Heritage checks
Do brickwork repairs on a heritage home need approval?
Sometimes. It depends on whether your home is a heritage item, in a conservation area or on the State Heritage Register, and on what the work changes. Some maintenance work can be exempt, subject to conditions, but ‘like for like’ isn’t automatic permission. Check with your council or Heritage NSW before the work starts; this guide shows where to look.
Check the property, not just its age
A Federation façade does not tell you which planning controls apply. Check whether the address is a local heritage item, within a heritage conservation area, or on the State Heritage Register. More than one control can apply.
- Find your council
Our Areas directory has a page for each suburb that names its council and links its heritage information.
- Search the State Heritage Inventory
Search the NSW State Heritage Inventory, then check the type of listing shown. The inventory contains local and State records; finding an entry there does not by itself mean the property is on the State Heritage Register.
- Check your council’s heritage maps
These, with the council’s planning information, are the starting point for local controls. For example, the City of Sydney heritage page links its local heritage, conservation-area and State Heritage Register maps. Use the council responsible for your property, rather than assuming a neighbouring suburb has the same requirements.
- Confirm with the authority
Service NSW explains the local and State approval pathways. Confirm the current controls with the relevant authority. If you are unsure of the listing or scope, ask the relevant council or Heritage NSW before arranging the work.
Local council and State heritage checks
A local heritage item or conservation area
Ask the council whether the proposed repair needs consent or qualifies for a maintenance or minor-works pathway. Procedures depend on the council and the work.
In the Inner West, repointing is among the works that may be supported through a Heritage Exemption Certificate. Council must assess the proposal and provide the relevant written advice before work begins.
An item on the State Heritage Register
Check Heritage NSW’s standard exemptions and their conditions. Repointing deteriorated brick or stone mortar with traditional lime/sand mortar is a listed activity, but it is not an automatic exemption for every repair.
All applicable conditions must be met. Work outside an exemption may require an approval application. Local planning requirements still need their own check.
We repoint in lime mortar as well as cement mortar, and our cost guide lists the typical price for each. The mortar is one part of the proposal; the relevant authority still decides which pathway applies.
Is like-for-like work automatically exempt?
No. “Like for like” describes the intended repair; it is not permission to start. The applicable exemption or approval must cover the actual materials, method and extent of work.
- Describe each change separately. Renewing failed mortar, replacing bricks, changing the joint profile and removing paint can affect different parts of a building’s character.
- Conservation areas count too. In a conservation area, check the controls even if the house is not individually listed.
- State-listed items have conditions. The repointing exemption is subject to the general and activity-specific conditions. It does not automatically cover a broader rebuilding or alteration job. A heritage professional may be needed to help establish a suitable proposal.
Describe the work clearly
A specific proposal is easier to assess than “restore the front”. Prepare:
- The property address and any known heritage listing or conservation-area details.
- Photographs showing the whole wall and the areas needing attention.
- The parts to be retained, repaired or replaced.
- The proposed mortar, joint profile, colour and decorative finish.
- Details of any brick replacement, lintel work or removal of paint or render.
The council or Heritage NSW may request further information. Replacing failed mortar, changing a finish and removing a coating are different proposals; do not assume that permission for one covers the others.
Before work begins
Confirm the applicable pathway and keep any required written advice, approvals and conditions with the scope of work. Check current application fees and processing information directly with the authority; they vary with the application.
Keep a record of the agreed materials and finishes, advice received and photographs before and after the work. If opening up an area reveals a different repair is needed, check whether it remains within the agreed scope and conditions before continuing.
Our tuckpointing and brick repointing pages explain the finishes. Find your suburb for its council’s heritage information, or use the quote form below to discuss the brickwork and share any existing approval conditions. The relevant authority determines what approvals your property needs.
Sources checked 28 October 2026
Official guidance from Service NSW, Heritage NSW, Inner West Council and City of Sydney is linked above. Confirm the requirements for your own property before work starts. The Leichhardt photograph shows our brickwork; it does not establish a heritage listing or approval.
