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Tools and Calculators

Free tools to give you a quick, indicative answer before you speak to a planner.

Subdivision calculator

Get an indicative idea of how many lots your property could yield under the Residential Design Codes (R-Codes). Enter your site area and density code below.

m²
Shown on your Certificate of Title or rates notice.
Not sure? Check your property on PlanWA or your local government's scheme map.

This calculator gives a general, indicative estimate only, based on the minimum and average site areas in State Planning Policy 7.3 Residential Design Codes Volume 1. It does not account for local planning schemes, local planning policies, structure plans, access legs, easements, servicing, existing buildings or site constraints, and is not planning advice. Subdivision is subject to approval by the Western Australian Planning Commission.

Development application fee estimator

Work out the planning application fee for a development application in Western Australia. Fees are set by the Planning and Development Regulations 2009 and are based on the estimated cost of the development.

Choose change of use only where there is no building work, for example using an existing building for a different purpose.
$
Usually the builder's contract price or a reasonable estimate of the cost of the works, excluding land.

This estimator uses the maximum fees in Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2009 that apply from 1 July 2026. Your local government may charge less. It does not include Development Assessment Panel fees, advertising or consultation costs, building permit fees or other charges, and is not planning advice.

Do I need planning approval?

Answer a few questions for a general indication of whether your residential project may need development approval in Western Australia.

General guide onlyThis checker does not account for local planning schemes, local policies or site-specific matters, and the rules can change. Please confirm with your local government or a planner before you start work.
Is the property heritage listed or in a heritage area?
Check your local government's heritage list or PlanWA.
Does the property have an R-Code (for example R20 or R30)?
Rural and some other zones have no R-Code, so this exemption does not apply there.
Does the design meet every deemed-to-comply requirement of the R-Codes, and any local policy that changes them?
For example setbacks, building height, open space, overshadowing and visual privacy. Your builder or designer can usually tell you.
Is the property in a special control area or a bushfire prone area?
You can check both on PlanWA or your local planning scheme map.
Will the panels sit flat against the roof, at the same angle?
Is the tank 5,000 litres or less, outside the front setback area, and no higher than the limits below?
Attached to the house: no higher than the eaves. Free-standing more than 1 m from boundaries: 2.4 m. Within 1 m of a boundary: 1.8 m.
Which best describes it?

Last reviewed October 2026. Based on clause 61 of the deemed provisions in the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015. This is general information, not planning or legal advice. A building permit may still be needed even where planning approval is not.

More tools are on the way. If there is a calculator you would find useful, get in touch to suggest it.