Council demolition requirements
Demolishing a house in the Bayside Council area
What Bayside Council publishes about demolition approvals, heritage, trees and site conditions, read from its own pages on 21 September 2026. The council or certifier confirms the pathway for your address.
Covers 28 suburbs we service across St George and the Eastern Suburbs.
How the council handles demolition approvals
Bayside Council describes three pathways: exempt development, fast-track complying development, or a DA. Its examples list minor demolition as exempt development and demolishing a building as complying development.
Heritage items and conservation areas
A DA is needed for building work on listed heritage buildings or properties in heritage conservation areas. Some minor works are excepted, but they can’t start until the council confirms in writing that consent isn’t required.
Trees on the block
Bayside Council requires a permit before you prune or remove a tree on your property, and assesses each request individually.
Flood and bushfire mapping
Flood-affected applicants need Flood Advice from the council, and new development must not raise the water level or hazard on neighbouring properties. Other constraints include acid sulfate soils, contaminated sites and Sydney Airport height limits.
Fees, bonds and public land
If development costs more than $25,000, a footpath crossing deposit applies. The council inspects the footpaths after construction and refunds the deposit in full if there’s no damage.
Council pages change. Treat this as a starting point and confirm requirements with Bayside Council or your certifier before setting a demolition date. Bayside Council website
The same across NSW
What applies in every council area
Council requirements sit on top of state rules that do not change from one area to the next.
Approval pathway
Most house demolition needs either a development application to the council or a complying development certificate from the council or a registered certifier under the state Demolition Code. Heritage items and conservation areas are generally excluded from the complying pathway.
Read the approvals guideLicensed demolition
Demolition work is licensed by SafeWork NSW. Gabrael holds restricted demolition licence AD202697 (DE2) and lodges the required notifications for the work it carries out.
How to check a contractorAsbestos
Suspected asbestos must be assessed before the building is disturbed. Our Class B licence AD211249 covers bonded, non-friable material; friable asbestos is removed by our Class A licensed partner.
Asbestos before demolitionUtilities
Water, sewer, electricity, gas and telecommunications are disconnected or abolished through the providers before demolition, and Before You Dig Australia is checked for services.
Utility disconnections guideNeighbours
Approval conditions commonly set working hours and neighbour notice, and a dilapidation report protects both sides where buildings sit close to the boundary.
Neighbours and noticeWaste
Concrete, timber and metals are sorted for licensed recycling and asbestos goes to an approved disposal facility with documentation. Some councils ask for a waste plan with the application.
Where the waste goes
Suburbs we service in this council area
Suburbs that sit across a council boundary appear under each council. We confirm the council for the exact address before preparing an application.
Start with your property
Planning a demolition in the Bayside Council area?
Send the property address and what needs to go. We check the council, planning controls and heritage status for the address, then arrange a free site assessment.
7am to 7pm, seven days.