FSR (Floor Space Ratio)
What FSR means on a NSW LEP: the ratio of a building's gross floor area to the site area. How it limits how much you can build on a lot.
Ask Chalkline about this →FSR (Floor Space Ratio) is a development standard set in a council’s Local Environmental Plan (LEP) that limits how much floor area can be built on a lot. It is expressed as a ratio of gross floor area (GFA) to site area. An FSR of 0.5:1 on a 600 m2 lot allows a maximum GFA of 300 m2. An FSR of 0.65:1 on the same lot allows 390 m2.
FSR is controlled by clause 4.4 of the Standard Instrument (Local Environmental Plans) Order 2006. The applicable FSR value for any site is shown on the Floor Space Ratio Map in the LEP maps package, accessible via the NSW Planning Portal Spatial Viewer. Values vary council to council and sometimes vary within the same zone across different parts of an LGA. GFA includes all enclosed habitable and non-habitable space: garages, enclosed verandahs, and thick external walls all count.
If no FSR value is shown on the map for a lot, no FSR limit applies under that LEP clause (though a SEPP may still set one).
Also known as: Floor Space Ratio, floor-space ratio.
Category: Approvals.
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Last updated: 2026-05-08. Verified: 2026-05-08. Quarterly review for currency.