CDC versus DA

What are the differences between a Complying Development Certificate (CDC) and Development Application (DA)? A complying development must comply with all of the controls in the relevant State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP). The SEPP clearly sets out the controls a specific type of development must respect in order to be approved. Providing each control is respected, approval can be issued by the Principal Certifying Authority (PCA) which may be either a private certifier or your local council. Once all of the required documents have been prepared and submitted to the PCA, they need to give your neighbours and the local council 14 days notice before the approval is granted. No one can alter the outcome of the approval by complaining as long as it is fully compliant, though it is best to discuss any major developments with neighbours to avoid conflict.

A DA is submitted to your local council and should comply with both their Local Environment Plan (LEP) and Development Control Plans (DCP). Council assesses applications on a more merit based approach and occasionally have slightly more lenient development controls. A DA usually takes a lot longer to reach approval and once approved, you will need to complete the additional step of obtaining a Construction Certificate (CC). Generally speaking, a DA ends up costing a lot more in both time and money. Council will often request additional reports, plans and documentation which end up delaying the process and increasing costs.

We always recommend going down the CDC route as it is much quicker, costs less and often allows better development outcomes. Occasionally, due to the unique constraints of a particular site, DA is the only option. It’s important to keep in mind that