Development Guidelines & Tools

Our planning guidelines and tools will give you the background information you need when planning to build, renovate or lodge a development application.

To view the Byron Shire Development Control Plans and other documents, visit our Plans & Strategies library.

Planning & Development Strategies

Development Advice Services

We provide a range of development advice services to help answer your planning and development enquiries.

DA Lodgment Matrix and Checklist

Use this matrix and checklist to identify what information is required to be submitted with your development application.

Security Bond Payment & Refund

A security bond must be paid for certain development types. Find out how to pay a bond before you start work or request a refund when the works are finished.

Property Development Guidelines

Community Significant Development, creation of easements, food business fit out, site contamination report and telecommunications for new development.

Exempt & Complying Development

Depending on the type of development, you may not need approval. Check here to see if your proposal is categorised as Exempt or Complying development.

Electronic document formatting requirements

Electronic documents lodged with your development applications must meet certain criteria. Find out more.

Variations to development standards

We keep a register of development applications that have been determined and resulted in a variation to a development standard.

Political Donations Disclosure

It is your responsibility to disclose all donations made to ensure they comply with State law.

Estimating the genuine cost of development

Guide to assist in calculating the estimated cost of a development and required forms for submitting a DA.

Design Excellence Panel

The Design Excellence Panel provides advice on the design quality of certain development types and proposals.