- General Neighbourhood Zone: smallest new lot 300 m² and 9 m frontage.
- General Neighbourhood Zone: up to 9 m high and 2 storeys.
- General Neighbourhood Zone: front setback 5 m, side 0.9 m and site cover 60%.
- Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone: up to 9 m high and 2 storeys.
- Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone: front setback 3 m and side 0.9 m.
- Urban Renewal Neighbourhood Zone: up to 12 m high and 3 storeys.
- Urban Renewal Neighbourhood Zone: front setback 3 m and side 0.9 m.
- A sample brief on 11 Willowood Court, Mawson Lakes (townhouses or row homes, 2 storeys) holds 27 numbers from the rules.
What a Design Brief holds
For one lot and what you are designing (a house, a pair, townhouses, apartments, a granny flat), the brief lists the numbers the zone sets: site and homes, height and site cover, setbacks, open space and landscape and parking and access. Each is cited to its clause, and the buildable envelope is drawn on the real lot in plan and in 3D.
15 credits a brief. The same block and kind again within 30 days opens free.
Zone parameters in Adelaide
| Zone | Smallest new lot (a house) | Frontage | Height | Storeys | Front setback | Side setback | Site cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Neighbourhood Zone | 300 m² | 9 m | 9 m | 2 | 5 m | 0.9 m | 60% |
| Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone | Not on file | Not on file | 9 m | 2 | 3 m | 0.9 m | Not on file |
| Urban Renewal Neighbourhood Zone | Not on file | Not on file | 12 m | 3 | 3 m | 0.9 m | Not on file |
Rules read on 27 September 2026: version 2026.18. Clauses: GNZ-2.1 General Neighbourhood Zone rule 2.1; GNZ-4.1 General Neighbourhood Zone rule 4.1; GNZ-5.1 General Neighbourhood Zone rule 5.1; GNZ-3.1 General Neighbourhood Zone rule 3.1; GNZ-7.2 General Neighbourhood Zone rule 7.2; HDNZ-3.1 Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 3.1; HDNZ-4.1 Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 4.1; HDNZ-6.2 Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 6.2; URNZ-2.1 Urban Renewal Neighbourhood Zone rule 2.1; URNZ-3.1 Urban Renewal Neighbourhood Zone rule 3.1; URNZ-5.2 Urban Renewal Neighbourhood Zone rule 5.2.
A sample brief: 11 Willowood Court, Mawson Lakes
Townhouses or row homes, 2 storeys, on the Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone lot GoSiteHunt uses as the SA public example.
| Item | Number | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum site area for each home | 142.9 m² | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 2.1 |
| Minimum frontage | No limit set | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 2.1 |
| Density | 70 homes a hectare | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 2.1 |
| Assessment path (indicative) | Deemed-to-satisfy (code assessed) if every number is met | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone Table 2 |
| Site coverage | No limit set | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone. Where a check cites only the zone, the zone sets no number for it. |
| Building height in storeys | 2 storeys at most | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 3.1 |
| Building height in metres | 9 m at most | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 3.1 |
| Front setback | 3 m at least | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 4.1 |
| Porch or verandah in the front setback | up to 1.5 m forward | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 4.1 |
| Side street setback (corner blocks) | 0.9 m at least | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 5.1 |
| Side setback, ground floor | 0.9 m at least | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 6.2 |
| Side setback, upper floor | 1.9 m for a 6 m wall | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 7.1 |
| Rear setback, ground floor | 3 m at least | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 8.1 |
| Rear setback, upper floor | 5 m at least | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 8.1 |
| Walls on a side boundary | at most 3 m high, 11.5 m long, 45% of the boundary | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 6.1 |
| Walls between the new homes | wall to wall, on the line between them | Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone rule 6.1 |
| Private open space (each home) | 60 m² at least | Design in Urban Areas rule 21.1 |
| Soft landscaping | 25% of the site (240 m² here), and 30% of the front yard; at least 0.7 m wide | Design in Urban Areas rule 22.1 |
| Car parking for each home | 1 space with 1 bedroom; 2 spaces with 2 or more bedrooms | Transport, Access and Parking Table 1 |
| Garage setback from the street | 5.5 m at least | Design in Urban Areas rule 20.1 |
| Garage inside size | single 3.0 × 5.4 m; double 5.4 × 5.4 m, inside | Design in Urban Areas rule 23.1 |
| Garage door width | 2.4 m for each car at least | Design in Urban Areas rule 23.1 |
| Driveway crossover | 3.0 m wide; at most 3.2 m on a frontage up to 10 m, 5 m over 10 m | Design in Urban Areas rule 23.3 |
| Two driveways (frontage over 10 m) | two of 3.0 to 3.2 m wide, at least 1 m apart | Design in Urban Areas rule 23.3 |
| Driveway clear of street trees and poles | 2 m from a street tree; 0.5 m from poles and pits | Design in Urban Areas rule 23.4 |
| Driveway slope | 1 in 4 at most, on average | Design in Urban Areas rule 23.5 |
| Shared driveway | 3 m wide at least; for more than 3 homes 5.5 m for the first 6 m | Design in Urban Areas rule 33.3 |
Make a Design Brief What can be built in Adelaide
Questions
- What setbacks apply in Adelaide?
- In the General Neighbourhood Zone, the front setback is 5 m and the side setback 0.9 m, by the rule pack. A brief gives the numbers for your own lot.
Last updated: 14 November 2026. Guide only. Confirm all results with a council planner before you rely on them.