Giraffe integrates directly with Prop Code, a planning rules intelligence platform for New South Wales. The integration lets you generate detailed planning reports — permissibility, setbacks, FSR, parking, and more — without leaving your project, and load the results directly into the envelope generator to start massing straight away.
To use PropCode within Giraffe, you'll need a PropCode subscription or paid reports. All of your unlocked properties and reports will be viewable both in Giraffe and the PropCode website.
Before you start
You'll need:
An active Giraffe account
A Prop Code account (subscription or pay-per-report)
Once you're connected to your PropCode account:
Reports you generate inside Giraffe are saved to your Prop Code account
Reports you've already generated in Prop Code are accessible inside Giraffe
Step 1 — Add the Prop Code app
Click the + button to open the App Store.
Find Prop Code in the list and add it to your project.
The Prop Code app will appear in your sidebar.
Click the logo to get started. The PropCode app UI will appear.
Step 2 — Connect your accounts
The first time you open the Prop Code panel, you need to connect to your PropCode account. Click Connect to continue, and follow the log in instructions.
Complete the login flow and you'll land on your report history.
Step 3 — Select a site
Hint: Add the NSW Cadastre layer to see all parcel outlines
Click anywhere on the map to activate the map selection tools.
Map selection activates the following:
An info panel in the Propcode App
A temporary layer in the layer palette that displays a red outline around the selected parcel
Single Lot Selection
As you click, the info panel and red outline will update to your current selection.
To make your previous selections always visible, click "Keep on map."
This saves the current selection to a temporary layer so it remains on the map when you select another site.
Multi-Lot Amalgamation
You can amalgamate multiple lots — useful when assessing a consolidated development opportunity. Click "multi-select."
Then start clicking parcels on the map. Multiple will become selected.
The selected properties will show in the app screen to review.
Click "remove" next to a selected parcel to remove it from the selection
Or, click a selected parcel on the map to unselect it
Click "clear selection" to remove all selected
Once your selection is finalized, click "Create amalgamated site"
Now you can review details and generate reports for the amalgamated site:
Exploring your selection:
Click "Details" to see more data about the site or amalgamated site:
A detail page appears with property details, planning instruments, zoning requirements, setbacks, map facts, heritage, and more. Click "Hide Details" to return to the main screen.
Step 4 — Choose a Report type
With your site selected, you'll see two options for the two approval pathways in NSW
CDC is typically used for smaller, simpler projects that meet a pre-set list of standardised rules. If your project complies with those rules, approval is essentially automatic — you don't go through council.
Rapid Planning Report (DA) is the more common pathway for larger or more complex projects, where a council (or the state) assesses your application against the full suite of planning rules.
Prop Code handles both pathways, but they work differently under the hood — the CDC tool has every complying development rule individually hardcoded, whereas the DA pathway (the Rapid Planning Report) uses AI to work through the much larger volume of LEP, SEP, and DCP rules.
Rapid Planning Reports
In the Rapid Planning Report tab, you have 3 options:
Development Options Report
Use this when: you haven't yet decided on a use and want to understand everything the zoning allows.
This report surveys all permissible uses under the applicable zone, considers any clauses that expand or restrict permissibility, and gives you indicative yields for different development scenarios — for example, it might flag that a boarding house is permissible and estimate roughly how many rooms you could achieve.
A good starting point if you're assessing a site for the first time or want to compare use cases.
Specific Use Report
Use this when: you already know the use you're targeting and want the full detail.
This report digs into the planning rules for a single nominated use. Select from any of the 195 uses defined in the NSW planning system — or describe your project in plain language and Prop Code will suggest the matching use terms.
Select the use type from the list, or search for/describe a type to get a suggestion from PropCode.
Then, wait while the report generates. This usually takes about 5 minutes.
The report covers:
Permissibility — is the use allowed in this zone, including any clauses that add or restrict it?
Lot requirements — minimum lot size, width, depth
Height — height of buildings map, any bonus provisions (e.g. affordable housing incentives)
Floor space ratio — the applicable FSR, including any zone- or precinct-specific clauses that override the standard map value
Setbacks — front, rear, side, secondary road, basement extent
Parking — spaces required by use type (resident, visitor, bicycle, etc.), corner lot or precinct variations, distance-to-transit thresholds, and basement design requirements
Overlays and constraints — bushfire prone land, flood risk, heritage, and other applicable overlays
DCP rules — landscaping, deep soil, site coverage, and other local controls
Every finding includes citations linking directly to the relevant clause in the LEP, SEP, or DCP, so you can verify the source and see exactly why the answer is what it is.
Note: Prop Code reads and updates all applicable LEPs, SEPs, and DCPs. It also performs its own spatial calculations for terms that are defined but not mapped in the planning portal — such as accessible area (distance to transit stops) and low and mid-rise policy zones.
Load an Envelope from the Specific Use Report
Once your Specific Use Report is complete, scroll to the setback section and click Load Envelope on the pathway type you wish to pursue.
You'll be prompted to enter a floor-to-floor height.
Giraffe will then generate a 3D envelope on the map representing the maximum buildable volume within the applicable boundary setbacks.
The envelope captures front, rear, side, and secondary road setbacks derived from the report. It does not currently account for all building separation requirements (which relate to neighbouring buildings rather than lot boundaries), so check the building separation rules in your report separately when refining the design.
Subdivision Report
Use this when: you're assessing a larger lot for estate or lot subdivision rather than a single building.
This report checks subdivision permissibility, minimum lot sizes, frontage requirements, and the relevant DCP precinct rules that apply to the site.
Reports take approximately five minutes to generate and run in real time — you can watch the sections fill in as they complete.
CDC Report
If you see "Access required" instead of report options, you need to finalize your subscription with PropCode. Click "Get access" to purchase.
You can unlock properties for PropCode either by: 1) spending PropCode plan or pack credits directly in Giraffe; OR 2) purchasing single properties through the PropCode website.
Exporting
Planning report: Export a PDF version of any Prop Code report from the Prop Code website (open the report and click Download).
Massing and envelope: Export from the File menu (top left in Giraffe) in CAD, GIS, or other formats. 2D export is fully supported; 3D availability depends on the selected format.
Feasibility: Export the cash flow and analytics to Excel for further modelling.
History
The Prop Code panel inside Giraffe shows a history of all reports you've previously run, whether they were generated inside Giraffe or directly on the Prop Code website. The two accounts sync both ways — so:
Reports generated in Giraffe appear in your Prop Code account
Reports generated in Prop Code appear in your Giraffe history
Click History in the top bar of the PropCode app to access your past reports:
A note on coverage
Prop Code currently covers New South Wales, Australia only. Victoria, AU is in progress and expected soon; other AU states are planned for later in 2025. If you're based in another state, contact Giraffe to be added to the waitlist.
For US-based users, Giraffe integrates with Regrid for parcel and zoning data.
For Prop Code-specific questions, visit propcode.com.au to book a demo with the Prop Code team.