Request for Further Information (DA assessment)
A request for further information (RFI) is the council instrument in DA assessment that pauses the assessment clock until you respond. Not the same as a construction RFI.
Ask Chalkline about this →A Request for Further Information (RFI) is the instrument a council (or consent authority) issues during a development application when the assessing officer needs more information to finish the assessment. It is one of the most common reasons a DA takes longer than expected, and the key thing to understand is that it stops the assessment clock.
It pauses the clock
A DA has a statutory assessment timeframe. When the council issues an RFI, that clock pauses from the date of the request until the applicant lodges a complete response. So an RFI that sits unanswered for six weeks adds six weeks to the DA, and that delay is on the applicant, not the council.
What triggers one
Councils issue an RFI when the application as lodged does not let them decide. Common triggers:
- Missing or unclear plans (incomplete drawings, no levels, ambiguous setbacks).
- Missing specialist reports (BASIX, a BAL assessment, stormwater, traffic, heritage, an arborist or acoustic report).
- Insufficient impact analysis (overshadowing, privacy, streetscape, flooding).
A well-prepared DA, ideally informed by a pre-DA meeting, pre-empts most RFIs by including the reports the constraints demand up front.
Amended plans can re-trigger notification
If your RFI response includes amended drawings, especially changes that affect neighbours, the council may re-notify the application (a second public notification round). That adds weeks and reopens the door to objections, so think before redesigning in an RFI response.
Not the construction “RFI”
The acronym clashes. In planning, RFI is a council’s Request for Further Information during a DA. In construction, an RFI is a builder’s Request for Information to the architect or engineer during the build. Same letters, different process and different sender.
For a builder
- Respond fully and fast. The clock is stopped on your time; answer completely the first time to avoid a second RFI.
- Front-load the reports. Get the BASIX, BAL, stormwater, and other reports in with the original DA; the RFI is usually asking for what was missing.
- Watch the re-notification trap. Amending plans in your response can restart public notification; weigh the change against the delay.
Also known as: RFI (planning), further information request, additional information request.
Related
See also
Last updated: 2026-05-25. Verified: 2026-05-25. Quarterly review for currency.