Tasmanian Planning Scheme (TPS)

The Tasmanian Planning Scheme (TPS) is Tasmania’s single statewide planning instrument under the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993 (Tas) (LUPAA), effective across all of Tasmania from 26 June 2024. The TPS replaced the previous patchwork of 29 separate council planning schemes with a two-layer model: state-wide State Planning Provisions (SPPs) that set zones and codes, layered with each council’s Local Provisions Schedule (LPS) that maps zones to specific land and adds council-specific overlays. Verified per LUPAA 1993 and the Tasmanian Planning Commission (2026-05-23).

The two layers:

Layer	Set by	Content
State Planning Provisions (SPPs)	Tasmanian Planning Commission	23 zones, 16 codes, use tables, definitions
Local Provisions Schedule (LPS)	Each council (subject to TPC approval)	Zone maps for the LGA, PPZs, SAPs, local heritage list

Both layers must be read together for any specific property: the LPS tells you which zone the lot is in, and the SPP tells you what the zone allows.

The 23 statewide SPP zones:

Residential	Commercial	Industrial	Recreational	Environmental	Special
General Residential	General Business	Light Industrial	Open Space	Environmental Management	Future Urban
Inner Residential	Local Business	General Industrial	Recreation	Environmental Living	Utilities
Low Density Residential	Central Business	Special Industrial		Rural
Rural Living	Commercial	Heavy Industrial		Significant Agriculture
Village				Landscape Conservation
				Major Tourism

(Plus Particular Purpose Zones and Specific Area Plans set in each LPS.)

The 16 codes:

Code (abbreviated)	Application
Bushfire-Prone Areas Code	BAL assessment, defensible space, attack-level controls
Coastal Erosion Hazard Code	Coastal setbacks, building height limits
Coastal Inundation Hazard Code	Floor levels above estimated sea-level rise
Flood-Prone Areas Code	Floor levels, structural soundness
Landslip Hazard Code	Engineer’s report for sloping sites
Acid Sulfate Soils Code	Site investigation and management plan
Heritage Code	Heritage item and conservation area controls
Stormwater Management Code	On-site detention, water quality
Subdivision Code	Layout, services, design
Local Historic Heritage Code	Locally listed heritage
Natural Assets Code	Trees, vegetation
Parking and Sustainable Transport Code	Parking ratios, bike access
Road and Railway Assets Code	Setbacks from roads/rail
Safeguarding of Airports Code	Building height near airports
Telecommunications Code	Antenna controls
Electricity Transmission Infrastructure Protection Code	Setbacks from transmission lines

Four assessment pathways:

Pathway	Meaning	Trigger
Exempt	No DA needed; defined use under SPP exempt list	Standard residential maintenance, like-for-like repair
Permitted	Use is allowed; standards must be met; council approval required as DA	Most standard residential
Discretionary	Use is conditionally allowed; council has merits assessment discretion	Custom residential, multi-unit, sensitive sites
Prohibited	Use is not allowed in the zone	DA refused outright

The Discretionary pathway requires the council to weigh merit factors similar to NSW EP&A Act s4.15. Public notification is mandatory for Discretionary applications.

Reading the TPS for a project:

1. Identify the council of the property.
2. Open the council’s LPS to find the zone of the lot (PlanBuild Tasmania portal).
3. Read the corresponding SPP zone provisions (use table, development standards).
4. Read any applicable codes for overlays (bushfire, flood, heritage, landslip, etc.).
5. Identify the assessment pathway (Exempt, Permitted, Discretionary, Prohibited) for the proposed use.
6. Read the relevant council DCP (informal: most Tas councils now reference TPS only).
7. Engage a Tas planning consultant if Discretionary or in multiple codes’ overlap.

The 26 June 2024 transition:

Before that date, each council operated under its own legacy planning scheme. Legacy decisions, applications in progress, and existing approvals are transitional under LUPAA s30S-30Z. As of mid-2026, all new applications go through the TPS framework only.

Common builder defects:

• Reading the legacy scheme: superseded by the TPS; legacy zone names may not map cleanly.
• Missing a code overlay: bushfire, flood, landslip, or heritage code applies even if zone permits the use; the code triggers extra requirements.
• Confusing Permitted with Exempt: Permitted requires DA, Exempt doesn’t. Many residential renovations sit in Permitted, not Exempt.
• Assuming Discretionary is “high-risk”: many normal residential developments are Discretionary in Tas because the SPP zone standards are stricter than DTS elsewhere.

Cross-state equivalents:

State	Equivalent statewide framework
TAS	Tasmanian Planning Scheme (this) under LUPAA 1993
SA	Planning and Design Code under PDI Act 2016
NSW	Multiple SEPPs + each council’s LEP under EP&A Act 1979
VIC	Planning schemes (council-specific) under PE Act 1987
QLD	Planning schemes (council-specific) under Planning Act 2016
WA	Local planning schemes (council-specific)

TAS and SA both moved to centralised statewide frameworks; other states retain council-specific schemes.

Builder takeaway:

• For Tasmanian residential work, the TPS is the single source. Use PlanBuild Tasmania as the primary portal.
• Identify zone + codes early. Some sites have 3-4 overlapping codes (bushfire + landslip + heritage).
• Engage a Tas planning consultant for Discretionary applications; the merit assessment is fact-specific.
• Watch for transitional matters on projects approved pre-26 June 2024.

Also known as: TPS; Tas planning scheme; statewide planning scheme; TPC framework.

Category: Approvals & DA.

Related

• Local Provisions Schedule (LPS, Tas)
• Code Assessed Performance Assessed (SA)
• Merit assessment (DA, NSW)

See also

• DA process (Tas)

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Last updated: 2026-05-23. Verified: 2026-05-23. Quarterly review for currency.