Tasmania · Planning guide
Subdivision rules in Tasmania
Subdivision in Tasmania is assessed against the lot design standards of the zone in the State Planning Provisions. Each new lot in the General Residential Zone must be at least 450 square metres, hold a clear building area of 10 by 15 metres and have a 12 metre frontage, with the Inner Residential Zone at 200 square metres and the Low Density Residential Zone at 1,500 square metres. Smaller lots can be argued under the Performance Criteria, which makes the application Discretionary. The council's Local Provisions Schedule can change these figures for particular land.
Sources read on 9 September 2026. Provisions are quoted word for word from the instrument.
Where Tasmania's lot sizes are set
Tasmania's planning rules come in two layers. The State Planning Provisions are the common text for every council, and each council adds a Local Provisions Schedule that maps the zones and overlays and can add local variations. Subdivision standards sit in the zone chapters of the state provisions, and clause 5.6.1 requires a use or development to comply with each applicable standard in both layers.
The council's schedule matters in three ways. Its maps decide which zone applies. It may contain a specific area plan that adds to, modifies or replaces a zone standard for an area. And it may carry a site specific qualification doing the same for one site. So the state figures below are the default, not the last word, and the council schedule must be read for the parcel.
Subdivision is a development in its own right. Clause 6.2.6 takes subdivision out of the use class categorisation, and clause 6.7.2 then says a development of that kind must be granted a permit if there are applicable standards and it meets them all without relying on Performance Criteria.
A use or development must comply with each applicable standard in the State Planning Provisions and the Local Provisions Schedules.
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
Maps included in the Local Provisions Schedules show how land is zoned.
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
Each Local Provisions Schedule is permitted to include a specific area plan that is in addition to, modifies, or is in substitution for, a provision in a zone Use Table or a use or development standard in a zone or code.
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
A development that is not required to be categorised under sub-clause 6.2.6 of this planning scheme and must be granted a permit if: (a) there are applicable standards that apply to the development; (b) the development complies with each applicable standard and does not rely on any Performance Criteria to comply with each applicable standard; and (c) the development is not Discretionary or Prohibited under any other provision of this planning scheme.
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
General Residential Zone lots
In the General Residential Zone the Acceptable Solution for lot design has three parts. Each lot must be at least 450 square metres. It must be able to contain a building area of 10 metres by 15 metres with a gradient no steeper than 1 in 5, clear of all the setbacks the zone requires for dwellings and non-dwellings and clear of easements or title restrictions. And any existing buildings must already sit within those setbacks.
Lots required for public use, for utilities, or created by consolidating a lot with another in the same zone are excused from the area test. Every lot also needs a frontage of at least 12 metres, apart from public open space, riparian or littoral reserves and utility lots.
The Performance Criteria let a smaller or narrower lot through if it has sufficient usable area and dimensions for its intended use, judged against the dwelling standards, the intended building location, topography, hazards, private open space and the established pattern of development. For frontage the alternative is a legal connection to a road by a right of carriageway at least 3.6 metres wide.
Each lot, or a lot proposed in a plan of subdivision, must: (a) have an area of not less than 450m² and: (i) be able to contain a minimum area of 10m x 15m with a gradient not steeper than 1 in 5, clear of: a. all setbacks required by clause 8.4.2 A1, A2 and A3, and 8.5.1 A1 and A2; and b. easements or other title restrictions that limit or restrict development; and (ii) existing buildings are consistent with the setback required by clause 8.4.2 A1, A2 and A3, and 8.5.1 A1 and A2; (b) be required for public use by the Crown, a council or a State authority; (c) be required for the provision of Utilities; or (d) be for the consolidation of a lot with another lot provided each lot is within the same zone.
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
Each lot, or a lot proposed in a plan of subdivision, excluding for public open space, a riparian or littoral reserve or Utilities, must have a frontage not less than 12m.
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
Each lot, or a lot proposed in a plan of subdivision, must have sufficient useable area and dimensions suitable for its intended use, having regard to: (a) the relevant requirements for development of buildings on the lots; (b) the intended location of buildings on the lots; (c) the topography of the site; (d) the presence of any natural hazards; (e) adequate provision of private open space; and (f) the pattern of development existing on established properties in the area.
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
Each lot, or a lot proposed in a plan of subdivision, excluding for public open space, a riparian or littoral reserve or Utilities, must be provided with a frontage or legal connection to a road by a right of carriageway, that is sufficient for the intended use, having regard to: (a) the width of frontage proposed, if any; (b) the number of other lots which have the land subject to the right of carriageway as their sole or principal means of access; (c) the topography of the site; (d) the functionality and useability of the frontage; (e) the ability to manoeuvre vehicles on the site; and (f) the pattern of development existing on established properties in the area, and is not less than 3.6m wide.
