RU4 Primary Production Small Lots zone in NSW

RU4 is a zone in the NSW Standard Instrument, and 54 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: 54 of the 147 council LEPs
Dwelling houses: allowed in 54 of the 54
Uses the table doesn’t name: prohibited in 40 of the 54
Tables as at: 19 August 2026

What the zone is for

Almost every council that uses RU4 includes these objectives, word for word. They come from the Standard Instrument, the template all NSW council plans are built on:

To enable sustainable primary industry and other compatible land uses.
To minimise conflict between land uses within this zone and land uses within adjoining zones.
To encourage and promote diversity and employment opportunities in relation to primary industry enterprises, particularly those that require smaller lots or that are more intensive in nature. (53 of the 54)

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

Can you build a house in RU4?

A dwelling house is allowed in 54 of the 54 LEPs that use RU4 (with consent in 54).

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
Aquaculture	0	54	0	0
Dwelling houses	0	54	0	0
Extensive agriculture	41	13	0	0
Farm buildings	3	51	0	0
Home occupations	54	0	0	0
Intensive plant agriculture	16	38	0	0
Plant nurseries	0	54	0	0
Roads	20	34	0	0
Roadside stalls	0	54	0	0
Cellar door premises	0	53	1	0
Building identification signs	2	50	2	0
Business identification signs	2	50	2	0
Bed and breakfast accommodation	0	51	3	0
Environmental protection works	32	19	3	0
Home businesses	9	42	3	0
Farm stay accommodation	0	49	5	0
Home industries	1	48	5	0
Environmental facilities	0	47	7	0
Recreation areas	0	46	8	0
Home-based child care	23	22	9	0
Agritourism	0	43	1	10
Animal boarding or training establishments	0	43	11	0
Water storage facilities	1	42	11	0
Flood mitigation works	0	42	12	0
Community facilities	0	41	13	0

Councils differ (50)

These uses are allowed by some councils that use RU4 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
Veterinary hospitals	0	40	14	0
Dual occupancies (attached)	0	39	15	0
Water reticulation systems	6	33	15	0
Agricultural produce industries	0	36	18	0
Recreation facilities (outdoor)	0	35	19	0
Water supply systems	0	35	9	10
Information and education facilities	0	31	23	0
Landscaping material supplies	0	30	24	0
Water recreation structures	0	30	24	0
Boat sheds	0	27	27	0
Helipads	0	26	28	0
Secondary dwellings	0	26	28	0
Boat launching ramps	0	24	30	0
Forestry	5	19	30	0
Jetties	0	23	31	0
Signage	1	22	3	28
Cemeteries	0	22	32	0
Charter and tourism boating facilities	0	22	32	0
Open cut mining	0	22	32	0
Rural workers’ dwellings	0	22	32	0
Depots	0	21	33	0
Eco-tourist facilities	0	21	33	0
Moorings	2	19	33	0
Places of public worship	0	21	33	0
Dual occupancies	0	20	20	14
Extractive industries	0	20	34	0
Research stations	0	20	34	0
Rural supplies	0	20	34	0
Sewerage systems	0	20	34	0
Function centres	0	19	35	0
Camping grounds	0	18	36	0
Rural industries	0	18	22	14
Airstrips	0	17	37	0
Educational establishments	0	17	35	2
Mooring pens	0	17	37	0
Recreation facilities (indoor)	0	17	37	0
Restaurants or cafes	0	17	37	0
Correctional centres	0	16	38	0
Stock and sale yards	0	16	38	0
Backpackers’ accommodation	0	15	39	0
Heliports	0	15	39	0
Respite day care centres	0	15	39	0
Truck depots	0	15	39	0
Marinas	0	14	40	0
Tourist and visitor accommodation	0	14	12	28
Agriculture	0	9	2	43
Air transport facilities	0	8	40	6
Commercial premises	0	0	12	42
Industries	0	0	17	37
Residential accommodation	0	0	11	43

Prohibited in most councils (43)

Most of the LEPs that use RU4 prohibit these, either by naming them or through the catch-all rule below.

Show all 43

Use	No consent needed	With consent	Prohibited	Can’t say
Amusement centres	0	0	54	0
Restricted premises	0	0	54	0
Sex services premises	0	0	54	0
Vehicle body repair workshops	0	0	54	0
Industrial retail outlets	0	1	53	0
Wholesale supplies	0	1	53	0
Vehicle repair stations	0	2	52	0
Exhibition villages	0	3	51	0
Heavy industrial storage establishments	0	3	51	0
Storage premises	0	3	51	0
Warehouse or distribution centres	0	3	51	0
Highway service centres	0	4	50	0
Passenger transport facilities	0	4	50	0
Registered clubs	0	4	50	0
Service stations	0	4	50	0
Exhibition homes	0	5	49	0
Mortuaries	0	5	49	0
Serviced apartments	0	5	49	0
Timber yards	0	5	49	0
Entertainment facilities	0	6	48	0
Freight transport facilities	0	6	48	0
Hotel or motel accommodation	0	6	48	0
Kiosks	0	6	48	0
Neighbourhood shops	0	6	48	0
Transport depots	0	6	48	0
Car parks	0	7	47	0
Garden centres	0	7	47	0
Markets	0	8	46	0
Public administration buildings	0	9	45	0
Caravan parks	0	10	44	0
Local distribution premises	0	10	44	0
Recreation facilities (major)	0	10	44	0
Waste or resource management facilities	0	6	44	4
Artisan food and drink industries	0	11	43	0
Crematoria	0	11	43	0
Group homes	0	11	43	0
Intensive livestock agriculture	0	11	43	0
Livestock processing industries	0	11	43	0
Wharf or boating facilities	0	11	43	0
Centre-based child care facilities	0	12	42	0
Boat building and repair facilities	0	13	41	0
Home occupations (sex services)	3	10	41	0
Industrial training facilities	0	13	41	0

Uses the table doesn’t name

Every council’s table ends with a rule for anything it hasn’t listed. 40 of the 54 LEPs prohibit any use their RU4 table doesn’t name. The other 14 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 RU4 (54)

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 RU4 Primary Production Small Lots zoning in NSW?

RU4 Primary Production Small Lots is one of the zones in the NSW Standard Instrument, used by 54 of the 147 council Local Environmental Plans. Its first standard objective is: “To enable sustainable primary industry and other compatible land uses.”

Can you build a house in RU4 zoning?

A dwelling house is allowed in 54 of the 54 LEPs that use RU4 (with consent in 54). 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 RU4 table doesn’t list?

40 of the 54 LEPs prohibit any use their RU4 table doesn’t name. The other 14 allow such uses with consent. That catch-all rule is part of each council’s table, so a use can be prohibited in RU4 without being named.

How do I check if my property is zoned RU4?

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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