When you're planning a new home or renovation, one of the biggest unknowns is how long council approval will take.
The NSW Government publishes monthly data showing how quickly each council processes Development Applications (DAs). The dataset is part of its Faster Assessments Program, aimed at improving transparency and accountability in the planning system.
We reviewed the most recent data for July - September 2025, focusing only on application types relevant to typical homeowners - single houses, medium-density housing and secondary dwellings.
Where the data comes from
The data comes from the NSW Planning Portal's Council League Table, which tracks how long it takes councils to process development applications from lodgement through to determination.
While the dataset is comprehensive, it's not the easiest to navigate. The default view combines all application types - from small alterations to large apartment towers - making it hard for homeowners to see what's typical for detached homes and granny flats.
To make it more useful, we extracted the raw data and:
- Filtered it to include only single houses, medium-density housing and secondary dwellings (granny flats.
- Calculated an average total processing time by adding together the average lodgement and assessment periods reported for each council.
This gives a clearer picture of the overall time most homeowners can expect between lodging a DA and receiving a decision.
Why this matters
Understanding how your local council performs can help you plan your project timeline and make more informed decisions - especially when weighing up whether to go CDC (Complying Development Certificate) or DA (Development Application).
Even if a CDC isn't an option, knowing the typical processing time for your council helps set realistic expectations and avoid frustration during the planning phase.
Key findings
Looking across the data, one clear pattern stands out: fastest DA processing generally takes place in regional councils. Smaller councils often handle lower volumes and simpler applications, allowing them to turn approvals around more quickly. Among the top performers were Cessnock (40 days) and Shellharbour (41 days) - both notable not only for their speed but also for managing some of the highest numbers of applications in the state, with 159 and 154 lodgements respectively over the 3 month period.
Within Greater Sydney, the picture is more varied. Lane Cove was one of the few metropolitan councils to record a particularly fast turnaround, averaging just 53 days from lodgement to determination. Most other Sydney councils sat closer to the state median of around 73 days.
At the other end of the spectrum, some of the longest delays also occurred in regional areas. Clarence Valley, for example, averaged 217 days for approvals - more than seven months - suggesting capacity constraints or a backlog of applications. Within Sydney, Willoughby stood out as the slowest, taking an average of 130 days, well above the metropolitan average.
Overall, while there's some variation, the data suggests efficiency is driven more by local resourcing and processes than by geography alone. Some regional councils have streamlined operations that outperform their city counterparts, while others continue to face challenges in meeting demand.
Explore the data
To make this information easier to use, we've built two interactive tools below:
Map view
Data grid
Integrated into Build Index search
We've also added this information to the Build Index builder search feature.
When you search for builders in your suburb, clicking on the map will now show which council governs the suburb - along with that council's average DA processing time for home projects.
It's a small addition, but one that can make planning your build a little more transparent.
Final thoughts
While approval time isn't the only factor that determines how long a project takes, it's an important one to understand early.
By translating government data into a clearer, homeowner-focused view, we aim to make the planning process more transparent - and help people decide whether to pursue a CDC or DA based on local conditions.