Develop in the city
Perth is a growing, innovative city. You can be part of our exciting future by taking
advantage of a range of incentives that came into effect on 1 July 2023.
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DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVESIncentives for Developers
The City of Perth has incentives to make it easier to develop and invest in Central Perth. These include:
- Waiving of all City fees for new residential development applications
- Waiving the City’s fee component for building and occupancy permit for new residential developments
- Residential Bonus plot ratio
- 50% rates reimbursement for single ownership buildings (build-to-rent) and your future purchaser
Why develop in the city?
The City of Perth offers a range of services to help developers.
We're good to do business with
We understand that part of great customer service is delivering on time and being solution focused. At the City of Perth, we achieve 100% of development and building application within statutory timeframes.
Free pre-lodgement advice
Pre-lodgement discussions are an important part of the development process. At the City of Perth we work with you at the early stage of your development to help achieve timely decisions and better development outcomes.
Professional advice
Receive expert advice from our City Architect, Urban Planners and Building Officers, enabling any planning or design issues to be identified and addressed.
Perth City Deal
The City of Perth is working collaboratively with the State and Federal Governments to see the projects under the $1.6 billion Perth City Deal come to life. You can find out more about Perth City Deal here.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the development and building application fee waiving program?The program will exempt eligible developments from paying the City of Perth portion of development and building application fees.
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What will be the amount of development and building application fees waived?100% of the City’s fee will be waived.
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What type of developments are eligible?
New residential development, which includes:
- Co-Living
- Student accommodation
- Build-to-Rent
- Built-to-Sell
- Changing a whole building to one of the above.
What type of developments are not eligible:- Any application lodged before the 1st of July 2023
- Short-term accommodation
- Lodging house
- Hotel
- Service apartment
- Hostel/Backpacker
- State Government and Not-for-Profit developments
- Buildings and dwellings exempt from Council rates
- Office, commercial, and retail buildings
- Single apartment change of use applications
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What City of Perth fees are exempt?
- Development application fees
- Strata Title Application fees
- Occupancy Certificate fees
- Building Permits fees
- Demolition fees
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What fees still apply?
- Development Assessment Panel fees
- Construction Training Fund Levy
- Works Bonds
- Building Service Levy
- Specific permit fees:
i. Obstruction permits.
ii. Hoarding, gantry and scaffolding permits.
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Where does the fees waiving apply?
The Central Perth neighbourhood, as defined in the City’s Local Planning Strategy and depicted in the below map.
The area is bounded by the following roads:
- Hill Street on the east.
- Roe Street and the angle formed by Wellington Street, Lord Street and the railways linking Lord Steet to Roe Street in the north.
- Mitchell Freeway, Malcolm Street, Cliff Street, Bellevue Terrace, and the west side of Mount Bay Road on the west.
- Birdiya Drive, Elizabeth Quay, Barrack Square and Riverside Drive on the south.
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When will the development and building application fee waiving program apply?Applications lodged from the 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2026.
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Will building application fees for residential developments that have already received Development Approval before 1 July 2023 be waived?Yes
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Will fees for applications for retrospective approval be waived?No
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What if the Development Approval is amended?If an amended development application results in the addition of additional dwellings, then fees will be waived.
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What if the building comprises new dwellings mixed with commercial, retail, or office premises?All fees will be waived regardless of the mix.
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Will the development and building application fees be waived automatically?
When selecting the method of payment, please select 'Cash Invoice".
If total fees are below $10,000 please DO NOT PAY the invoice online. If your invoice is above $10,000 you will not be able to pay online.
In both cases, the City will assess your eligibility and provide further instructions via email.
If eligible, the City will issue an invoice outlining the 100% discount against the total fee owed; however, if not eligible you will need to pay the fees in the required timeframe
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How many dwellings does an application need to include?At least one dwelling is required.
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Will Building Permit fees be waived for residential development in Perth City Link and Elizabeth Quay?Yes
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Will fees for fit-outs of dwellings be waived?
No, fees will only be waived when a development creates new residential dwellings.
Therefore, fit-outs and other works to existing residential dwellings or buildings must pay the usual development and building fee fees.
Incentives for developers
For more information regarding eligibility to different incentives available for residential development within our city, please refer to the relevant sections below: