These are development applications which must be determined by a Development Assessment Panel (DAP) and cannot be determined by a local government or the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC). Mandatory applications must meet the following value thresholds:

These are development applications where the applicant may choose to have the application determined by a Development Assessment Panel (DAP), or by the local government or Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) under the normal process. In order to be considered an "opt-in" application, the application must fit within the following value thresholds:

The WAPC and local governments may choose to delegate their decision-making authority for applications which fit the optional ‘opt in’ criteria for Development Assessment Panel (DAP) applications to a DAP. Therefore a DAP will also determine applications of a type upon which either of these bodies have chosen to delegate their authority.

Either of these bodies may take advantage of this option by following the process of formally delegating their authority to a DAP.

To achieve this, a written instrument outlining the terms and the extent to which that body's authority is transferred to the DAP, must be prepared to the CEO of the Department. Also, in the case of a local government, an absolute majority of the local government's council must support the decision to delegate that body's authority, before such delegation can occur.

 The local government will be required to pay the associated DAP Application fee in accordance with Development Assessment Panel (DAP) regulations, Schedule 1 – Fees for applications

A DAP which is authorised by either the local government or the WAPC to decide delegated applications cannot then hand over that authority to another organisation.

The DAP will be responsible for deciding such applications and must treat them in the same way as any other DAP application.

Under Development Assessment Panel (DAP) regulations, development applications relating to the following classes of development are "excluded development applications".  These applications will not be able to be determined by a DAP:

• construction of a single house
• construction of less than 10 grouped dwellings or multiple dwellings
• construction of carports, shade sails, outbuildings or sheds
• development in an improvement scheme area
• development by a local government or the WAPC.

All Development Assessment Panel applications will still be lodged with the local government and assessed by the local government and/or the WAPC. Following assessment, a report from the responsible authority will be forwarded to DAP members, via the DAP secretariat, with recommendations for consideration when determining the application at a DAP meeting.