Woollahra Municipal Council
Private building certifier in Woollahra
CertifiBuild certifies alterations to terraces and houses, rebuilds, pools and outbuildings in Woollahra. Most homes sit inside a heritage area, and that single map line shapes almost everything that follows.
NSW 2025
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Woollahra: terraces, precincts and contributory items
A heritage suburb first
Roughly three quarters of Woollahra (77%) is heritage conservation area, and locally listed items number over 200. At the 2021 Census it had 7,189 residents. Of 2,988 occupied dwellings, 1,506 were flats, 928 were terraces, semis or townhouses, and 532 were separate houses. Medium density R3 zoning applies to just over half the land.
Seven precincts and a contributory map
Within the heritage area, Chapter C2 of council's DCP (development control plan) governs. It groups streets into seven precincts: Grafton, Fletcher, Nelson, Rosemont, Queen Street, West Woollahra and Harbour View. It also maps contributory buildings and groups, which add to the area's significance without being individually listed. A 2026 amendment to the local plan switched off floor space limits for houses, semis and dual occupancies there. The chapter's controls and the height limit manage bulk instead.
The part outside
The other 23% or so has no conservation area over it. No other inner Woollahra suburb has a bigger share like that. There, ordinary lot size, height and floor space rules apply, and code approval is far more likely.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Woollahra is tightly held and older, so most work improves what is already there. Common projects:
- Alterations to terraces and Federation era homes, shaped by the precinct and contributory status.
- Full rebuilds on land beyond the conservation area, which can still go through a code approval.
- Pools and detached outbuildings, which can sometimes use complying development even inside the area.
- Dual occupancies on bigger R3 lots that reach the local plan's minimum lot sizes.
Queen Street shops and flats belong to other classes, so those jobs go to a certifier with that wider registration.
How approval usually works
The conservation line decides the route. Inside it, the main state codes for new houses and additions are switched off, apart from pools, detached outbuildings and some detached structures. A limited alterations code still applies with heritage limits. Most other work needs a development application (DA) to council. Outside the line, a CDC (fast-track complying development) is often available. Before lodging, confirm your precinct and whether your building is marked contributory, since that governs demolition and street facing changes. Planning a dual occupancy? Confirm the minimum lot size, since it may be larger than the mapped number. The state led rezoning near the planned station is only a proposal until it is made. CertifiBuild maps your lot's heritage and precinct status early, then keeps the job moving through each inspection.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Woollahra job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Woollahra are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageIs my Woollahra property inside the conservation area?
Probably. The heritage conservation area takes in about 77% of Woollahra, so most properties fall inside it. Check the map in council’s local plan for your address, because the answer shapes almost everything else: which design chapter you follow, whether a quick code approval is possible, and whether a floor space limit applies to your house. Inside the area, also confirm which of the seven precincts covers your street and whether your building is marked as contributory. Outside it, in roughly 23% of the suburb, ordinary lot size, height and floor space rules apply.
How come my Woollahra terrace has no FSR?
Because a 2026 change to Woollahra’s local plan removed the floor space ratio (FSR) limit inside the conservation area for houses, terraces, semis and dual occupancies. Bulk is now managed by the controls for your precinct in council’s heritage chapter, the map of contributory buildings and the mapped height limit. No FSR doesn’t mean no limit, so a terrace addition must still fit its street and precinct. Check whether your terrace is marked contributory before planning demolition or changes to its street face, since that status carries real weight.
Will the station rezoning alter what I may build now?
Not yet. The state’s rezoning proposal for Edgecliff and land near the planned Woollahra station came off public exhibition on 7 October 2026. It changes nothing until the state formally makes it, and today’s local plan and development control plan (DCP) still decide what you can build. Treat the proposal as background only when planning a project now. If your lot is in one of the named areas, keep an eye on whether the rezoning is made, but don’t design to rules that aren’t in force yet.
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.