Business permits, approvals & tenders

Some businesses need approval to operate including food and drink, markets, stalls and events. Permits are needed for busking, sex premises, filming and photography, family day care centres and skin penetration businesses.

Flexible regulations for businesses extended

The NSW Government has extended the date of temporary changes to the planning system until 31 March 2022.

In March 2020 the government amended the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act to include a new regulation allowing for a range of new ministerial orders in response to the pandemic.

The changes allow the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces to make an order for development to be carried out without the normal planning approval to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since then, the NSW Government has issued ministerial orders under the act including:

extending retail trading, delivery and waste removal hours
allowing home businesses to operate 24 hours a day
providing more flexible conditions for takeaway food and beverage facilities, food trucks and dark kitchens
allowing construction sites to operate the same hours on weekdays, weekends and public holidays
permitting temporary pop-up cycleways within the City of Sydney local area
allowing temporary vehicle sanitisation stations for the professional cleaning of taxis, ride share and community transport vehicles.

For full details visit the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment website.