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Pre-DA meetings: when to book, what to bring, how to use the output

When a pre-DA meeting with council is worth booking, what to bring, what to expect, how to use the output to cut conditions and RFIs. NSW and other states.

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

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TL;DR

A pre-DA meeting is a paid consultation with the council planning team before you lodge a Development Application. The process and fees vary by state. In NSW most metro councils run formal pre-DA meetings for $300 to $1,500 ex-GST; in Victoria roughly $200 to $400 ex-GST for residential; QLD, SA and WA councils run them less formally and pricing varies (full state-by-state breakdown in Fees by state below). The meeting surfaces the issues that sink applications: BASIX, BAL, heritage referrals, missing specialist reports, neighbour notification triggers. Front-loading those answers at pre-DA cuts RFI loops and reduces conditions on consent. Skip it on straightforward compliant jobs; book it any time the site has constraints or you are seeking to vary development controls.

When you do this

Pre-DA is optional, not mandatory. The decision comes down to site risk and project complexity.

Book a pre-DA meeting when:

  • The site has heritage listing, bushfire (BAL), flood, or foreshore overlays
  • You are varying a development standard (height, FSR, setbacks, floor space)
  • The proposed works have a contentious neighbour-impact (privacy, solar access, view corridors)
  • The DCP is ambiguous or the site straddles two zones under the LEP
  • You are uncertain which specialist reports (geotech, arborist, heritage, hydraulic) council will require
  • The site involves stormwater, integrated approvals (Sydney Water, RFS concurrence), or acid sulfate soils
  • The project value is high enough that a delayed consent or an RFI loop causes real program damage

Skip the formal meeting when:

  • The proposal clearly complies with all LEP and DCP controls
  • The site has no overlays and no site constraints
  • Over-the-counter or duty planner advice (usually free) already answered the key questions
  • The same proposal type has already been approved on the same street and you have the precedent

Most councils offer a free duty planner service for simple queries. Use that first. If the answers raise more questions, escalate to a formal pre-DA meeting.

Who’s involved

PartyRole
Builder or ownerApplicant or client rep. Books the meeting, prepares the brief, asks the questions.
Town planner or architectOften attends alongside the builder to run technical discussion on controls compliance.
Council planning officerThe allocated assessor or senior planner who will likely assess the eventual DA.
Additional specialists (optional)Heritage officer, engineer, ecologist. Additional fee per officer at most councils.

Steps

  1. Identify constraints first. Order a Section 10.7 Planning Certificate from council and check the planning portal for your LEP zone, overlays (heritage, bushfire, flood, foreshore, acid sulfate) and the DCP controls for the site. This is the background doc you bring to the meeting.
  2. Prepare concept drawings. Council cannot advise on a blank sheet. Bring at minimum: site plan, floor plan, elevations (to scale), and a shadow diagram if solar access is a concern. They don’t need to be construction-grade, but they need to show enough to identify non-compliances.
  3. Write a question list. Councils give better meetings when you give them a written agenda of specific issues. Example questions: “Will council require an acoustic report given proximity to the arterial road?”, “Is the proposed 4.5 m FSR variation assessable under Clause 4.6?”, “Which referral agencies will this trigger?”
  4. Book the meeting. Most councils take bookings online or by phone. Allow 3 to 5 weeks lead time for a formal meeting slot. Inner West Council (NSW), Northern Beaches Council (NSW), and City of Parramatta (NSW) all use online booking portals. Submit your plans and agenda before the booking deadline (typically 5 to 14 days prior or council will not have reviewed them in time to give useful feedback).
  5. Attend the meeting. Meetings run 45 minutes to 1 hour typically. Some councils now default to video (Teams or Zoom); others are in person. Take your own notes. Don’t rely solely on council’s written summary.
  6. Receive written notes. Most councils issue formal pre-lodgement notes within 10 to 21 business days of the meeting. These notes are advisory, not a guarantee of approval, but they are the clearest signal you will get of the officer’s position before lodgement.
  7. Act on the notes before lodging. This is where the value is realised. Amend the design, commission any required specialist reports, and confirm any referral pathway issues before the DA goes in. A well-prepared application that directly addresses the pre-lodgement notes typically avoids the RFI cycle and attracts fewer conditions.

Documents needed

DocumentFormatNotes
Section 10.7 Planning CertificatePDFPull from council before booking. Lists all overlays.
Concept drawingsSingle PDFSite plan, floor plan, elevations. Scale marked.
Cover letter or proposal summaryPDFOne-to-two pages: what you’re proposing, why, key issues you want advice on.
Question list / agendaPDF or emailSpecific issues, not open-ended. Submit with plans before the deadline.
Supporting studies (if available)PDFAny heritage, bushfire, or arborist work already done. Not required, but helps.

Fees by state

Pre-DA meeting fees are set by individual councils, not by state regulation. The ranges below are from council schedules current as of May 2026. Always confirm the current fee with your specific council before booking.