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
Inner Residential and Low Density Residential lots
The Inner Residential Zone, applied to older inner suburbs with a finer grain, halves the General Residential figures. Each lot must be at least 200 square metres and able to contain a building area of 10 metres by 12 metres clear of setbacks and title restrictions, with the same public use, utilities and consolidation exceptions.
The Low Density Residential Zone goes the other way. Each lot must be at least 1,500 square metres, contain a 10 metre by 15 metre building area clear of the zone setbacks, and have a frontage of at least 20 metres. Its Performance Criterion for area sets a floor of its own: even under the alternative test a lot must have an area not less than 1,200 square metres.
The Rural Living Zone sets its minimum by sub-zone. Table 11.1 in the state text gives 1 hectare for Rural Living Zone A, 2 hectares for B, 5 hectares for C and 10 hectares for D, and the council's Local Provisions Schedule maps which sub-zone applies. The rural and agricultural zones have their own lot design standards and are outside this guide.
(a) have an area of not less than 200m² and: (i) be able to contain a minimum area of 10m x 12m with a gradient not steeper than 1 in 5, clear of: a. all setbacks required by clause 9.4.2 A1, A2 and A3, and 9.5.1 A1 and A2; and b. easements or other title restrictions that limit or restrict development; and
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
(a) have an area of not less than 1,500m² and: (i) be able to contain a minimum area of 10m x 15m with a gradient not steeper than 1 in 5, clear of: a. all setbacks required by clause 10.4.3 A1 and A2; and b. easements or other title restrictions that limit or restrict development; and
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
and must have an area not less than 1,200m². A2 Each lot, or a lot proposed in a plan of subdivision, excluding for public open space, a riparian or littoral reserve or Utilities, must have a frontage not less than 20m.
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
(a) have an area not less than specified in Table 11.1 and: (i) be able to contain a minimum area of 15m x 20m clear of: Table 11.1 Rural Living Zone minimum lot sizes Rural Living Zone A 1ha Rural Living Zone B 2ha Rural Living Zone C 5ha Rural Living Zone D 10ha
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
Roads, services and the rest of the subdivision standards
Lot design is the first of three subdivision standards in each residential zone. Clause 8.6.2 covers roads. Clause 8.6.3 covers services, and its Acceptable Solutions require each lot to have a connection to a full water supply service and to a reticulated sewerage system, and to be capable of connecting to a public stormwater system. The sewerage requirement has no Performance Criterion, so an unsewered lot in the General Residential Zone cannot meet that standard by argument.
The definitions carry some of the load. Frontage means a boundary of a lot that abuts a road. Primary frontage, where there are two or more, is the frontage with the shortest dimensions. An internal lot lies predominantly behind another lot and reaches the road by an access strip, and the site area used in density tests excludes that strip.
Subdividing land that already has two dwellings on it is still a subdivision, and the lot design standards apply to each new lot, including the requirement that existing buildings be consistent with the zone setbacks. A dual occupancy built as a single site does not automatically split.
Each lot, or a lot proposed in a plan of subdivision, excluding for public open space, a riparian or littoral reserve or Utilities, must have a connection to a full water supply service. A2 Each lot, or a lot proposed in a plan of subdivision, excluding for public open space, a riparian or littoral reserve or Utilities, must have a connection to a reticulated sewerage system. P2 No Performance Criterion.
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
frontage means a boundary of a lot which abuts a road.
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
internal lot means a lot: (a) lying predominantly behind another lot; and (b) having access to a road by an access strip, private road or right of
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
site area per dwelling means the area of a site, excluding any access strip, divided by the number of dwellings on that site.
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
Permitted or Discretionary, and what that means for time
A subdivision that meets every Acceptable Solution and is not caught by a code is Permitted, and the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act requires the council to grant it within 28 days of receiving the application unless a longer period is agreed in writing. Relying on any Performance Criterion, such as a lot under 450 square metres in the General Residential Zone, makes it Discretionary, with public notice and a 14 day period for representations before the council decides.
Codes are the usual reason a compliant subdivision becomes Discretionary. Bushfire prone areas, flood and landslip hazard, coastal hazards and heritage are all mapped in the council's Local Provisions Schedule, and the code provision prevails over the zone where the two conflict. The Bushfire-Prone Areas Code in particular attaches requirements to subdivision that create new lots.
Strata division of lawfully constructed or approved buildings is exempt from a permit in the circumstances set out in Table 4.6 of the exemptions. That exemption covers the titling of existing buildings and is not a route to creating a new vacant lot.
