Chittering Draftsman for Shire of Chittering Plans and Council Approval

The Shire of Chittering draws a distinction almost no other council makes. An outbuilding is a structure incidental to a dwelling. A shed is the same structure with no dwelling on the lot. They are different things under the policy, and they are treated differently.

Get that wrong on a Rural Residential block and you can end up with an approved building you are not allowed to store anything in. This page explains the distinction and the rules that follow from it.

What a Chittering draftsman or Chittering drafter does for you

Chittering runs north from Bullsbrook through Bindoon and out to the rural land beyond, almost entirely rural and rural living in character.

For a Shire of Chittering project that means:

• Confirming the zone, because Townsite, Rural Residential, Rural Living and Agricultural Resource each work differently
• Confirming whether there is a dwelling on the lot, because that decides whether you have an outbuilding or a shed
• Checking for a registered building envelope, which is common on the rural living land
• Checking whether the lot sits in a Special Control Area, noting that all of the Muchea Townsite is one
• Checking the proposed cladding, because non-reflective material is a Scheme requirement here
• Preparing documentation to the Shire’s lodgement standard

We draw architectural and planning documentation. We do not produce structural engineering drawings or electrical design.

What “Chittering council approval” actually means

People use “council approval” to cover two or three separate things. They are assessed by different people under different legislation, and most projects do not need all of them.

A building permit. The construction approval under the Building Act 2011, covering structural adequacy, fire separation, energy efficiency and compliance with the National Construction Code. You will almost always need this one.

Development approval, also called planning approval or a DA. The planning assessment against the R-Codes, the local planning scheme and the council’s own local planning policies, covering siting, setbacks, height, bulk, open space and streetscape.

Here is the part that saves people time and money. On most smaller residential jobs, development approval is only needed where the design does not meet the deemed-to-comply provisions of the R-Codes, or the equivalent standards in a local planning policy. Draw a shed, patio or carport inside the numbers and you generally go straight to a building permit. Step outside them and you are asking for a variation, and the variation is what triggers the planning application.

A deemed-to-comply check. This is the step most people have never heard of. Where no development approval is needed, your building surveyor still needs evidence of that before issuing a certificate of design compliance. Clause 61A of the deemed provisions lets you ask the council to confirm it in writing. Fees vary widely: the Town of Victoria Park charges $73, the Town of Cambridge charges $295 for a new single house and $100 for additions with a 14 day response, and some councils do not offer it at all. Chittering sets its exemptions out directly in Local Planning Policy 7, so the question there is which of the three exemption routes your project uses.

One rule holds everywhere. Being exempt from development approval does not exempt you from a building permit.

The Chittering outbuilding and shed distinction

Local Planning Policy 7 defines the two separately:

• An outbuilding is an enclosed non-habitable structure detached from any dwelling and used for purposes incidental to a dwelling
• A shed is an enclosed non-habitable structure not associated with a dwelling

The policy also excludes several things from the outbuilding definition entirely: animal feed bins, dongas, sea containers and water tanks.

Two other definitions matter in practice. Substantially commenced means the complete laying of the entire slab of the whole ground floor of a building, which is a higher bar than a cleared pad. And enclosed means bounded on three or more sides by a permanent wall and covered in water impermeable material, which is what separates an outbuilding from a patio.

Chittering council approval: the three exemption routes

Development approval is required for an outbuilding or shed unless one of three things applies.

1. The Scheme exemption. Schedule A of Local Planning Scheme No. 6 exempts outbuildings on lots with a constructed or substantially commenced single house, where that use is permissible in the zone, provided the outbuilding complies with the LPS6 setbacks for the zone or sits within a designated building envelope on an approved structure plan, complies with any structure plan provisions, is not within a Special Control Area, and complies with all Scheme development standards.
2. The deemed provisions exemption. Outbuildings are exempt where the R-Codes apply and all applicable deemed-to-comply provisions are met.
3. The policy exemption, which covers two situations:

• A shed or outbuilding on land zoned Agricultural Resource, outside any Special Control Area, meeting these setbacks: 100m from a highway, 50m from a major road, 30m from any other road, 30m rear and 30m side
• An outbuilding complying with the maximum development standards in the Townsite table below

