Sydney Metro Selling, Home Business & Farm-Stay Rules, by Council
Food notification and home business rules are uniform across Greater Sydney under the state framework (see the state-wide NSW article for the full detail). Where councils actually differ is farm-stay and agritourism zoning — most Sydney Metro councils are too urban to have RU-zoned land where the 2022 Agritourism Code applies at all.
RU-zoned councils: Wollondilly, Hawkesbury
Wollondilly and Hawkesbury are the two Sydney Metro councils with substantial RU1, RU2 or RU4 zoned rural land, where the state's 2022 Agritourism Code pathways for farm stay accommodation, farm gate premises and farm experience premises actually apply. Both also have real rural-fringe LGA areas where a new moveable dwelling for guests still needs a Section 68 approval under the Local Government Act 1993, the same process covered in our Power & Wastewater article for septic systems.
Wollondilly adds its own limit on top of the state code: Wollondilly Council's Local Environmental Plan (Clause 5.24) caps farm stay accommodation at 12 bedrooms — a council-specific condition that doesn't appear anywhere in the state Agritourism Code itself, so it's worth checking even where the state pathway would otherwise apply.
Camden and Campbelltown have some RU-zoned fringe areas too, so a similar check is worthwhile there, though neither has a locally-documented condition as specific as Wollondilly's bedroom cap.
Source: Wollondilly Local Environmental Plan 2011 (Clause 5.24); NSW planning portal zoning maps
Predominantly urban councils: North Sydney, Hunters Hill, Georges River, Mosman, Ryde, Sutherland Shire, The Hills Shire, Waverley, Hornsby, Ku-ring-gai, Parramatta, Liverpool, Fairfield, Blacktown
These councils have little to no RU-zoned land, so the Agritourism Code's exempt and complying development pathways generally have nothing to attach to within their boundaries. Food notification and home business rules still apply exactly as set out in the state framework — there's no council-level variation to track for these two topics.
Source: NSW planning portal zoning maps, by council area
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Sydney Metro councils have real farm-stay zoning?
Wollondilly and Hawkesbury are the two Sydney Metro councils with substantial RU1, RU2 or RU4 zoned land, where the state's 2022 Agritourism Code pathways actually apply. Camden and Campbelltown have some RU-zoned fringe areas too, but most other Sydney Metro councils are predominantly urban with little or no RU-zoned land.
Does Wollondilly Council cap farm-stay accommodation?
Yes. On top of the state Agritourism Code, Wollondilly's own Local Environmental Plan (Clause 5.24) adds a 12-bedroom cap on farm stay accommodation - a council-specific limit that doesn't appear in the state framework itself.
Do food notification and home business rules vary by council in Sydney?
No. The Food Act notification/licence split and the Codes SEPP home business exemption are both statewide frameworks that apply uniformly regardless of council. The genuine council-to-council variation on this page is entirely about which councils have RU-zoned land for farm-stay and agritourism uses.