Council demolition requirements
Demolishing a house in the Inner West Council area
What Inner West 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 27 suburbs we service across the Inner West, the Eastern Suburbs and Sydney City.
How the council handles demolition approvals
Inner West Council requires a demolition and construction waste plan with any DA involving excavation, demolition or construction waste, addressing the NSW 80% recycling target. Tip dockets must be kept and given to the Principal Certifier before an Occupation Certificate.
Heritage items and conservation areas
Inner West has 107 heritage conservation areas. Any DA for a heritage item needs a Heritage Impact Statement, which may also be requested in conservation areas, and some conservation-area works may qualify for a CDC.
Conservation areas the council names: Annandale, Iron Cove, The Valley, Waterview Estate, Balmain East, Birchgrove and Ballast Point Road, Town of Waterview, Parramatta Road, Albert Street, Leichhardt Street and Stanley Street, Excelsior Subdivision, Scarvell Estate, Wetherill Estate, Whaleyborough Estate, Austenham Estate, Brennan’s Estate, Campbell Estate, Easton Park, Hornsey Street.
Trees on the block
Trees within 1 metre of a house and exempt species can be removed without permission; others need a Tree Works Permit or DA. In heritage conservation areas, removing or pruning any tree needs a DA, whatever its size or species.
Flood and bushfire mapping
A council flood certificate shows flooding around a property, the flood hazard, and the 1% annual exceedance probability (AEP) and probable maximum flood (PMF) levels and depths, which can guide future development.
Also worth knowing
Alterations and additions to heritage properties should be compatible with the existing building and streetscape, the council says.
Council pages change. Treat this as a starting point and confirm requirements with Inner West Council or your certifier before setting a demolition date. Inner West 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 Inner West 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.