Council demolition requirements
Demolishing a house in the Kiama Municipal Council area
What Kiama Municipal Council publishes about demolition approvals, heritage, trees and site conditions, read from its own pages on 21 September 2026 (updated 6 October 2026). The council or certifier confirms the pathway for your address.
Covers 20 suburbs we service across Wollongong.
How the council handles demolition approvals
Kiama Municipal Council has a policy setting out its requirements for DAs to demolish or renovate buildings containing asbestos.
Heritage items and conservation areas
Kiama’s Development Control Plan says heritage items must not be demolished and the council won’t support it, with partial demolition considered only for parts that aren’t original or don’t contribute to the item’s significance. In heritage conservation areas, demolishing all or part of a dwelling needs a DA, contributory buildings may not be demolished, and uncharacteristic buildings may be replaced by one that improves the area’s character.
Conservation areas the council names: Pheasant Point Heritage Conservation Area.
Trees on the block
Unless a tree is exempt, Kiama Municipal Council asks owners to lodge a Tree Management Application before removing or pruning it, and its Tree Management Officer or consulting arborist inspects the tree before a written decision. The rules and exemptions are in Chapter 2 of the Kiama Development Control Plan, and a review can be requested within three months with an arborist report.
Flood and bushfire mapping
Kiama Municipal Council’s flood studies identify flood-prone land and define flood levels, velocities, hydraulic categories and provisional hazard categories for each catchment, including Gerringong–Jamberoo, Ooaree Creek/Werri Lagoon, Spring Creek and Surf Beach.
Fees, bonds and public land
Kiama Municipal Council requires a Section 138 roads and footpath occupancy permit before any work in the road reserve, including skip bins or materials stored there, cranes, concrete pumps or cherry pickers, and hoardings. Road closures also need a Traffic Management Plan prepared by a person with Level 4 traffic control certification.
Council pages change. Treat this as a starting point and confirm requirements with Kiama Municipal Council or your certifier before setting a demolition date. Kiama Municipal 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 Kiama Municipal 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.