Attic (planning: attic vs storey)
In planning, an attic is a non-habitable roof void that does not count as a storey under height limits but still sits within the HOB envelope.
Ask Chalkline about this →In planning terms, an attic is a non-habitable roof void, and the question that matters for a builder is whether it counts as a storey. The NCC and most state planning instruments distinguish a storey (a habitable floor level) from an attic (a non-habitable roof void): an attic does not count toward storey-based height limits, but it still sits within the height-of-building (HOB) envelope and must fit below the HOB ceiling in metres. The practical test: if you can stand up in it and it has a fixed floor, it is probably a storey, not an attic.
In NSW, a roof void is generally not a storey if it is non-habitable and the headroom does not exceed roughly 1.4 to 1.6 m over the majority of the floor area; the exact figure is set by the local DCP, not a single statewide number. Habitable rooms built into an attic count toward gross floor area. In Victoria (clause 73.01), a storey is “that part of a building between floor levels”, so a habitable attic with a fixed floor is a storey, while a roof void with hatch access only is generally not; VCAT decides borderline cases on their facts.
Confirm the line with your certifier before designing around the exception, because crossing it can turn a two-storey approval into a three-storey one. See building height controls for how HOB, eaves height, and storey limits interact.
Also known as: Roof void, loft, roof space.
Category: Planning and approvals / Height controls.
Related
See also
References
- Standard Instrument (Local Environmental Plans) Order 2006 (NSW) (verified 2026-05-23)
- Victoria Planning Provisions clause 73.01 (storey) (verified 2026-05-23)
Last updated: 2026-05-30. Verified: 2026-05-23. Quarterly review for currency.