New South Wales

NSW has three tiers of pre-lodgement service. Fees shown are ex-GST.

Service tierTypical fee rangeNotes
Over-the-counter / duty plannerFreeShort answer service. Good for simple queries on minor work.
Written advice only$300 to $450Council provides written notes, no meeting. Suits single planning issues.
Formal pre-lodgement meeting (residential)$440 to $1,500Includes written notes post-meeting. Northern Beaches: $1,005 to $2,620 depending on project cost.
Additional specialist officers (per officer)VariableHeritage, engineering, ecology. Council charges per officer attending.

Northern Beaches Council fees verified at $1,005 to $2,620 (2025/2026 schedule) for a full pre-lodgement meeting on projects above residential thresholds (verified 2026-05-09 from Northern Beaches Council pre-lodgement meeting page).

Note: Northern Beaches Council’s formal pre-lodgement meeting is not available for Class 1 (houses) and Class 10 (garages/pools) as of 2025/2026. Check your council’s current schedule.

The NSW planning system’s formal pre-lodgement meeting is recommended when “planning rules lack clarity, you want to vary development standards, or contentious issues exist (heritage, flooding, stormwater)” (per Stage 1: Pre-lodgement, NSW DPE, verified 2026-05-09).

Victoria

VIC councils use “pre-application meetings” under the Planning and Environment Act 1987 framework. Fees vary by project scale.

Project sizeTypical fee range (ex-GST)
Single dwelling / minor residential$197 to $384
2 to 4 dwellings$220 to $350
5+ dwellings or commercial$384 to $600+

Fee ranges drawn from Mount Alexander Shire Council 2025 fee schedule. Confirm current rates with your local council.

Queensland

EDQ (Economic Development Queensland) pre-lodgement advice for Priority Development Area projects is free. Local council pre-lodgement meetings are fee-based; Sunshine Coast Council and Brisbane City Council publish their schedules online. Contact your council directly for 2025/2026 fee confirmation.

South Australia

Pre-lodgement advice in SA operates under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 via PlanSA. Fees are set per council and per SCAP (State Commission Assessment Panel) application type. Check PlanSA application fees for current guidance.

Western Australia (WA)

Pre-lodgement meetings with councils are strongly recommended for DAP (Development Assessment Panel) applications (projects over $2 million). They are not compulsory for standard residential DAs but are available at most WA councils. Contact your local council’s planning services team directly.

How to use the output to reduce conditions

Pre-lodgement notes are advisory, not binding. But a well-used set of notes cuts the conditions list on consent and eliminates most of the RFI loop. The steps below apply the notes before lodgement:

  1. Address every identified non-compliance directly. If the notes say your proposed setback requires a Clause 4.6 variation, prepare the written request before lodgement, not after the RFI arrives.
  2. Commission specialist reports the notes flag. If heritage, BAL, arborist, or hydraulic reports are needed, commission them now. Front-loading these avoids a mandatory stop-the-clock RFI during assessment.
  3. Revise the design where practical. A design change that eliminates a non-compliance is always cheaper than a variation request with a contested assessment. Discuss the trade-off with your architect.
  4. Confirm referral agency obligations. If the notes flag RFS, Sydney Water, or EPA referral, identify those agencies’ requirements and either comply at lodgement or confirm the referral path. Integrated approvals have fixed statutory timeframes (21 days standard, 40 days where the DA is not exhibited) per the EP&A Regulation 2021 (NSW) (verified 2026-05-09). Front-loading meets those timeframes without the assessment clock stopping.
  5. Document the pre-DA meeting in your SoEE. A Statement of Environmental Effects that directly references the pre-lodgement meeting, names the officer, and shows how each issue was resolved reads as a well-prepared application. Assessment officers notice.
  6. Don’t rely on the notes as a guarantee. Council notes state explicitly that advice is not a commitment to approve. Design changes after the meeting, changes to overlays, or a different assessing officer can shift the outcome. The notes reduce risk, they don’t eliminate it.

Common holds (that pre-DA catches early)

HoldWhat pre-DA surfaces
RFI for missing specialist reportOfficer tells you which reports are required before you lodge.
Heritage referral / Heritage Impact StatementHeritage officer attends or is consulted; requirements scoped upfront.
Bushfire (RFS) referralBAL rating confirmed, protection measures identified before lodgement.
Clause 4.6 variation not well-arguedOfficer indicates the strength of the variation pathway before the application is committed.
Neighbour notification / objection riskOfficer advises on likely objection points. Designer can address in design rather than in assessment.
Wrong pathway (should be CDC)Pre-DA conversation often redirects straightforward proposals to a faster CDC where eligible.
Development contributions rateOfficer confirms which s7.11 or s7.12 plan applies and the approximate rate. No ambush at consent.

References

See also

Last updated: 2026-05-09. Verified: 2026-05-09. Quarterly review for currency.

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