Council demolition requirements
Demolishing a house in The Hills Shire Council area
What The Hills Shire 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 19 suburbs we service across the Hills District.
How the council handles demolition approvals
The Hills Shire Council suggests first checking whether a project is exempt or needs council approval, and applications can be lodged and tracked online.
Heritage items and conservation areas
All heritage items and conservation areas are listed in The Hills’ local environmental plan; the Bella Vista Homestead Complex is one example of a conservation area.
Conservation areas the council names: Bella Vista Homestead Complex.
Trees on the block
Consent is needed to prune more than 10% of a tree, remove any non-exempt tree or substantially change soil levels within 3 metres of a trunk; priority weeds and fruit trees are exempt. The council says unauthorised removal can be fined up to $1,100,000.
Flood and bushfire mapping
Bushfire prone land is land that can support a bushfire or is likely to face bushfire attack, and the council’s interactive map shows a property’s classification.
Council pages change. Treat this as a starting point and confirm requirements with The Hills Shire Council or your certifier before setting a demolition date. The Hills Shire 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 Hills Shire 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.