Notification rules · ACT
How the Territory Planning Authority notifies development applications, and the signs licensed builders must put up.
Quick answer: in the ACT the Territory Planning Authority, not the applicant, notifies development applications: on its website, by letter to adjoining leaseholders (including across a road or creek) and with a sign on the site. The period is 15 working days, or 20 then 10 working days for significant development. Licensed builders must also keep a building work sign on the site.
Working out dates? The notice period calculator counts the days for you, including business days and holidays.
| Who notifies | The Territory Planning Authority |
|---|---|
| Who is told | Lessees of land that touches the block or is separated only by a road, reserve or watercourse. The Authority can also write to others it thinks are affected |
| How long | 15 working days. Significant development: 20 working days, then a further 10 if the plans change |
| Exemptions | A single dwelling (one house on the block), class 10 structures and signs skip the website notice and site sign, but the neighbour letters still go out |
Source: Planning Act 2023 (ACT), Division 7.5.4 (ss 174-180), R12 effective 01/10/26. Checked 7 October 2026.
Source: Planning (General) Regulation 2023 (ACT), ss 36-38, R6 effective 22/05/26. Checked 7 October 2026.
Source: Public notification process – City and Environment Directorate – Planning. Checked 7 October 2026.
Source: Public notification period – City and Environment Directorate – Planning. Checked 7 October 2026.
Source: What is involved in public notification? – City and Environment Directorate – Planning. Checked 7 October 2026.
We found no requirement in the Building Act 2004 to give neighbours a notice before building work. Instead, a licensed builder must display a sign on the block while the work is carried out, and replace it within 2 days if it is damaged. For some exempt development, the sign must be up for at least 7 consecutive days in the 2 months before the commencement notice application.
Source: Building Act 2004 (ACT), ss 37A-37B, R56 effective 01/10/26. Checked 7 October 2026.
Source: Building (General) Regulation 2008 (ACT), ss 30B-30C, R52 effective 01/10/26. Checked 7 October 2026.
Most ACT neighbour complaints come from work nobody mentioned. A short letter to the street a week before work starts costs little and saves a lot of goodwill.
Use our construction notice template for the wording, and keep the dated list of addresses you delivered to. If anyone later says they were not told, that list is your answer.
Pin the site, set the radius and get every letterbox inside it as a walk list, with a signed delivery record and printable notices when the job needs them. The count is free.