91	0
Extractive industries	0	16	90	0
Public administration buildings	0	16	90	0
Seniors housing	0	14	90	2
Backpackers’ accommodation	0	17	89	0
Helipads	1	17	88	0
Open cut mining	0	18	88	0
Biosolids treatment facilities	0	20	86	0
Mooring pens	0	20	86	0
Passenger transport facilities	0	21	85	0
Research stations	0	21	85	0
Sewage treatment plants	0	24	82	0
Electricity generating works	0	26	80	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. 44 of the 106 LEPs prohibit any use their R5 table doesn’t name. The other 62 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 R5 (106)

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 R5 Large Lot Residential zoning in NSW?

R5 Large Lot Residential is one of the zones in the NSW Standard Instrument, used by 106 of the 147 council Local Environmental Plans. Its first standard objective is: “To ensure that large residential lots do not hinder the proper and orderly development of urban areas in the future.”

Can you build a house in R5 zoning?

A dwelling house is allowed in 106 of the 106 LEPs that use R5 (with consent in 106). 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 R5 table doesn’t list?

44 of the 106 LEPs prohibit any use their R5 table doesn’t name. The other 62 allow such uses with consent. That catch-all rule is part of each council’s table, so a use can be prohibited in R5 without being named.

How do I check if my property is zoned R5?

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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