Restricted development (SA Planning and Design Code)
Restricted development is SA's fourth assessment category under PDI Act 2016: refusal the default, no right to assessment, gated by the State Planning Commission.
Ask Chalkline about this →Restricted development is the fourth and most restrictive assessment category under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (SA) and the Planning and Design Code. It applies to development a zone is expressly designed to prevent, making refusal the default expectation. There is no right to have the proposal assessed on its merits: the State Planning Commission first decides whether assessment will even proceed. Most restricted development proposals are refused at this gateway and never reach a substantive assessment. Verified per PDI Act 2016 (SA) and plan.sa.gov.au (2026-06-11).
Where restricted development sits in the SA framework
The Code places every development proposal into one of four categories:
| Category | Default outcome | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Accepted | No DA required | No authority |
| Code Assessed Deemed-to-Satisfy | Approval if criteria met | Assessment manager |
| Code Assessed Performance Assessed | Approval possible on merit | Assessment manager or Council Assessment Panel |
| Restricted Development | Refusal | State Planning Commission (gateway) |
What makes a proposal restricted
The zone tables in the Planning and Design Code identify which land uses and development forms are restricted within each zone. A proposal is restricted when the zone expressly lists that use or form as something the zone policy seeks to prevent, typically because it is fundamentally incompatible with the zone’s intent.
The gateway process
The State Planning Commission determines whether a restricted development proposal may proceed to substantive assessment. The applicant submits a Request to Assess. The Commission can:
- Refuse to assess (the default): the proposal is declined without any substantive planning merit assessment; no appeal right on this decision.
- Declare the proposal Impact Assessed: if the Commission determines assessment should proceed, the proposal is elevated to the Impact Assessed pathway and requires a full environmental impact statement. Public notification period for this track is 30 business days in SA.
Practical impact for builders
Restricted development rarely applies to standard residential work. The category is most relevant to industrial or intensive uses proposed in residential or conservation zones, and to development near state-significant infrastructure corridors. If a site search at code.plan.sa.gov.au returns “restricted” against your proposed land use, the project requires a fundamental redesign or a change to the proposal type. Do not treat restricted as a difficult-but-possible pathway: without a Commission declaration, approval is not available. See the full DA process at Getting development approval in SA.
Also known as: restricted; restricted category (SA Code).
Category: Approvals & DA.
Last updated: 2026-06-11. Verified: 2026-06-11. Quarterly review for currency.