If an application for a permit to which this section applies meets the requirements of the planning scheme to which the application relates, a planning authority must grant the application either unconditionally or subject to conditions or restrictions not later than the expiration of the period of 28 days from the day on which the planning authority received the application or such further period as is agreed to, in writing, by the planning authority and the applicant before the expiration of that 28-day period.
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
Any person may make representations relating to the application during the period of 14 days commencing on the date on which notice of the application is given under subsection (3) or such further period not exceeding 14 days as the planning authority may allow.
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
Where there is an inconsistency between a provision in a code and a provision in a zone, the code provision prevails.
Read the source · retrieved 9 September 2026
What changes council by council in Tasmania
The state instruments set the frame. These points are set by each council's own instrument or mapping, so the answer for an address depends on which council it sits in.
- The zone at the parcel is set on the zoning maps in the council's Local Provisions Schedule, and the lot size, building area and frontage figures differ by zone.
- A specific area plan or site specific qualification in the Local Provisions Schedule can modify or replace the lot design standards for particular land.
- Code overlays mapped in the Local Provisions Schedule (bushfire prone areas, flood, landslip, coastal, heritage) add subdivision requirements and can make a compliant subdivision Discretionary.
- In the Rural Living Zone the council's Local Provisions Schedule maps the sub-zone (A, B, C or D) that fixes the minimum lot size under Table 11.1.
- Councils still on an interim planning scheme apply different subdivision standards.
For your address
How the $150 report settles this for one site
A Casa preliminary planning report reads the zone at the parcel from the Local Provisions Schedule, applies the area, building area and frontage Acceptable Solutions of that zone to the parcel's dimensions, and lists the code overlays that would make the subdivision Discretionary. It states whether the split sits on the Permitted path or would rely on a Performance Criterion, and names any specific area plan that changes the figures. It does not prepare the plan of subdivision.
Common questions
What is the minimum lot size in the General Residential Zone in Tasmania?
The Acceptable Solution is 450 square metres, able to contain a building area of 10 metres by 15 metres clear of setbacks and title restrictions, with a frontage of at least 12 metres. Smaller lots can be argued under the Performance Criteria, which makes the application Discretionary.
What about the Inner Residential Zone?
Each lot must be at least 200 square metres and able to contain a building area of 10 metres by 12 metres clear of setbacks and title restrictions.
And the Low Density Residential Zone?
Each lot must be at least 1,500 square metres with a 20 metre frontage under the Acceptable Solution, and even under the Performance Criterion a lot must have an area not less than 1,200 square metres.
Can a battleaxe lot be created?
Yes, as an internal lot reached by an access strip. Under the frontage Performance Criterion a lot may be served by a right of carriageway at least 3.6 metres wide if the access is sufficient for its use, and using that criterion makes the application Discretionary.
How long does a subdivision approval take?
A Permitted application must be granted within 28 days of receipt or an agreed longer period. A Discretionary application is advertised, any person may make representations for 14 days, extendable by up to 14 days, and the council decides after that period within the time limits set by section 57 of the Act.
Can the council set a different minimum lot size?
Yes, for particular land through a specific area plan or site specific qualification in its Local Provisions Schedule. In the Rural Living Zone the schedule maps which of the four sub-zones applies, and Table 11.1 in the state text sets the minimum for each.
Sources read for this guide
- Tasmanian Planning Scheme, State Planning Provisions, SPP-20260907-v17.pdf (v17 effective 07/09/2026), Tasmanian Planning Scheme Onlineread 9 September 2026
- Tasmanian Planning Scheme Online, planning schemes list confirming the current SPP file and versionread 9 September 2026
- Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993 (Tas), whole Act, version current from 16 June 2025, Tasmanian Legislation Onlineread 9 September 2026
- Tasmanian Planning Commission, Tasmanian Planning Scheme index pageread 9 September 2026
Not covered here
- The roads (8.6.2) subdivision standard and the stormwater limb of 8.6.3 were not quoted.
- The Village Zone, Rural Zone and Agriculture Zone lot design standards were not read for this guide.
- The Bushfire-Prone Areas Code subdivision provisions and the Local Government (Building and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1993 sealed plan process were not fetched.
- Section 57(6) of the Act, which sets the decision period for Discretionary applications, was not captured in full and is not quoted.
More TAS guides
- Granny flat rules in Tasmania
- Dual occupancy rules in Tasmania
- Fast track approvals in Tasmania
- Height and setback rules in Tasmania
- Do I need a planning permit in Tasmania?
Subdivision and minimum lot size rules in other states
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