Questions & Answers

My block is a large block. Did my front setback change?

Yes, 

The 2026 Technical Specifications changed how front setbacks are applied by removing separate lower and upper floor setback requirements and introducing a single dwelling setback requirement. The exact change depends on the applicable table, subdivision approval date, and type of frontage.

  • Table 1 (corner blocks – secondary street frontage): Under the 2025 specifications, a large block required a 4 m setback for the lower floor and 6 m for the upper floor to the secondary street frontage. The 2026 specifications remove this distinction and require a single 4 m setback for the dwelling, regardless of storeys. The 6 m garage or carport setback remains unchanged.
  • Table 2 (subdivisions approved on or after 18 October 1993 but before 31 March 2008): Under the 2025 specifications, a large block required 4 m for the lower floor and 6 m for the upper floor for both the primary front boundary and secondary street frontage. The 2026 specifications replace this with a single dwelling setback of 4 m for both the primary front boundary and secondary street frontage. Garage and carport setbacks remain unchanged at 5.5 m.
  • Table 3 (subdivisions approved on or after 31 March 2008): Under the 2025 specifications, a large block required 4 m for the lower floor and 6 m for the upper floor to the primary front boundary. The secondary street frontage setback remained 3 m, and the public open space or pedestrian path setback remained 4 m. Under the 2026 specifications, these are replaced with a single dwelling setback of 4 m to the primary front boundary, 3 m to the secondary street frontage, and 4 m to public open space or pedestrian paths wider than 6 m, regardless of storeys. Garage and carport setbacks remain unchanged.
  • Table 4 (Multi-unit housing front boundary setbacks): Under the 2025 Technical Specifications, front setback requirements were separated into lower floor and upper floor levels. For subdivisions approved on or after 18 October 1993, the primary front boundary setback was 4 m for lower floors and 6 m for upper floors, with garages and carports set back 5.5 m (including at least 1.5 m behind the front building line). Older subdivisions required a 6 m setback. Secondary street frontage and pedestrian path/public open space setbacks also varied depending on the frontage type and block size.

    Under the 2026 Technical Specifications, these requirements are simplified by removing the lower and upper floor distinction. A single dwelling setback now applies:

  • Primary front boundary: 4 m for subdivisions approved on or after 18 October 1993, and 6 m for earlier subdivisions.
  • Secondary street frontage: 2 m for corner blocks.
  • Pedestrian paths up to 6 m wide: 3 m.
  • Public open space or pedestrian paths wider than 6 m: 4 m.
  • Garage and carport setbacks remain unchanged, including the 5.5 m setback for newer subdivisions and the applicable setbacks for other frontage types.

The updated requirements should be checked against the relevant front boundary setback table in the Planning (Residential Zones) Technical Specifications 2026, as the applicable requirement depends on the block circumstances.

Reference: Planning (Residential Zones) Technical Specifications 2026 (NI2026-303), Assessment Outcome 14.5- Planning (Residential Zones) Technical Specifications 2026

Last reviewed: 31 July 2026 Information current as at: 2 September 2026

Short Answer

Yes, front setback requirements have changed under the 2026 Technical Specifications. The changes generally relate to how front setbacks are structured, including the removal of separate lower and upper floor setback requirements and the introduction of a single dwelling setback requirement in the relevant tables. This means that some two-storey dwellings may have different setback requirements compared with the 2025 specifications.

Detailed Explanation

Yes, Table 1: if your property is a corner block and you were planning a second storey. Under the 2025 Technical Specifications, the table for front boundary setback to a secondary street frontage required a 4 m setback for the lower floor and a 6 m setback for the upper floor on a large block. The 2026 Technical Specifications remove the separate lower and upper floor requirements, requiring a single 4 m setback for the dwelling to the secondary street frontage, regardless of the number of storeys. The 6 m setback for a garage or carport facing the secondary street remains unchanged. Yes, Table 2: if your property is in a subdivision approved on or after 18 October 1993 but before 31 March 2008 and you were planning a second storey. Under the 2025 Technical Specifications, Table 2 required separate lower and upper floor setbacks, with a large block requiring 4 m for the lower floor and 6 m for the upper floor for both the primary front boundary and secondary street frontage. Under the 2026 Technical Specifications, this distinction has been removed. A single dwelling setback now applies, requiring 4 m for both the primary front boundary and secondary street frontage, regardless of storeys. Garage and carport setbacks remain unchanged at 5.5 m. Yes, Table 3: if your property is in a subdivision approved on or after 31 March 2008 and you were planning a second storey. Under the 2025 Technical Specifications, Table 3 required separate lower and upper floor setbacks, with a large block requiring a 4 m setback for the lower floor and 6 m setback for the upper floor to the primary front boundary. The front boundary setback to a secondary street frontage remained 3 m, and the front boundary setback to public open space or pedestrian paths wider than 6 m remained 4 m for both floor levels. Under the 2026 Technical Specifications, this distinction has been removed. A single dwelling setback now applies, requiring for a large block:
  • 4 m to the primary front boundary;
  • 3 m to a secondary street frontage; and
  • 4 m to public open space or pedestrian paths wider than 6 m,
regardless of the number of storeys. Garage and carport setbacks remain unchanged at 5.5 m to the primary front boundary. Yes, Table 4 (Multi-unit housing front boundary setbacks - Table 4 (all residential zones): For subdivisions approved on or after 18 October 1993, the required primary front boundary setback is 4 m for the lower floor and 6 m for upper floors, with garages and carports set back 5.5 m, including at least 1.5 m behind the building line. For subdivisions approved before 18 October 1993, the primary front boundary setback is 6 m for all floor levels and garages/carports. For corner blocks, the secondary street frontage setback is generally 3 m for lower floors and 5.5–6 m for upper floors and garages, depending on lot size. Where a front boundary adjoins a pedestrian path up to 6 m wide, the setback is 3 m (lower floor) and 4 m (upper floor and garages). Where it adjoins public open space or a pedestrian path wider than 6 m, the setback is 4 m for all building elements except upper floors, which also require 4 m. Under the 2026 specifications, the front boundary setback requirements are simplified by removing separate lower and upper floor setbacks. A dwelling now requires a 4 m setback to the primary front boundary for subdivisions approved on or after 18 October 1993, or 6 m for subdivisions approved before that date. For corner blocks, the secondary street frontage setback is 2 m regardless of block size. Front boundaries adjoining pedestrian paths up to 6 m wide require a 3 m setback, while those adjoining public open space or pedestrian paths wider than 6 m require a 4 m setback. Garage and carport setbacks remain unchanged, requiring 5.5 m with a minimum of 1.5 m behind the front building line for newer subdivisions, 6 m for older subdivisions, 5.5 m on corner blocks, and 4 m where adjoining pedestrian paths or public open space. As a result, the 2026 specifications provide greater design flexibility for two-storey dwellings on large blocks while maintaining the existing front setback requirement for garages and carports.
Key Point

No minimum block size does not remove the need for planning assessment.

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