If your council is reviewing its local heritage survey, or a property appears in a heritage search, you will see two terms: the local heritage survey and the heritage list. This guide sets out what the Heritage Act 2018, the planning regulations and the Heritage Council's guidelines say about each, and how they compare with the State Register.
What is a local heritage survey?
A local heritage survey (LHS) is a record of places in a local government district that have, or may come to have, cultural heritage significance. Section 103(1) of the Heritage Act 2018 says a local government must prepare a survey of places in its district that in its opinion are, or may become, of cultural heritage significance.
Section 104 sets out the purposes of a survey. They include:
- identifying and recording places that are, or may become, significant
- helping the local government make decisions that respect heritage values
- keeping a historical record of the district
- providing an accessible public record of places of cultural heritage significance to the district
- helping the local government prepare a heritage list or heritage areas under its local planning scheme.
Formerly the municipal inventory
Before the Heritage Act 2018, these records were known as municipal inventories or local heritage inventories. The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) notes the change of name, and the Heritage Council's Guidelines for Local Heritage Surveys (August 2022) say existing municipal inventories are treated as a local heritage survey under the Act, with no action needed to amend them for that purpose.
What places can be included
A survey can include buildings and structures with their surrounds, archaeological remains, gardens and parks, trees in a man-made setting, and precincts that cover several lots. Trees are included for cultural heritage significance, not amenity or environmental value.
Places protected under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 should be identified as such, and that Act continues to apply to them.
Who prepares a local heritage survey?
The local government prepares the survey. Under the guidelines, an advisory committee or reference group may help, but the council makes the final decision on what the survey contains. The guidelines say classifications should be guided by a suitably qualified heritage professional, and a heritage assessment can be commissioned where needed.
Significance is assessed against aesthetic, historic, scientific, social and spiritual values, guided by a thematic history of the district. The guidelines use four levels:
- Category 1, Exceptional: essential to local heritage
- Category 2, Considerable: very important
- Category 3, Some or moderate: contributes to local heritage
- Category 4, Little: a small contribution, worth noting for community interest.
Owners should be told about a survey and invited to take part. The guidelines also say an assessment should not depend on whether the owner supports it, and that objections unrelated to heritage significance are not grounds for leaving a place out.
How often must a survey be reviewed?
Section 103 of the Heritage Act does not set a fixed review period. Section 103(2) requires a local government preparing, reviewing or updating a survey to have regard to the purposes in section 104 and to the Heritage Council's guidelines. Section 105(1) requires the Council to issue guidelines that include processes for reviewing and updating surveys and the frequency of reviews.
After preparing, or reviewing and updating, a survey, the local government must give the Heritage Council a copy and make the survey available to the public (section 103(4)).
The guidelines describe three types of update, set out below.
| Type | What it covers | Formal adoption? |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative update | Minor corrections that do not change a classification or statement of significance | No |
| Place-specific review | Adding or removing a place, or changing its classification or statement of significance | Yes |
| General review | A wider review of the whole survey, with community participation and nominations | Yes |
In short, any change to which places are in the survey, or how they are classified, needs a council decision.
On timing, the guidelines are indicative rather than mandatory. They suggest a remote or regional area with little development may find a survey relevant for 10 to 15 years, while an area with ongoing urban development may need a review within 5 to 8 years. Each survey should set a target date for its next review. The adopted survey should be available electronically, and place information should be uploaded to inHerit.
How a heritage list is different
The heritage list is a planning instrument, not a survey. Every local planning scheme in Western Australia includes the deemed provisions in Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015. Clause 8 of those provisions requires the local government to establish and maintain a heritage list.
The Heritage Council's Guidelines for Establishing a Heritage List (March 2021) explain the key differences:
- The survey identifies and records places. The guidelines say the LHS itself has no specific planning or legal weight.
- The heritage list identifies places that are of cultural heritage significance and worthy of built heritage conservation. It has statutory weight under the Planning and Development Act 2005.
- Each heritage list entry must describe the place and give the reason for its entry (clause 8(2)).
DPLH's local heritage survey page makes the same point: a survey has no statutory role.
Getting onto, or off, the heritage list
The heritage list guidelines suggest that Category 1 and 2 places from the survey are included in the heritage list, Category 3 places are decided in consultation with the owner, and Category 4 places fall below the threshold. They also suggest that places on the State Register be added to the heritage list.
Before an entry is added, changed or removed, the guidelines say each owner and occupier must be given written notice and at least 21 days to make a submission, and the Heritage Council is told of the change.
What listing means for development approval
Being on the heritage list does not stop development. It changes which works need approval and what the local government must consider. According to the heritage list guidelines:
- Owners must apply for development approval for some works that would otherwise be exempt, including demolition, internal building works, single dwellings, ancillary buildings, outbuildings and other external structures.
- Under clause 61 of the deemed provisions, internal building works can be exempt if the heritage list entry says the interior is not of cultural heritage significance.
- The local government must give due regard to the heritage significance of a listed place when deciding an application, but is not required to decide it on heritage grounds alone.
