Harvey Draftsman for Shire of Harvey Plans and Council Approval

The Shire of Harvey gives you a wall height most Perth councils will not: 3 metres as standard, rising to 3.6 metres where you can demonstrate compliance with the additional requirements in the policy.

The trade off is setbacks. Front and rear boundaries require a minimum of 20 metres, and side boundaries 10 metres. On a narrow lot that is usually the binding constraint, not the height. This page sets out both.

What a Harvey draftsman or Harvey drafter does for you

Harvey stretches from Australind and the Leschenault estuary through the Harvey townsite and out to the rural land and the coast, so lot types vary widely.

For a Shire of Harvey project that means:

• Testing the design against Local Planning Policy 4.1.18 Outbuildings on height, area and setbacks
• Working out whether the standard heights apply or whether the design can qualify for the increased heights
• Confirming the setbacks are achievable on the lot before committing to a shed size
• Testing the design against the Local Planning Scheme and the R-Codes deemed-to-comply provisions
• 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 “Harvey 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. Ask the Shire of Harvey directly whether they run one and whether your building surveyor will want it before lodging.

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

Shire of Harvey building rules for outbuildings

Local Planning Policy 4.1.18 sets the standards.

Element	Standard	Increased, where the applicant demonstrates compliance with the policy requirements
Maximum wall height	3m	3.6m
Maximum ridge height	4.5m	5.1m

Both figures apply unless otherwise approved by the Shire. The increase to 3.6m and 5.1m is available under clause 2 of the policy where the applicant can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the local government, compliance with the stated requirements.

That 3.6m wall height is generous. For comparison, the R-Codes deemed-to-comply default for a large outbuilding is 2.4m, and most metropolitan councils sit at 2.4m or 3.0m.

Harvey setbacks for outbuildings

Boundary	Minimum setback
Front	20m
Rear	20m
Side	10m

Outbuildings are also not generally permitted within the front setback area.

Those are substantial setbacks, and they are what usually decides whether a Harvey shed proposal works. A 20 metre front and rear requirement needs a lot with real depth. On a standard residential block in Australind, the setbacks will bite long before the height does.

When you need a development application in Harvey

Any variation requires a development application to be approved by the Shire before a building permit application can be assessed.

That sequencing is worth noting. In Harvey the development application is not just an additional step, it is a prerequisite. The building permit assessment does not start until the planning question is resolved.

Patios and fire separation in Harvey

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.

Parts of the Shire are bushfire prone, particularly on the rural and hills side. Where a Bushfire Attack Level assessment is triggered, the AS 3959 construction requirements sit over the top of the fire separation provisions and may be the binding constraint on materials.

On the coastal side around Binningup and Myalup, wind classification becomes a real design input at permit stage.

Harvey plans we prepare

Project type	What we prepare
Sheds, workshops and garages	Plans to the LPP 4.1.18 height and setback standards
New homes	Concept design through to submission documentation
Additions and extensions	Existing and proposed plans, demolition plan
Second storey additions	Full working drawings, elevations, sections
Patios and alfrescos	Plans with the fire separation route identified
Ancillary dwellings	Plans and area calculations to the 70m2 limit
Carports, garages and front fences	Setback, frontage and truncation assessment
Development applications	Documentation where the design varies the policy

Harvey projects and what they teach you

Work across the Shire of Harvey is part of our regional workload, from the Australind and Leschenault estuary lots through to the rural land around the Harvey townsite.

The lesson Harvey teaches is to test the setbacks before you size the shed. The height allowance here is among the most generous in the state, which makes it tempting to design tall. But a 20 metre front and rear setback and a 10 metre side setback need a lot with genuine depth, and on a suburban Australind block the geometry will usually run out before the height limit does.

The second lesson is the sequencing rule. Because a development application has to be approved before the building permit application can be assessed, a variation is not a parallel process. It sits in front of everything else, so it belongs in the program from the start.

What Shire of Harvey 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 an estuary lot at Australind and a rural block near Harvey are not the same job. As a rough guide only, a patio or shed submission sits at the lower end, an addition 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 Harvey locality

The Shire of Harvey runs from the Leschenault estuary south through the Harvey townsite, taking in coastal settlements and substantial rural land.

Locality	What tends to drive the design
Australind draftsman	The largest population centre, suburban lots where the outbuilding setbacks are the binding constraint
Leschenault draftsman	Estuary proximity, larger lots, sheds and outbuildings common work
Harvey draftsman	Townsite stock, rural land surrounding, the height allowances are usable on larger lots
Binningup and Myalup draftsman	Coastal settlements, wind classification and material selection matter at permit stage
Brunswick draftsman	Townsite and rural, larger sheds achievable on deeper lots
Roelands, Wokalup and Uduc draftsman	Rural land, the setbacks are achievable and the height allowance is genuinely useful
Yarloop and Cookernup draftsman	Rural townsites, bushfire assessment commonly triggered

Applications can be lodged at the Administration Office in Australind at 7 Mulgara Street, or in Harvey at 102 Uduc Road.

Harvey draftsman questions

How tall can my shed be in Harvey?

The standard maximum is a 3m wall height and a 4.5m ridge height. Under clause 2 of Local Planning Policy 4.1.18 those can increase to 3.6m and 5.1m where you can demonstrate compliance with the policy’s additional requirements to the Shire’s satisfaction. Both are well above the R-Codes deemed-to-comply default of 2.4m.

What setbacks apply to a shed in Harvey?

A minimum 20 metres from front and rear boundaries and 10 metres from side boundaries, and outbuildings are not generally permitted within the front setback area. On a suburban lot those setbacks are usually what determines whether the shed fits, rather than the height or area.

Can I lodge my building permit while the planning application is being assessed in Harvey?

No. The Shire requires that any variation be approved through a development application before the building permit application can be assessed. Build that sequence into your program rather than assuming the two can run together.

Does the height increase apply automatically in Harvey?

No. The standard heights are 3m and 4.5m. The increase to 3.6m and 5.1m is available where the applicant demonstrates compliance with the requirements in clause 2 of the policy to the satisfaction of the local government, so it needs to be applied for and supported rather than assumed.