The quick version
- In the ACT, how big your shed can be without a DA depends on how big your block is.
- "No DA needed" isn't the same as "no approval needed". Many ACT sheds still need building approval.
- Over the border in Queanbeyan, Googong or Yass, the NSW rules apply, and they're quite different.
- Garages, workshops and commercial sheds are usually too big for the exempt path.
ACT: how big can a shed be without a DA?
The ACT's exempt rules for enclosed sheds and garages are in section 1.42 of the Planning (Exempt Development) Regulation 2023. The biggest surprise for most people is that the size limit depends on the size of your block.
| Your block size | Biggest exempt shed |
|---|---|
| Under 500 m² | 10 m² |
| 500 m² to under 600 m² | 25 m² |
| 600 m² or more | 50 m² |
Plan area of the shed. Source: Planning (Exempt Development) Regulation 2023 (ACT), schedule 1, section 1.42.
There is no flat 20 m² rule in the ACT. On a block under 500 m², an exempt shed tops out at 10 m². On 600 m² or more, it can be 50 m².ACT Planning (Exempt Development) Regulation 2023, s 1.42
ACT: the other rules your shed has to meet
Size is only one test. To be exempt from a DA, an enclosed shed or garage also has to tick all of these:
- Height: no more than 3 m above natural ground level. It can go up to 4 m if no part of it rises above a 30° line drawn from 3 m high at the boundary.
- Solar envelope: no part of the shed can stick out past your block's solar building envelope, which protects your neighbours' winter sun.
- Behind the building line: the shed has to sit behind the front building line. If it's bigger than 10 m², it also has to be at least 15 m back from the front boundary.
- Near the side or back fence: anything within 1.5 m of a side or rear boundary has to be the only structure in that strip, or meet the extra rule for a second one, where the two together can't present more than 30 m² towards the boundary.
Carports and open-sided structures have their own section (1.43): a roof of no more than 50 m², walls on no more than two sides, behind the building line and within the same height limits.
No DA doesn't mean no approval
This is the one that catches people out. The exemption above is from development approval. The regulation itself notes that the work may still need building approval under the Building Act 2004. For most garages and decent-sized sheds, that means a private building certifier checks the plans and engineering before work starts and inspects it along the way.
The building code still applies either way. The frame has to be engineered for your site's wind rating, and the slab designed for what's going in it.
Over the border: the NSW rules
If your block is in Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra, Googong, Bungendore, Yass or anywhere else on the NSW side, the state's Codes SEPP applies instead. Clauses 2.17 and 2.18 set the standards a garden shed must meet to be exempt, and if it meets every one, you don't need planning or building approval at all.
| Residential zones | Rural and R5 zones | |
|---|---|---|
| Biggest exempt shed | 20 m² | 50 m² |
| Maximum height | 3 m | 3 m |
| Setback from boundaries | 900 mm | 5 m |
| Position | Behind the building line | Depends on the zone |
A few more conditions apply. On bushfire-prone land, an exempt shed has to be built from non-combustible materials. Sheds can't be used as living space. And you still need council's permission to remove or prune trees, or to connect stormwater.
Bigger than that? A shed that meets the state's standard rules can go through a complying development certificate (CDC) with a private certifier, which can be approved in as little as 20 days. Anything else needs a DA through the local council, which is Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council or Yass Valley Council around Canberra.
The NSW figures summarise clause 2.18 of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008. The rules are amended from time to time, so we always confirm them against the current version before you build.
Garages, workshops and commercial sheds
A double garage is usually around 36 m², and a decent workshop is often 60 to 100 m² or more. On a typical Canberra suburban block, that's beyond the exempt limits, so plan on approval from the start. Commercial and industrial sheds always go through a proper approval, and farm buildings in NSW rural zones have their own set of rules.
Know someone planning a build? Send this their way.