The Lake Macquarie Local Environmental Plan (LMLEP) 2014 establishes zones of land, such as environmental, rural, residential, business and industrial. Each zone specifies which developments are permitted with consent, permitted without consent, or prohibited. All land, privately-owned, leased or publicly owned, is subject to these controls. LMLEP also identifies other planning provisions, such as maximum building heights and minimum lot sizes.
LMLEP consists of a written document and a series of maps.