Southern Sydney & St George
Private building certifier in the Georges River Council area
CertifiBuild certifies houses, granny flats, pools and outbuildings across the Georges River area. Close to the river, the foreshore building line location is the main local issue. It can prevent a code-based approval for work close to the water.
Local plan
Georges River Local Environmental Plan 2021
Bushfire prone land
Some suburbs
Flood planning
Council mapping
Heritage areas
Most suburbs
Most building activity right now
The 10 busiest suburbs for building work in Georges River
Ranked by ABS building approvals for new homes, duplexes, townhouses and renovations over the 12 months to August 2026. Choose a suburb for its local guide.
Local rules
What shapes approvals here.
Building near the river
A large part of this council area faces the Georges River. The local environmental plan (LEP), council's main planning rulebook, shows a foreshore building line running beside it. Seaward of the line, only limited work is permitted. That includes changes to an existing building, plus pools, jetties, seawalls and boatsheds. Foreshore land is also excluded from complying development. So a pool or deck on the water side usually needs a development application (DA) to council.
Which plan covers your lot?
The council came into being in 2016 by merging the former Hurstville and Kogarah councils. Georges River LEP 2021 and the Georges River development control plan (DCP) 2021 now cover most land. A DCP holds the detailed design rules, such as setbacks and landscaping. One deferred site, the Westfield Hurstville land, still sits under an older 1994 plan. For a typical house project, the 2021 plans apply.
Lot shape and slope
In Riverwood, older grid blocks share similar depths but differ in width. That width often decides whether a granny flat or dual occupancy fits. In Peakhurst Heights, streets curve with the land, so levels and retaining walls come first. Some suburbs also include bushfire prone land, which can change construction standards.
CDC or DA?
A complying development certificate (CDC) is a code-based approval a private certifier can issue. Where your design complies with the code and nothing excludes it, a CDC may be an option. If not, council decides a DA. Census 2021 counted separate houses at 51.6 per cent of all lived-in homes. Your next step is to send us the survey, plans and planning certificate so we can confirm the pathway.
Local know-how
Georges River neighbourhoods and their building quirks
Oatley and Lugarno
Lugarno is nearly all detached houses, many built after the government released land in the 1960s. Western Oatley is mainly post-war houses. Renovations, rebuilds, upper floors, pools and decks are typical. Along the water, some deep blocks were split front to back. A rear home may rely on a narrow, steep driveway, so check access rights and grades early. Lugarno's shoreline is largely public reserve with mangroves and bush. A river view from your home does not mean your title extends to the water.
Blakehurst
Blakehurst sits on a ridge running out towards Kogarah Bay. Steeper land drops toward Kyle Bay and Shipwrights Bay. Homes range from Federation bungalows to large new houses. Owners often take on knockdown rebuilds or build upward. On the downslope part of a lot, a new house can leave a tall undercroft, the open space beneath the floor. Bulk also grows with retaining walls and decks around pools. Surveyed sections show how the design looks from the bay and lower neighbours.
Kogarah South
Kogarah is mainly apartments overall, yet Kogarah South is a heritage conservation area of interwar cottages and Federation bungalows. Owners here usually ask for additions at the rear, roof space conversions, or restoration. The heritage guidance puts carports and garages beside or behind the house, set back from its front. Swapping a rear garage for a front parking pad can clash with it. Part of Kogarah sits in Bayside, so confirm the council first.
Hurstville's O'Brien's Estate
Away from the centre, Hurstville includes streets of houses and the O'Brien's Estate conservation area. Its own heritage guidelines shape roofs, front walls and new rear rooms. Apartments nearby are not a reason for a bigger replacement home here. Whether you can use a CDC turns on the code, the work and any individual listing.
Why Georges River owners and builders call CertifiBuild
We bring local exposure to this council's heritage areas, sloping waterfront streets and centre plans. Before design starts, we confirm the council boundary, heritage status and mapped controls for your lot. When you call or email, we respond promptly. Inspections are booked in step with your builder's schedule. Our work stays with houses, granny flats, pools, carports and other Class 1 and 10 buildings. That keeps our planning advice grounded.
Suburbs we cover
All 24 suburbs in Georges River
We certify homes and Class 10 structures in every suburb listed. Some suburbs cross council boundaries, so we always confirm the council on your planning certificate.
- Allawah
- Beverley Park
- Beverly Hills
- Blakehurst
- Carlton
- Carss Park
- Connells Point
- Hurstville
- Hurstville Grove
- Kingsgrove
- Kogarah
- Kogarah Bay
- Kyle Bay
- Lugarno
- Mortdale
- Narwee
- Oatley
- Peakhurst
- Peakhurst Heights
- Penshurst
- Ramsgate
- Riverwood
- Sans Souci
- South Hurstville
Nearby council areas
Neighbouring councils we cover.
Building near a council boundary, or planning another project close by? Each neighbouring council page explains its own local rules.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for the whole job, whichever council your lot is in.
Local questions
Questions we hear in this area.
No two lots are alike. Share your address and we will review the maps that cover it.
All council areasIs a pool allowed on the river side of my Oatley lot?
Possibly. A pool is among a short list of things council allows past the foreshore building line, toward the river on an Oatley lot. Jetties, seawalls, boatsheds and changes to an existing building are the others. That waterside strip cannot use complying development, though, so the pool needs a development application (DA) for council to assess. Some deep Oatley blocks along the water were split front to back, so check access rights and driveway grades early. Ask your surveyor to plot the line accurately before the pool is designed.
Does the old Hurstville plan still affect my house?
Almost certainly not. The 1994 Hurstville plan now covers only one deferred site, the Westfield Hurstville land. For a typical house project anywhere else, the Georges River Local Environmental Plan (LEP) 2021 and the Georges River development control plan (DCP) 2021 apply. Those plans followed the 2016 merger of the former Hurstville and Kogarah councils. Older approvals on your file may still mention earlier plans, but new work is checked against the 2021 controls. Your planning certificate lists the instruments that apply, so read it before design begins.
Is there room for a granny flat on my Riverwood lot?
It depends mostly on the width of your block. Riverwood’s older grid lots tend to share similar depths but vary in width, and width often decides whether a granny flat fits. A secondary dwelling also needs workable access and enough outdoor space on the lot. We test both on your survey and then tell you if a complying development certificate (CDC) is possible. If the design does not comply with the code, council assesses a development application (DA) instead. A fresh survey of the block, including levels, is the best first step.
Building in this area?
Send us the address first.
We check the local maps for your lot, confirm the approval path and quote in writing.