Lithgow City Council
Private building certifier in Hartley
CertifiBuild certifies new rural homes, extensions, sheds, garages and granny flats in Hartley. Owners near the historic village often need to consider the State Heritage Register listing first.
NSW 2790
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Hartley: a historic village in a rural valley
The historic village
Hartley Historic Site sits on the Great Western Highway, on a steep slope above the River Lett. A courthouse designed by Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis was built here in 1837, and the town plan was gazetted the following year. The village grew as a government centre and a stop on the road to Bathurst. The State Heritage Register has listed it since 1999, and NSW's national parks agency has managed it since 1972.
A rural locality
At the 2021 Census Hartley had 478 residents in 209 private dwellings. Detached houses formed 90.3% of those occupied. Many properties are rural. Under the Lithgow Development Control Plan 2021, a rural dwelling needs a 100 metre setback to a highway and 20 metres to any public road. Nearby Hartley Vale and Little Hartley are separate localities with their own heritage conservation areas.
Landscape and hazards
The DCP encourages buildings on visually prominent rural sites to sit below key ridgelines. Check bush fire and mine subsidence mapping, and whether the drinking water catchment rules apply to your lot.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Hartley work is mostly rural and lifestyle property projects. Distances and landscape matter more than in town. Most properties fall under the DCP's rural section, not its urban one. Typical jobs:
- New rural dwellings sited to meet the large road and highway setbacks and sit below ridgelines.
- Extensions and verandahs on existing farmhouses and cottages.
- Farm and domestic sheds, sized to the zone and described clearly by their use.
- Granny flats on rural land, within the local plan's size limit.
- Work near the historic village, planned around the heritage setting and the River Lett slope.
How approval usually works
A CDC (complying development certificate, the state code fast track) is possible for some Hartley houses and sheds, but rural, heritage and bush fire constraints often push projects toward a development application (DA). Expect to supply a heritage impact statement when work affects a heritage item. The State Heritage Register listing can bring Heritage NSW approval into play. Before lodging, confirm your zone, lot area and distance to the highway. Check the bush fire map and plan for the assessed construction level, including access for fire vehicles. Find out if a mine subsidence district or the drinking water catchment covers your lot. CertifiBuild sorts out the heritage, rural and hazard checks before design, so your application is set up properly from the start.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Hartley job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Hartley are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageWhat setback does a rural house need from the highway at Hartley?
On rural zoned land in Hartley, the Lithgow Development Control Plan 2021 asks for 100 metres between the house and a highway and 20 metres from any other public road. Side and rear setbacks vary with lot size. The DCP also encourages homes on visually prominent sites to sit below key ridgelines. Confirm your zone, lot area and measured distance to the highway first, then check bush fire mapping, which can affect siting and the access needed for fire vehicles.
Does the Hartley Historic Site affect building on my land?
It can if your land is on or beside the listed site. Hartley Historic Site has been on the State Heritage Register since 1999, and work affecting a heritage item usually means preparing a heritage impact statement. Heritage NSW approval may also be required. Properties well away from the village are assessed under the normal rural controls. Look your lot up on the heritage map, and note that nearby Hartley Vale and Little Hartley have their own conservation areas. Heritage issues often make a development application (DA) the likely route.
Is a big shed allowed on a rural Hartley property?
Often yes, though your zone and the size of your lot set the limits. The Lithgow DCP handles sheds for farming differently from sheds for household storage, so spell out on the plans what yours will be used for. Setbacks still apply, as does bush fire mapping, and mine subsidence or drinking water catchment rules may cover some lots. Smaller sheds can sometimes go through a complying development certificate (CDC), while others need a development application. Confirm the zone and any hazards before settling on a size and position.
Building in this suburb?
Send us the address first.
We check the local maps for your lot, confirm the approval path and quote in writing.