The Heritage Council's Guidelines for Preparing a Local Planning Policy for Local Heritage (March 2023) add that, under the deemed provisions, a local government:
- must have due regard to the conservation of places of cultural heritage significance and to a proposal's effect on the cultural heritage significance of the area (clause 67)
- may ask for a heritage assessment before deciding an application (clause 11)
- may ask for supporting studies, such as a heritage impact statement, with an application (clause 63)
- may vary site or development requirements in the scheme to help conserve a heritage place (clause 12).
State Register vs local listing
The State Register of Heritage Places is kept by the Heritage Council under Part 3 of the Heritage Act 2018. DPLH describes entry on the Register as reserved for places of State cultural heritage significance. Before recommending a place to the Minister for entry, the Council must consult each owner and carry out public consultation (section 40). The Minister then decides whether the place is entered (section 41).
Where a decision-maker receives a proposal likely to affect a registered place, it must refer the proposal to the Heritage Council for advice (section 73). A place can appear on more than one list at once.
The table below compares the three.
| Feature | Local heritage survey | Heritage list | State Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Heritage Act 2018, Part 8 (ss 102 to 105) | Local planning scheme deemed provisions, Schedule 2, clause 8 | Heritage Act 2018, Part 3 |
| Kept by | Local government | Local government | Heritage Council |
| Statutory planning weight | None in itself | Yes, under the local planning scheme | Yes, under the Heritage Act |
| Effect on development | Informs the heritage list; not a basis for decisions | Approval needed for some works that would otherwise be exempt | Proposals likely to affect the place are referred to the Heritage Council for advice |
| Changes | Reviews and changes to places adopted by council | Owners and occupiers notified, at least 21 days for submissions | Owner and public consultation before the Council recommends entry to the Minister |
Put simply, the local heritage survey records places, the heritage list protects local places through the planning scheme, and the State Register covers places of State significance under the Heritage Act.
How to check a place
The State Heritage Office's inHerit database brings together the State Register, local government heritage surveys and heritage lists, and other lists. You can search by place name, street, suburb, local government area or place number. inHerit states it is not intended as the primary source for identifying heritage listings, so confirm a place's status with the local government. Aboriginal cultural heritage information is held separately, in ACHIS.
How Trace Archaeology helps
Our local and historic heritage survey team prepares and reviews local heritage surveys and heritage lists, including place records and significance assessments that follow the Heritage Council's guidelines. You can see the wider range of heritage work we do on our heritage services page.
If you are unsure whether a place is listed, start with our guide Is my place heritage listed?. If a council has asked for a heritage impact statement with an application, read Heritage impact statements. To talk about a survey, a heritage list review or a site, contact us.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a local heritage survey and a heritage list in WA?
A local heritage survey is a record of places that are, or may become, of cultural heritage significance, prepared under the Heritage Act 2018. A heritage list sits in the local planning scheme under clause 8 of the deemed provisions and has statutory weight; the survey does not.
Is a municipal inventory the same as a local heritage survey?
Yes. Municipal inventories were renamed local heritage surveys under the Heritage Act 2018.
How often is a local heritage survey reviewed?
The Heritage Act 2018 leaves review frequency to the Heritage Council's guidelines (section 105). The guidelines suggest 5 to 8 years in areas with ongoing urban development and 10 to 15 years in remote or regional areas with little development, and say each survey should set a target date for its next review.
Do I need development approval if my house is on the heritage list?
Often, yes, for works that would otherwise be exempt, such as demolition, internal works, a single house or outbuildings. Check with your local government before starting work.
This article is general information as at October 2026, not legal advice.
References
All accessed 20 October 2026.
- Heritage Act 2018 (WA), version 00-k0-00, as at 28 May 2026 (ss 5, 35, 37 to 41, 73, 102 to 105). legislation.wa.gov.au: Heritage Act 2018
- Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015 (WA), version 01-a0-00, as at 6 October 2026 (Schedule 2, Part 3, Heritage protection). legislation.wa.gov.au: LPS Regulations 2015
- Heritage Council of Western Australia, Guidelines for Local Heritage Surveys, August 2022. wa.gov.au: Guidelines for local heritage surveys
- Heritage Council of Western Australia, Guidelines for Establishing a Heritage List, March 2021. wa.gov.au: Guidelines for establishing a heritage list
- Heritage Council of Western Australia, Guidelines for Preparing a Local Planning Policy for Local Heritage, March 2023. wa.gov.au: Local planning policy for local heritage
- Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, Local heritage surveys (last updated 4 January 2022). wa.gov.au: Local heritage surveys
- Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, The State Register and other heritage listings (last updated 22 August 2024). wa.gov.au: The State Register and other heritage listings
- Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, Heritage guidelines, publications, strategies and policies (last updated 12 February 2026). wa.gov.au: Heritage guidelines and publications
- State Heritage Office, inHerit (last updated 13 November 2024). inherit.dplh.wa.gov.au
- Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, Find heritage places (last updated 5 August 2025). wa.gov.au: Find heritage places
Photo credits (Wikimedia Commons): Uniting Church and chapel, York: Gartonsmith, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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