NSW DA Assessment Timeframes: What the new Development Coordination Authority and DA trackers mean for your application

If you have ever lodged a development application in NSW, you'll know that DA assessment timeframes can be hard to predict. A referral here, a concurrence there, and a timeline that quietly stretches out while your project sits in a queue you cannot see.

That is starting to change. The NSW Government has established a new Development Coordination Authority (DCA), a single point of contact for the State agency advice that many DAs rely on. Alongside it sit two public dashboards: an agency league table that shows how those State agencies are tracking against their deadlines, and a council league table that reports how long individual councils take to assess applications. Together they bring something the planning system has not had much of: visibility.

Here is what these changes are, and what they mean if you are planning a development.

Development application tracking dashboard showing real-time updates

What is the Development Coordination Authority?

For larger or more complex applications, councils often have to refer a DA to one or more State agencies before it can be determined. Think water authorities, the Rural Fire Service, Transport for NSW, heritage, and energy providers. Historically an applicant could be bounced between as many as 22 different areas of government, sometimes receiving advice that conflicted from one to the next.

The DCA replaces that scramble with a single front door. It brings the relevant State agencies together so they can give one coordinated response rather than a series of separate, sometimes contradictory ones. The authority began initial operations in December 2025, and its full coordination function commences on 1 July 2026.

The reform also tightens the rules behind the scenes. The hundreds of scattered referral requirements that used to sit across many different planning instruments are being consolidated into a single, clearer list, and agencies are being held to firm response times. The aim is simple: fewer dead ends, clearer advice, and applications that keep moving.

What is the agency league table?

The agency league table is a publicly available dashboard, updated monthly, that reports how each State agency is performing against its required timeframes for concurrences, integrated development approvals and referrals (collectively known as CIR).

The NSW Government's benchmark is for at least 90% of these to be completed within the legislated or agreed timeframe, which for most referrals and concurrences is around 21 days. The table shows, agency by agency, how many matters each one handled over the previous six months and what share they turned around on time. Some agencies sit comfortably above the target; others fall below it. For the first time, that information is out in the open.

You can view the live dashboard here: Agency league table dashboard

Tracking council DA assessment timeframes: Council League Table

The State agencies are only one part of the picture. The council league table turns the same spotlight onto local councils, tracking council DA assessment timeframes across the state.

It is an interactive dashboard, updated monthly, that reports two key figures for every council in NSW: average lodgement days (how long a council takes to accept an application as formally lodged after it is submitted) and average assessment days (how long it then takes to determine the application). The data can be filtered by council, region and development type, and it sits under the Statement of Expectations Order 2024, which sets out the timeframes councils are expected to meet.

What makes this so useful is that the numbers vary widely from one council to the next. Two applications of similar complexity can take very different amounts of time depending on which council assesses them. Having that comparison in the open helps everyone understand where their application is likely to sit, and gives councils a clear, public incentive to lift their performance.

You can explore the dashboard here: Council league table

Why clearer NSW DA assessment timeframes help applicants

For applicants, the practical benefits come down to three things.

Clearer expectations. With both councils and State agencies now reporting against published timeframes, you can form a realistic view of how long each stage of your application should take, rather than waiting in the dark. If you are weighing up a site, the council league table even lets you factor local assessment times into your planning before you commit.

One conversation instead of many. With the DCA acting as a single point of contact for State matters, you are far less likely to be passed from one department to another or handed conflicting requirements. That alone removes one of the most common causes of delay and cost.

Pressure where it counts. Public reporting tends to focus attention. A council or agency that knows its turnaround times are visible has a clear incentive to meet them, and persistent under-performers become easier to identify and follow up.

The net effect is a process that should be faster, more predictable and easier to plan around, from the moment an application is lodged through to determination.

Why it helps your planner too

These changes are just as useful from our side of the desk, and that flows back to you.

When we prepare and lodge an application, knowing how the relevant council is currently performing, and which State agencies are likely to be involved, lets us plan the timeline accurately and set honest expectations from the outset. If a particular council or agency is running behind, we can factor that in, prepare the supporting material thoroughly to avoid avoidable hold-ups, and keep your project moving rather than reacting to surprises.

A single, consolidated list of referral requirements also means less guesswork about what each application genuinely needs. That translates into cleaner lodgements, fewer requests for additional information, and less of your time and money lost to back-and-forth.

In short, better visibility across both councils and State agencies, plus a single coordination point for the State side, lets us do what we do best: anticipate the obstacles before they appear and steer your application through as smoothly as possible.

Where to from here

The DCA's full functions commence on 1 July 2026, and both league tables now make DA assessment timeframes public and are updated each month. We will be watching how it beds in and what it means for the regions we work across.

If you are considering a development application and want to understand how these changes might affect your project, or you simply want a clear picture of what the process involves, we would be glad to talk it through.