State Planning Commission (SA)
SA's independent statutory planning body under the PDI Act. Maintains the Planning and Design Code, prepares regional plans, assesses restricted development.
Ask Chalkline about this →The State Planning Commission (the Commission) is South Australia’s independent statutory planning body, established under s.56 of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (SA) (the PDI Act). It sits independent of council and reports to the Minister for Planning. Its core function is maintaining SA’s planning framework, not issuing individual development approvals for standard residential work. Verified per PDI Act 2016 (SA) and plan.sa.gov.au (2026-06-11).
What the Commission does:
| Function | Detail |
|---|---|
| Maintains the Planning and Design Code | Prepares and amends the single statewide Code (current version 2026.1) |
| Prepares State Planning Policies | High-level policies on housing, climate, and biodiversity that the Code must be consistent with |
| Prepares Regional Plans | One per SA planning region (8 regions), translating state policies into regional priorities |
| Relevant authority for significant development | The Commission (via SCAP) assesses Impact Assessed and certain Restricted Development applications |
| Advises the Minister | Provides independent advice on planning matters and proposes Code amendments |
| Accredited Professional scheme | The Commission administers accreditation standards for private certifiers under the PDI Act |
SCAP is not the Commission. The State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) is a separate assessment body constituted under the PDI Act that handles specific high-impact DAs. SCAP and the Commission are related but distinct: SCAP is the decision-maker for major projects; the Commission maintains the framework.
Not your decision-maker for standard residential. For typical Class 1a/10 work, the Commission is not involved. The relevant authority is the council Assessment Manager or Council Assessment Panel (CAP). The Commission enters the picture only when a project is declared Impact Assessed or is Restricted Development under the Code.
When your project goes to the Commission: If the project is classified as Impact Assessed under the Planning and Design Code (SA), the assessment pathway routes to SCAP rather than council. This applies to major infrastructure and developments of state significance, not standard residential construction. See DA process (SA) for the full pathway decision tree.
SA vs WA: SA’s State Planning Commission is the counterpart to WA’s Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC), though the two bodies differ in scope: the WAPC has broader subdivision approval powers statewide; the SPC focuses primarily on the Code framework and state-significant assessment.
Also known as: SPC (SA); State Planning Commission South Australia.
Category: Approvals & DA.
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Last updated: 2026-06-11. Verified: 2026-06-11. Quarterly review for currency.