When you have proposals for home renovations or repairs that do not require consent from the council, complying or exempt development takes effect. It was designed to fast-track the approval process to cut down the cost of obtaining construction consent and quickly.

Whether exempt or complying development, there are standards that you need to satisfy before you proceed with the renovations, repairs, or constructions. Exempt and complying development allow new construction up to two storeys but follow the building code’s standards and guidelines.  But it is good practice to consult certified building and construction specialists than to assume the construction falls under exempt and complying development.

Do I need development consent?

Not always. You require no consent for buildings and constructions that fall under exempt and complying development. There are other circumstances where you do not require authorisation from the council to construct. For example, if you had earlier acquired consent from planning and building and now need to modify or add some new buildings, support might not be necessary as the older one still serves as consent from the council. All you need is to satisfy building and construction standards as stipulated in the state’s policies.

Also, there are places where the government identifies as national heritage and does not permit construction on such sites. Other than that, in some areas, you might want to consult a certifier for complying development. However, whatever your case, try to seek advice from exempt and complying development companies.

So what is exempt development?

Development that poses less of an impact on the environment requires the owners to carry out the projects without the council’s consent. However, the exempt product must meet provisions stipulated under Australian building codes. If it involves removing or felling trees, you must obtain content from the council.

Before you undertake constructions under exempt development, check that you put into consideration the following things:

• All construction works must meet structural requirements and be installed with proper guidance and specifications from the manufacturer, plus meet the minimum building standards.
• If it involves taking down or pruning a tree, get consent from the council; otherwise, you might face severe consequences of non-compliance.
• Structures near public land or public utility must obtain separate approval according to the local government act.
• Carry out complying and exempt development projects in areas prone to bushfires under the council’s consent and approval and comply with the guidelines of construction in bushfire prone areas. You can carry out construction under complying development under flood-prone areas following the guidelines and building codes associated with flood-prone areas.
• Is a fast-track planning & building approval following specified guidelines and building codes and standards? It can happen both in rural and urban areas. For complying development, specific policies apply to particular sites.
• Look for certifiers to pre-comply your property and ascertain whether it sits well within complying development or requires planning and building approval. It saves you both time and money. The next step is to acquire a CDC for your story to commence. You will require a CDC for secondary dwellings like granny’s flat and more.