Residential Drafting and Building Design in Tasmania

Tasmania has one planning scheme for the whole state, the Tasmanian Planning Scheme, made under the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993. It combines the State Planning Provisions with each council's Local Provisions Schedule.

• Planning permit. Issued by your council. A use or development is either permitted, where it meets the acceptable solutions, or discretionary, where it relies on performance criteria. Discretionary applications are advertised and take more work.
• Building approval. Under the Building Act 2016, building work is sorted into categories by risk. For a new house or extension, a building surveyor assesses the design and issues a certificate of likely compliance. Depending on the category, the council's permit authority is then notified or issues a building permit.

We design to the acceptable solutions where the site allows, because a permitted application is simpler for everyone. Where a design needs a performance-based approach, for example on a steep or narrow lot, we prepare the drawings and explain the design reasons. Overlays for heritage, bushfire and landslip can affect what is possible, so we check them first.

Under the current planning scheme, a secondary residence is an extra self-contained home of no more than 60 m² of floor area, excluding decks, that belongs to a single house and shares its access, parking and services. In many zones it is a permitted use, though a discretionary application is still needed when the design relies on performance criteria or an overlay applies. A draft amendment to raise the limit to 90 m² was exhibited in mid 2026 and is being assessed by the Tasmanian Planning Commission. We will tell you which rule applies when you are ready to lodge.

Two or more homes on a lot are multiple dwellings under the scheme, with their own standards for site area, setbacks, private open space and parking. We check the zone and standards for your lot before design starts.

Tasmania has not adopted the NCC 2022 7-star energy provisions for houses, so the earlier minimum still applies. The Building Amendment Act 2026 also means NCC 2022 applies in Tasmania until 1 May 2027. These rules have changed several times, so we confirm the current requirement with your energy assessor and building surveyor for each job.

We prepare concept plans, planning permit drawings and building sets for houses, extensions, secondary residences and multiple dwellings. We work Australia-wide with our own team in every state, and we can coordinate the whole project, bringing in the surveyor, engineers, energy assessor and building surveyor, then handing a clear set to your builder. We bring 10+ years combined experience and 100+ residential projects.

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