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State Planning Provisions (TAS): the uniform zone and code set

Tasmania's SPPs are the uniform statewide set of 23 zones and 16 codes under LUPAA. All 29 councils apply them via their LPS but cannot vary them.

By Dan Waring. Last updated 11 June 2026. Verified 11 June 2026.

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The State Planning Provisions (SPPs) are the uniform, statewide set of planning rules that form the first half of the Tasmanian Planning Scheme (TPS). They contain 23 standard zones, 16 codes, use classes, definitions, exemptions, and administrative provisions that apply identically across all 29 Tasmanian municipal councils. The SPPs are made by the Minister for Planning and can only be amended by the Minister, with the Tasmanian Planning Commission (TPC) conducting public exhibition and making a recommendation; councils have no power to vary or rewrite SPP provisions themselves. Each council applies the SPPs to its own area through its Local Provisions Schedule (LPS), which maps the SPP zones onto specific parcels of land and adds council-specific Particular Purpose Zones (PPZs) and Specific Area Plans (SAPs) for locally unique conditions. Verified per stateplanning.tas.gov.au and planning.tas.gov.au (2026-06-11).

Disambiguation: TAS SPPs are not QLD/WA/SA “State Planning Policies”

The acronym “SPP” is used for two distinct instruments. In Queensland, Western Australia, and South Australia, an SPP is a state-government policy instrument that prevails over local planning schemes on particular state-interest topics (bushfire, economic development, housing supply). In Tasmania, “SPP” means the State Planning Provisions, the foundational zone and code document that is the Tasmanian Planning Scheme, not a policy layer above it. If you’re researching Queensland’s State Planning Policy 2017 or WA’s SPP series, see State planning policy. This article covers the Tasmanian instrument only.

In plain English

The SPPs are the rulebook that every Tasmanian council must use. When your project is in a General Residential zone in Hobart, it sits in exactly the same zone definition as General Residential in Launceston, Devonport, or Burnie. The zone standards, use tables, and code requirements are identical. What differs between councils is the LPS: each LPS maps which zone applies to which parcel and may add PPZs or SAPs for genuinely unique local conditions. The practical effect for builders: if a development is permitted in a General Residential zone under the SPP use table, it is assessed the same way in every Tasmanian council area. Surprise variations come from the LPS layer, not the zone provisions themselves.

What it requires

The 23 statewide zones (SPP):

CategoryZones
ResidentialGeneral Residential, Inner Residential, Low Density Residential, Rural Living, Village
Business and commercialUrban Mixed Use, Local Business, General Business, Central Business, Commercial
IndustrialLight Industrial, General Industrial
Rural and agricultureRural, Agriculture
EnvironmentalLandscape Conservation, Environmental Management
Tourism, infrastructure and utilitiesMajor Tourism, Port and Marine, Utilities
Community and recreationCommunity Purpose, Recreation, Open Space
Future developmentFuture Urban

Total: 23 zones. Councils cannot create new standard zones; if a site has genuinely unique characteristics not met by any of the 23, the council creates a Particular Purpose Zone (PPZ) in its LPS instead.

The 16 codes (SPP):

CodeTrigger
SignsAll development (applies via code text, no overlay map)
Parking and Sustainable TransportAll development requiring car parking assessment
Road and Railway AssetsDevelopment near road or rail corridors
Electricity Transmission Infrastructure ProtectionDevelopment within transmission line setback areas
TelecommunicationsAntenna and facility development
Local Historic HeritageSites on the LPS heritage schedule
Natural AssetsSignificant vegetation and habitat areas
Scenic ProtectionMapped scenic protection overlays
AttenuationDevelopment near noise or odour-generating uses
Coastal Erosion HazardMapped coastal erosion hazard overlay
Coastal Inundation HazardMapped coastal inundation overlay
Flood-Prone AreasMapped flood overlay
Bushfire-Prone AreasMapped bushfire-prone land (BAL assessment)
Potentially Contaminated LandMapped potentially contaminated land
Landslip HazardMapped landslip hazard overlay
Safeguarding of AirportsBuilding height controls near airports

Fifteen of the 16 codes apply to mapped overlays. The Signs Code applies via the code text itself regardless of overlay. A single development may trigger multiple codes simultaneously (a coastal site can hit coastal inundation, bushfire, and natural assets at once).

Uniformity rule and the councils’ role:

The SPPs are a statewide instrument made by the Minister for Planning. Only the Minister can amend them, following a process under LUPAA where the TPC conducts public exhibition and reports a recommendation. No council can override, modify, or opt out of an SPP zone or code provision. The only local flexibility is the LPS layer: councils map which parcels fall into which zone, designate PPZ and SAP areas, and supply the local schedules (heritage list, significant trees, etc.) referenced by the codes.

What it doesn’t cover

  • Local Provisions Schedules: each council’s LPS is a separate instrument within the TPS. The LPS maps zones to specific land and adds PPZs and SAPs; the SPPs do not do this. Read the two together for any specific site.
  • Tasmanian Planning Policies (TPPs) and Regional Plans: the TPPs (effective 1 July 2026) sit above the SPPs in the planning hierarchy under LUPAA. They are separate policy instruments, not part of the SPPs.
  • Building permits: the NCC-based building approval process (structural, energy, fire standards) sits outside the planning system and is administered by CBOS Tasmania. A project may need both a planning permit under the TPS and a separate building permit.
  • Environmental licences: EMPCA 1994 (Tas) approvals are a parallel process to the TPS.

Practical implications

For Tasmanian builders:

  • The SPP zone standards are the same in every council area, so zone research done in one municipality transfers directly to another. The LPS mapping is what differs.
  • Check the LPS zone map via PlanBuild Tasmania before starting any design. Confirm the zone, then read the matching SPP zone provisions for the use table and development standards.
  • For each mapped overlay on the site, read the matching SPP code. A sloping coastal site near heritage may trigger four or five codes at once.
  • If the proposed use is Permitted under the SPP use table and all numerical standards are met, the council must issue the permit within 28 days and cannot refuse. If any standard is missed or the use is Discretionary, expect public advertising, merit assessment, and the full 42-day clock.
  • Amendments to the SPPs (adding zones, revising code thresholds, new definitions) follow a Minister-directed process with TPC review and public exhibition. They are not council decisions. Track proposed SPP amendments at stateplanning.tas.gov.au.

References

  • State Planning Office Tasmania, Tasmanian Planning Scheme State Planning Provisions (effective 25 December 2024, Amendment 03-2024), via stateplanning.tas.gov.au (verified 2026-06-11).
  • State Planning Office Tasmania, About zones, codes and overlays, stateplanning.tas.gov.au (verified 2026-06-11).
  • State Planning Office Tasmania, Codes and overlays, stateplanning.tas.gov.au (verified 2026-06-11).
  • Tasmanian Planning Commission, State Planning Provisions (SPPs) amendment process, planning.tas.gov.au (verified 2026-06-11).

See also

Last updated: 2026-06-11. Verified: 2026-06-11. Quarterly review for currency.

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