How Much Does a DA Cost in NSW?

The cost of a development application in NSW is rarely just one number. The council application fee alone is often a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars, but the full cost of preparing and lodging a DA for a new dwelling commonly runs $8,000 to $30,000 once you add plans, surveys, certificates and a Statement of Environmental Effects.

That gap is where budgets blow out. Many people plan for the council fee they read about online, then discover the real money sits in the documents the council requires before it will even accept the application. The application fee is the smallest part of most home DAs.

In this guide, you will learn:

• Why the council application fee is only one part of what a DA costs
• What line items make up the total cost of a NSW development application
• How the council DA fee is calculated from your cost of works
• What a small extension versus a new house typically costs all in
• Where you have the most control over what you spend

How Much Does a DA Cost in NSW?

The answer to "how much does a DA cost" is really two numbers — a modest government fee, plus a much larger bundle of professional documents.

How much a DA costs depends entirely on what you count. If you mean the council application fee, that is often a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars for a home project. If you mean the total cost to get the DA ready and lodged, you are looking at $8,000 to $30,000 or more for a new dwelling, and less for a simple extension.

The reason the total is so much larger is that a DA is not a single form. Your council will not assess an application until it is accompanied by the right plans, certificates and reports, and most of those have to be paid for separately. So the honest answer to "how much does a DA cost" is two numbers: a modest government fee, plus a much larger bundle of professional documents. The rest of this guide deals with that bundle, because it is where almost all the money goes and where almost all the savings live.

What Makes Up the Cost of a Development Application?

Design and plans are almost always the biggest line item — seeing every cost itemised makes it clear why two DAs for similar houses can cost very different amounts.

The cost of a development application in NSW is built from several line items, and design work is usually the biggest. Seeing them itemised makes it clear why two DAs for similar houses can cost very different amounts.

Figure 1: What makes up the cost of a DA in NSW. Design and plans are usually the largest single line.

A typical residential DA includes the council DA fee (based on your cost of works), design and plans at $3,000 to $15,000, a land survey at $1,500 to $3,500, a BASIX certificate at $300 to $800, any specialist reports your site triggers at $500 to $3,000 each, and your Statement of Environmental Effects at $600 to $1,200 if a planner prepares it. A long service levy also applies to construction work. For the full list of what councils expect with an application, see our DA lodgement checklist for NSW. Not every project needs every line, which is exactly why the total varies so much.

How Is the Council DA Fee Calculated in NSW?

The council DA fee is set by regulation, not the market, so it is predictable once you know your numbers — it scales with your estimated cost of works.

The council DA fee is the one cost that is set by regulation rather than the market, so it is predictable once you know your numbers. It is calculated from your estimated development cost, which is your reasonable cost of the building work.

Figure 2: The council DA fee scales with your cost of works, and a long service levy applies on top.

Under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021, council DA fees are set on a tiered scale based on your estimated development cost, expressed in fee units that are updated each year. The fee unit for 2025/26 is $113.90. A higher cost of works means a higher fee, which is why a $100,000 renovation and a $600,000 new build pay different council fees. On top of the DA fee, a Building and Construction Industry long service levy of 0.25% applies to works valued at $25,000 or more, payable before you start building. So on a $400,000 build, the levy alone is about $1,000. Because councils can vary their adopted fees within the regulated limits, check your council's current fees and charges schedule for the exact figure.

What Does a DA Cost for a Small Extension vs a New House?

Grouping by project type gives a more useful estimate than a single average — design, reports, and site constraints drive most of the difference.

The same DA process produces very different bills depending on the size and difficulty of the project. Grouping by project type gives a more useful estimate than a single average.

Figure 3: Indicative total DA cost by project type. Reports and design drive most of the difference.

A small extension or renovation on a straightforward block commonly costs $4,000 to $12,000 all in, because it needs fewer reports and simpler plans. A new dwelling, the most common DA, typically runs $8,000 to $30,000 or more once you add full plans, a survey, a BASIX certificate and a SEE. A complex or constrained site, such as one affected by heritage, flooding or a steep slope, can exceed $30,000 because it triggers multiple specialist reports. These are indicative ranges, not quotes, but they show where your project is likely to land before you ask for a single price.

Where Can You Save on Your DA Cost?

Most of the cost of a development application is within your control — the savings come from the professional services, where the same outcome can often be reached for much less.

Most of the cost of a development application is within your control, even though the council fee and the long service levy are fixed. The savings come from the professional services, where the same outcome can often be reached for much less.

Figure 4: The council fee is fixed, but most other lines on your DA are within your control.

For a straightforward project, a building designer can prepare DA plans for far less than a full architect. Getting the brief right before drawings begin avoids paying for round after round of revisions. Ordering only the specialist reports your site actually triggers, rather than a precautionary stack, keeps that line down. And the Statement of Environmental Effects, which a town planner charges $600 to $1,200 for, is one document you can produce yourself for a fraction of the cost. To see how the planner side of the bill adds up, read our guide on town planner fees in NSW, or estimate your own with our free town planner cost calculator.

• Use a building designer for simple projects rather than a full architect
• Finalise your design before drawings begin to avoid revision rounds
• Order only the specialist reports your site actually needs
• Prepare or generate the SEE rather than paying a planner $600 to $1,200