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Compliance and enforcement

Before you carry out any development, demolition or building work, you'll need to find out what approvals are necessary. Some minor works are exempt development and don't need approval. Garden sheds, decks and fences are examples of this type of development.

Exempt and complying development

Most development in the Eurobodalla will need a Development Application (DA), but a DA is not always necessary. You may be able to do some straightforward, minor works as:

  • exempt development: does not need Council approval
    or
  • complying development: a combined planning and construction approval issued by a building certifier.

Types of exempt development include:

More information

You can find out more about exempt and complying development:

You can also contact the Development Help Desk for more information:

Development approval

If your development does not meet all the development standards in the State Policy for exempt and complying development, you may need to lodge a DA.

Registered certifiers

Once you have a Complying Development Certificate (CDC) or Construction Certificate (CC), you'll need to appoint a registered certifier before you start any building works.

Registered certifiers are required to:

  • carry out mandatory and other inspections of the development at certain stages
  • check compliance with the relevant approvals and certificates
  • issue an Occupation Certificate when the development is complete.

If you have any questions or concerns about building work certified by a registered certifier, contact the certifier.

If you have a complaint about the conduct or actions of a registered certifier, you'll need to contact NSW Fair Trading:

Compliance and enforcement

Council's Compliance Policy outlines our regulatory and enforcement actions, considerations and processes. The Policy guides our response to breaches and offences by the community to ensure we act in a consistent way.

It is an offence to do building work (development) that does not:

  1. comply with the approved plans and/or conditions of consent, CDC or CC
  2. have development consent.

Council can issue notices, orders and fines, or start legal proceedings to rectify the non-compliance.

We take these offences seriously as they can result in sub-standard construction. They can also have a major impact on the safety of occupants and nearby residents.

How to report another person's illegal or non-complying building works

If you have a question or complaint about building work that doesn't comply with a development consent or CDC, contact the certifier. You'll find the certifier's name and contact details on a sign at the front of the development site.

You can also contact us to make a complaint about illegal building work or use of a premises:

Register of orders and notices

We are required to keep a register of orders and notices issued in the Eurobodalla. The register shows orders and notices issued in the current financial year.

To see the register, click on the 'Public Orders' link on the left menu:

We can also provide you with orders and notices issued in previous years.

Contact us

If you need more information about development non-compliance, please contact us: