Besides legislation, one document that stands out as the most influential in the regulating and control of our State's built environment is the Development Control Standards (commonly known as the "DCS"). The DCS provides a convenient guidance and checklist of the regulations relating to the processing of applications for sub-division, change of use of land or buildings. It is defined as "being standards (mainly space standards) controlling building lines, building size, and road reserves for different building types throughout Sarawak."

    Originally it was formulated in 1968, as one of the rules and standards that supports the The Land (Control of Subdivision) Ordinance, 1954. The introduction of DCS is undoubtedly a watershed in the history of planning in Sarawak. Although it is essentially a planning guideline for development control, the DCS covers important aspects which have never before been comprehensively addressed in the other statutes. It eases the administration of the planning machinery to a great extent and spells out in clear and logical terms the minimum planning standards as well as the planning rationales behind these standards.

    It has undergone some amendments as policy of the planning authority changes, sometimes to reflect prevailing conditions and various stages of the State's development. A first and major effort in revising and updating the DCS was made in 1993 by a working teams of senior planners in the Land and Survey Department. The standards were updated and incorporated some necessary changes, as well as included some new planning standards not in the original version. Although its publication was delayed, the unpublished final draft was copied and widely used; the revised or amended content in the document were closely followed both by the public and the authority.

    With the amendments to the Land Code in November, 1997, and the establishment of the State Planning Authority (SPA) on 1st August, 1998, the DCS is again recognized as "one of the most important tools used in development control works". It was reviewed and further updated by the Ministry of Planning and Resource Planning (MPRM) then, who is the Secretariat of the SPA - and published as the "Development Control Standards Manual (1998)". In addition, the Ministry also produces the "State Planning Authority Manual" which is intended "firstly, to explain the planning objectives and principles upon which development will be carried out. Secondly, it provides the procedures for development control and streamlines the overall development and subdivision process. Thirdly, it outlines a plan making process."

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