South Australians to save on development applications
Published Tuesday, 2 April 2024
The introduction of a new fee system will make it cheaper for the majority South Australians to lodge development applications.
From April 2, it is forecast that 89% of development applications will attract a lower or equivalent fee with the introduction of a more equitable sliding-scale fee system.
The new fee system will be scaled to align with the construction cost of the proposed development. Low-cost developments will attract a lower lodgement fee, while high-cost developments will attract a higher lodgement fee.
Previously, all development applications were charged a flat fee.
The result is a fairer fee system that will benefit the vast majority of South Australian households and small developers, who will generally pay lower fees when they lodge development applications.
Applications with an overall development cost of less than $500,000 will attract a lodgement fee starting from $90, much less than the previous $193 flat rate.
Developments costing more than $500,000 will begin to scale up, with the maximum lodgement fee $2970 for development costing over $10 million.
This is the latest initiative by the government to help ease the housing crisis, bringing application costs down for South Australians who are seeking to develop accommodation.
Fee changes will also apply to proposals to amend the Planning and Design Code, known as code amendments.
The new fee structure is scaled to reflect the complexity of each proposed code amendment and will create a fair system where users only pay for the services they receive.
| Complexity stream | Current total fee for code amendment | Revised total fee for code amendment | Variation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | $34,634 | $34,634 | No change |
| Moderate | $34,634 | $69,268 | +$34,634 |
| Complex | $34,634 | $86,585 | +$51,951 |
The government is committed to maintaining transparency and accountability throughout the code amendment process. By charging appropriate fees commensurate to the amount of work to be done, the Department will be able to continue to provide high-quality and efficient service.
Some code amendments are simple, while others are more complex. Complex code amendments are time and resource intensive and benefit from the technology and functionality of the state’s innovative planning portal, PlanSA.
Full details of all the fee changes are available on the following pages:
