chalkline. Snap the line. Build to it.
glossary Glossary 3 min read

Performance-assessed development (SA)

In SA, performance-assessed development is the pathway where work not meeting all Deemed-to-Satisfy criteria is assessed on merit against the Planning and Design Code.

By Dan Waring. Last updated 9 June 2026. Verified 9 June 2026.

Ask Chalkline about this →

Performance-assessed development is one of South Australia’s planning assessment pathways under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 and the Planning and Design Code. It is the pathway for development that does not meet all the Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) criteria and so has to be assessed on its merits against the performance outcomes in the Code.

It sits in the middle of the SA assessment ladder:

  • Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS): ticks every numerical criterion, so it is assessed against a checklist and approved without discretion. Fast and predictable.
  • Performance-assessed: misses one or more DTS criteria, so the assessor weighs the proposal against the performance outcomes (the qualitative goals the DTS numbers are meant to achieve). This involves judgement, can be publicly notified (neighbours can make representations), and takes longer.
  • Impact-assessed: the highest tier, for major or sensitive development, with the most involved process.

The practical meaning is that missing a DTS number does not mean a refusal. It means you leave the certainty of the checklist and go into a merit assessment, where you argue the proposal still meets the performance outcome behind that number (for example, a setback that is short of the DTS figure but still achieves the streetscape and amenity outcome). The trade-off is time, cost, possible notification, and a less certain result.

For a builder the practical points are to check the DTS criteria first (if you can meet them all, stay in DTS for speed and certainty), to understand that one missed criterion tips the whole application into performance-assessed (not just that element), and to budget time and a planning argument when you go down this path. A planner who frames the proposal against the performance outcomes is usually worth it. See the DTS vs performance-assessed comparison.

Also known as: Performance-assessed pathway, merit assessment (SA), code performance assessment.

Category: Planning / SA.

See also

References

Last updated: 2026-06-09. Verified: 2026-06-09. Quarterly review for currency.

Related articles