Home builders in Unley
City of Unley · Planning and Design Code · Eastern & Coastal Adelaide Knockdown rebuild
- Council
- City of Unley
- Planning scheme
- Planning and Design Code
- Overlays mapped here
- Hazards (Flooding — High) · Hazards (Flooding — General) · Historic Area Overlay · Local Heritage Place · State Heritage Place · Regulated and Significant Tree
- Residential zones mapped
- Business Neighbourhood
Established Neighbourhood
General Neighbourhood
Housing Diversity Neighbourhood
Urban Corridor (Boulevard)
Urban Renewal Neighbourhood - Bushfire-prone land
- None mapped
- Local Heritage Places
- 71
- Acid sulfate soils
- None mapped
- Minimum Frontage
- Minimum frontage for a detached dwelling is 15m
+5 other rules mapped in this suburb - Minimum Site Area
- Minimum site area for a detached dwelling is 500 sqm; semi-detached dwelling is 500 sqm; row dwelling is 500 sqm
+5 other rules mapped in this suburb - Maximum Building Height (Metres)
- 10.5m to 32.5m
6 different values mapped across the suburb - Maximum Building Height (Levels)
- 1 level to 9 levels
6 different values mapped across the suburb - Minimum Primary Street Setback
- 0m · 6m
- Minimum Side Boundary Setback
- Minimum side boundary setback is 1m for the first building level; 3m for any second building level or higher
- Site Coverage
- Maximum site coverage is 50 per cent
Planning data from Planning and Design Code via SAPPA (PlanSA) (CC BY 4.0), read 2026-09-14. Suburb-level, not a report on your block — check your address on the SA Property and Planning Atlas.
Builders serving Unley
None yet — tell us what you're building and we'll go and find one.
What building in Unley actually involves
Unley is 1.5 km² and carries 71 heritage records, a Historic Area Overlay and six zones — including Urban Corridor (Boulevard), where the Code maps building heights up to 32.5m and nine levels. That is the widest height range of any suburb we have published.
Nine levels and one level, in the same square kilometre
The Code maps maximum heights of 10.5m, 11.5m, 12m, 18.5m, 25.5m and 32.5m, and level limits from one to nine. The corridor land and the established residential land behave completely differently, and which you are on decides everything from the design to the land value.
Heritage is the binding constraint on the residential land
With 71 heritage records and a Historic Area Overlay in a suburb this small, the working assumption on an Unley block is that heritage controls apply until confirmed otherwise. The Historic Area Overlay applies to an area, so a plain house inside it faces the same design expectations as a listed neighbour.
The numbers the Code publishes
Minimum site area for a detached dwelling runs from 500 sqm to 750 sqm on the residential land, with frontages from 15m to 18m. Minimum side setback is 1m at the first level and 3m above. Maximum site coverage is 50 per cent.
What to ask a builder
Ask whether the block is inside the Historic Area Overlay, and for a recent City of Unley approval inside one. Ask which minimum site area and frontage apply. And test the design against 50 per cent site coverage before falling in love with it.
Local landmarks in Unley
- Sturt Bowling Club
- Unley Oval
- Adelaide Language and Multi-Cultural Centre
- Unley Civic Library
- Greenhill Road Tram Stop
- Unley Police Station
Questions about building in Unley
Is my Unley house heritage-controlled?
Assume it may be. 71 heritage records intersect a 1.5 km² suburb and a Historic Area Overlay applies. That overlay covers an area, so a plain house inside it faces the same design expectations as a listed neighbour.
How tall can I build in Unley?
It depends entirely on the zone. Mapped maximum heights run from 10.5m to 32.5m and from one level to nine — the widest range of any suburb we have published.
What is the minimum block size in Unley?
On the residential land the Code maps minimum site areas of 500, 600 and 750 sqm for a detached dwelling, with frontages from 15m to 18m. Smaller minimums apply in the corridor and renewal zones.
What is the maximum site coverage?
50 per cent. Minimum side boundary setback is 1m for the first building level and 3m for any second level or higher. Test a design against both before committing to it.
Does Unley flood?
Hazards (Flooding) is mapped at both High and General across parts of the suburb. Where it applies it can set a floor level. Whether it reaches your block is an address question.