Kiama Municipal Council
Private building certifier in Jamberoo
Kiama’s DCP gives Jamberoo village a dedicated section, with rules on verandahs, roof pitch and setbacks. CertifiBuild certifies new homes, additions, verandahs, garages and sheds that need to follow it.
NSW 2533
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Village rules for a valley settlement laid out in 1841
A dairy village in a valley
Jamberoo lies in a tight valley with steep sides, with the coast at Kiama about 11 kilometres away. Cedar-cutters came through first. In 1821 William Davis received the area's earliest land grant, and Michael Hyam laid the village out in 1841. Australia's pioneering co-operative butter factory began here in 1884, and working farms still ring the village. Freestanding houses are the norm, with hardly any other type.
The village section of the DCP
Kiama DCP 2020 has a dedicated section for Jamberoo Village. It applies to the village's business and residential zones and takes priority over other chapters if they conflict. Older homes on Allowrie Street sit nearer the front boundary, while newer houses line the western edge. Council wants verandahs, horizontal cladding, pitched roofs and garages that sit back from the street.
Heritage in review
In May 2026, a Gateway decision rejected the two conservation areas proposed by the Jamberoo Heritage Review. The review still seeks to list seven extra items and amend three, among them the sandstone kerbs of Allowrie Street. Exhibition opened on 24 August and closed on 27 September 2026. A change to the Kiama LEP 2011 is expected late in 2026.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Work in Jamberoo follows the split between the old village core and the newer western edge. Common jobs include:
- Alterations and back extensions to old cottages in the core, respecting the closer Allowrie Street setbacks.
- Verandah rebuilds, and garages tucked back behind the house front.
- Pools, patios and sheds on newer lots.
- Granny flats on newer lots as households settle in.
- New houses in Golden Valley, where stage one offers 50 lots, each roughly 800 square metres. Ten were released first, in March 2026.
Any developer design guide there sits apart from the legal approval.
How approval usually works
Standard house plans often miss the village numbers. With no established setback, a house sits at least 6 metres back. Otherwise, use the average of the closest two houses on that frontage within 40 metres. For side setbacks, the starting point is 1.5 metres, within a 45 degree plane that begins 3.6 metres up. Beside RU1 or RU2 rural land, one boundary needs a 3 metre gap and the other 1.5 metres. The main roof needs a pitch of 25 degrees or steeper, and the front entry a covered verandah no shallower than 1.5 metres. Outside the house footprint, cut or fill must not exceed 900 millimetres, and retaining should be dry stone. A split-level design may suit a sloping block. A new heritage listing would generally narrow CDC options. CertifiBuild checks your site and the lots next door for heritage changes before plans are finalised.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Jamberoo job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Jamberoo are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageWill Jamberoo become a conservation area?
Not at this stage. In May 2026 a Gateway decision rejected both conservation areas proposed by the Jamberoo Heritage Review. The review now seeks to list seven extra items and amend three, including the sandstone kerbs of Allowrie Street. Public exhibition opened on 24 August and closed on 27 September 2026, and a change to the Kiama LEP 2011 is expected late in 2026. Because a new listing would generally narrow complying development certificate (CDC) options, check the status of your lot and its neighbours before finalising plans.
What roof pitch does a Jamberoo village house need?
Under the village section of Kiama DCP 2020, the main roof needs a pitch of 25 degrees or steeper. Flatter skillion roofs are fine over verandahs and minor parts. You also enter the house under a roofed verandah or patio no shallower than 1.5 metres, built in materials such as timber, brick or stone. Council also likes horizontal cladding and garages that sit back behind the house front. Ask your designer to confirm the pitch on the elevations early, since standard project home plans often fall short of it.
Can I build a home on a Golden Valley lot?
Yes. Golden Valley stage one offers 50 lots of roughly 800 square metres, with ten released first in March 2026. Every home there still requires an approval of its own: a complying development certificate (CDC) if the block and design both qualify, or a development application (DA) and then a construction certificate. A developer’s design guide is a private matter that sits outside the legal approval. Make sure your lot is registered before plans are lodged, and send the registered plan and a contour survey when you first get in touch.
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.