Fees
What design and approval actually costs
Almost nobody in this industry publishes a price. We do, because the alternative is a phone call where you find out we're twice what you budgeted, and neither of us gets that hour back.
These are indicative fees for a straightforward site. A fixed fee is confirmed per project once we've seen the address — constraints move them, and we'd rather tell you that here than in a variation later.
Our fees
All figures exclude GST.
| Project | Approval and documentation | Add Construction Certificate |
|---|---|---|
| New dwelling — CDC | from $5,800 | from $6,800 |
| New dwelling — DA | from $6,800 | from $8,800 |
| Secondary dwelling (granny flat) — CDC | from $4,300 | from $5,800 |
| Secondary dwelling — DA | from $5,400 | from $8,800 |
| Alterations and additions — DA | from $4,800 | from $6,800 |
| Dual occupancy — CDC | from $10,800 | from $12,800 |
| Dual occupancy — DA | from $12,800 | from $16,800 |
| Multi-dwelling, 3+ — DA | from $18,800 | from $24,800 |
Work outside a fixed scope is charged at $180/hr for the Director and $130/hr for a senior drafter.
Feasibility, priced separately
| Service | Fee | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop planning feasibility | from $990 + GST | Controls, pathway and constraints on one address, in writing. |
| Concept feasibility / yield test | from $2,800 + GST | Tested envelope and indicative yield before you commit to a scheme. |
How that compares
Published Sydney rates: a draftsperson charges 1–2% of construction cost, a building designer 3–5%, an architect 8–15%. On a 200 m² new dwelling at mid-range Sydney construction rates, our CDC fee lands near 1% — draftsperson pricing for building-designer scope.
That is a deliberate position, not a discount we'll claw back later. Where it doesn't hold is granny flats and small alterations, which sit at 3% or so of the build, because the planning work on a small job is not proportionally smaller.
What else you'll pay, and to whom
Our fee is one line on a longer list. These are the others, and they're paid to third parties, not to us:
| Item | Typical range | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Land survey | $1,500 – $3,500 | Registered surveyor |
| Structural engineering | $1,500 – $3,000 | Engineer |
| Structural — second-storey addition | $3,000 – $6,000 | Engineer |
| Stormwater and drainage design | $1,500 – $5,000 | Civil engineer |
| BASIX and NatHERS assessment | $700 – $1,300 | Assessor |
| Geotechnical / soil classification | $300 – $800 | Geotechnical engineer |
| Private certifier — CDC | $1,500 – $4,000 | Certifier |
| Certifier — CC and principal certifier | $2,000 – $5,000 | Certifier |
| Council lodgement fee — DA | by cost of works | Council |
| Long service levy | 0.25% over $25,000 | Long Service Corporation |
| Development contributions | $15,000 – $35,000 per dwelling | Council |
| Specialist reports if triggered | $800 – $5,000 each | Consultant |
Bushfire, flood, heritage, acoustic and traffic reports are only needed where the site triggers them. Part of the site review is telling you which ones you're up for.
A straightforward DA package, all in
Public guides put the whole approval stack at $8,500 to $23,000 for a residential DA, and past $30,000 on a constrained site. That is the number to budget against, not our fee on its own.
If you want the whole picture including construction, site works and statutory charges, the construction cost estimator builds it line by line.
Fees current at September 2026 and reviewed annually. Third-party ranges are indicative and set by those providers, not by PlanLand.
Want a fixed fee on your site?
Send the address. We'll run the pathway, confirm the scope and give you a fixed number.