Chittering Townsite zone outbuilding table

R-Coded area	Gross total area	Wall height	Ridge height
R2.5 and below	120m2	3.5m	4.5m
R10/30	70m2	3.0m	4.5m
No R-Code applying	200m2	3.5m	4.5m

Three conditions attach:

• The gross total area is cumulative and includes any lean-tos, carports or patio structures attached to the outbuilding. That is broader than most councils and it is easy to exceed
• Where development approval is required, outbuildings must be located in cleared areas, behind the main residential building line
• The outbuilding must be on the same lot as an existing dwelling, or one that has been substantially commenced

Note that outbuildings in the Townsite zone where no R-Code applies are exempt from development approval under the Scheme, except within a Special Control Area, which is all of the Muchea Townsite.

Rural Residential and Rural Living in Chittering

This is where the shed distinction bites.

Erecting a shed on Rural Residential or Rural Living land before the dwelling is built requires development approval. And the condition attached is unusual: any shed approved in those circumstances cannot be used for any storage purpose, including storing personal or household items, until a single house is constructed on the property or has been substantially commenced.

So you can obtain approval and build it. You cannot put anything in it until the house is underway. That is a deliberate response to what the Shire describes as ongoing compliance issues with the unauthorised fitout and occupation of sheds, particularly on Rural Residential properties.

Two further siting requirements where building envelopes do not apply:

• A minimum of 30 metres from any natural water body
• A minimum of 8 metres from any effluent disposal system and its irrigation areas

Outbuildings are encouraged to sit in cleared areas behind the main residential building line. Where one is proposed before the dwelling, provision should be made for the future house to be built in line with or in front of it.

And materially: outbuildings and sheds must be constructed only of non-reflective material under clause 4.8.3 of the Scheme.

Use restrictions in Chittering

• Outbuildings may only be used for incidental activities associated with a dwelling, such as storing personal or household items and vehicles
• Any commercial use of an outbuilding, including storing work or commercial related items for commercial purposes, requires development approval
• Sheds may only be used for purposes incidental to the primary activity on the land, so a farm shed is for farm related storage

Where a development application seeks to vary the policy or the Scheme, it may be referred to affected surrounding landowners for comment, and where an objection is received that a condition cannot address, the application may go to Council.

Patios and fire separation in Chittering

A patio here is defined as an unenclosed structure covered in water impermeable material, which may or may not be attached to a dwelling. Because it is unenclosed, it is not an outbuilding under the policy.

Fire separation is decided separately at building permit stage. Western Australia adopted NCC 2025 on 1 May 2026, introducing WA Part 9.6 for roofed outdoor areas. It gives two routes to the boundary: 900mm measured to the outermost structural projection and excluding the eave overhang, or 500mm measured to the outermost projection and including the eave overhang.

The 500mm route carries conditions including two or more sides open with at least one third of the perimeter open, a non-combustible supporting structure, a polycarbonate or non-combustible roof covering, a non-combustible floor, no direct vertical support to the house, and a solid non-combustible screen at least 1500mm high along every side facing a boundary. Where that does not suit the build, use the 900mm route.

An enclosed shed is assessed under Part 9.2 instead, which is a different rule set.

Much of the Shire is bushfire prone. Where a Bushfire Attack Level assessment is triggered, the resulting construction requirements under AS 3959 may be the binding constraint on materials, and that needs establishing before the design is finalised.

Chittering plans we prepare

Project type	What we prepare
Rural and rural living sheds	Plans to the applicable exemption route with setbacks and envelope shown
Townsite outbuildings	Plans to the Townsite table with the cumulative area calculation
New homes	Concept design through to submission documentation
Additions and extensions	Existing and proposed plans, demolition plan
Patios and alfrescos	Plans with the fire separation route identified
Ancillary dwellings	Plans and area calculations to the 70m2 limit
Building envelope siting	Siting checks against the registered envelope
Development applications	Documentation with the justification the policy calls for

Chittering projects and what they teach you

Work across the Shire of Chittering is part of our regional workload, on the rural living and rural blocks where shed size, siting and materials are the substance of most jobs.

The lesson Chittering teaches is that the attached structures count. Because the gross total area in the Townsite table is cumulative and expressly includes lean-tos, carports and patios attached to the outbuilding, a shed sized comfortably within the cap can exceed it once the awning is added. Calculate the whole assembly, not the shed.

The second lesson is that on rural living land the sequence is enforced by condition, not just by policy. A shed approved before the dwelling cannot lawfully be used for storage until the house is substantially commenced, and substantially commenced here means the entire ground floor slab is laid.

What Shire of Chittering approval costs

Development application fees are set by state regulation and are the same at every WA council, calculated on the estimated cost of development:

Estimated cost of development	Application fee
Not more than $50,000	$147
$50,001 to $500,000	0.32% of the estimated cost
$500,001 to $2.5 million	$1,700 plus 0.257% of the amount above $500,000
Written planning advice	$73
Amending or cancelling an approval	$295

If the work has already been built, the fee is that figure plus a penalty of twice the fee, so three times the normal amount.

On bushfire prone land, budget separately for a Bushfire Attack Level assessment from an accredited practitioner.

Our drafting fee is quoted per project rather than by a rate card, because a Townsite lot at Bindoon and a rural holding further north are not the same job. As a rough guide only, a patio or small outbuilding sits at the lower end, a large rural shed in the middle, and a new home at the upper end. You get a fixed figure before we start.

How long the drawings take

We are one of the quicker drafting practices in Perth, and we would rather tell you that plainly than quote a number we cannot stand behind.

Turnaround depends on what is being drawn. A patio or a shed is not a second storey addition, and a straightforward flat block is not a sloping site with an existing dwelling to survey and match into. Anyone quoting you a fixed timeframe before seeing the scope is guessing.

What we do is give you a realistic date once we have seen the project, and then keep to it. If we cannot hit something you need, we say so before you commit rather than after.

It is also worth knowing that on most jobs the drafting is not the long pole. The parts that usually set the overall timeline are:

• The council clock, which is set by regulation rather than by us
• Third party reports, such as a Bushfire Attack Level assessment, an arborist report or engineering certification, each of which has its own lead time
• Decisions, meaning how quickly changes come back once you have the first draft in front of you

Those are the things worth planning around, and we will tell you which of them apply to your project at the start.

Draftsman services by Chittering locality

The Shire of Chittering runs north from the metropolitan fringe into the Avon Valley hinterland.

Locality	What tends to drive the design
Bindoon draftsman	Townsite and surrounding Rural Small Holding precincts, the Townsite table applies in the townsite
Muchea draftsman	The entire Muchea Townsite is a Special Control Area, so the Scheme exemption does not apply
Lower Chittering draftsman	Rural living and rural residential, building envelopes common
Upper Chittering draftsman	Rural land, larger sheds available with heavy setbacks
Wannamal and Mooliabeenee draftsman	Rural and Agricultural Resource land, the 100m/50m/30m setback exemption may apply

Chittering draftsman questions

What is the difference between an outbuilding and a shed in Chittering?

An outbuilding is a detached non-habitable structure used for purposes incidental to a dwelling. A shed is the same kind of structure with no dwelling associated with it. The distinction matters because a shed on Rural Residential or Rural Living land before the house is built needs development approval, and cannot be used for storage until the dwelling is constructed or substantially commenced.

Can I build a shed before my house in Chittering?

On rural residential and rural living land you can seek approval for one, but you cannot use it for any storage purpose, including personal or household items, until a single house is constructed or substantially commenced on the property. Substantially commenced means the complete laying of the entire ground floor slab.

Does my patio count toward my Chittering shed allowance?

If it is attached to the outbuilding, yes. The gross total area in the Townsite table is cumulative and expressly includes any lean-tos, carports or patio structures attached to the outbuilding.

Can I have a Zincalume shed in Chittering?

No. Outbuildings and sheds must be constructed only of non-reflective material under clause 4.8.3 of the Local Planning Scheme.

Why does Muchea work differently?

Because the entire Muchea Townsite is a Special Control Area. The Scheme exemption that would otherwise apply to outbuildings in the Townsite zone where no R-Code applies specifically excludes Special Control Areas, so a development application is required.