Land use zones

Zones control the types of use and development allowed in an area.

Land use zoning aims to locate common uses close together such as putting:

• houses near shops
• parks and schools where people live.

Zoning also helps to separate uses that aren't compatible, such as keeping:

• industry away from houses
• hospitals away from flood-prone areas.

Most land where people live is covered by a zone.

How zoning works

The zone of your land can affect:

• how you can use your land and what you can build
• how your development will be assessed
• the development requirements when using or building on your land.

Each zone explains:

• its purpose
• preferred uses within the zone
• how different uses should interact in the zone.

Assessment tables

Each zone has an assessment table which tells you:

• the assessment category
• the development requirements that will apply to the use.

How to find a land use zone

If you want to buy or develop land, you can find out its zone and the zoning of nearby land.

To find the zone, you can:

• use the 'town planning' zones layer on NT Atlas
• contact a planner from Development Assessment Services.

You can read more about zones and how they work in part 4 of the NT Planning Scheme PDF (999.4 KB).

If land is not covered by a zone

Land not covered by a zone is known as unzoned land.

Changes to zoning

Land zoning may be changed to reflect changes to community views or government policy.

If you are a property owner, you may also want to use land in a way that is not allowed under the current zoning.

If you want to have property rezoned, you can request an amendment to the NT Planning Scheme.

To find out about proposed zone changes that are currently on exhibition, go to the Development Applications Online website.

You can find out about past zone changes in the list of planning scheme amendments.