Brisbane & SEQ Building Approvals
Yes, a secondary dwelling always needs building approval, but in many cases it can be approved as accepted development without a full development application. This guide explains the size limits, setbacks, the 2022 rental change, and what your certifier needs.
Key answer: a granny flat always needs building approval through a private certifier. Meet your council’s size and siting rules and you usually avoid a separate development application. The rules differ by council.
In everyday language it’s a granny flat. In the planning system it’s a secondary dwelling, a self contained second home on the same lot as your main house, with its own kitchen, bathroom and living space. That distinction matters, because the rules that govern it are written under the “secondary dwelling” heading in Brisbane City Plan 2014.
A secondary dwelling is always a building, so it always needs a building approval before construction. The question that decides how involved the process is: can it be approved as accepted development, or does it need a development application?
Under Brisbane City Plan 2014, a secondary dwelling can usually be approved as accepted development when it meets the key parameters:
A larger secondary dwelling, up to roughly 90m², can still be possible, but it generally requires a development application to council rather than the simpler accepted development pathway. Only one secondary dwelling is allowed per lot.
This is the change that has made granny flats far more attractive. Since September 2022, the Queensland Government amended the Planning Regulation so a secondary dwelling can be rented to anyone, and it no longer has to be occupied by a member of the household.
For many Brisbane homeowners that turns a granny flat from a space for family into a genuine source of rental income on land they already own. The building still has to be approved and built to code, but the old occupancy restriction is gone.
As with a carport or deck, the building approval is issued by a private building certifier licensed by the QBCC. The certifier assesses the drawings against the Building Code of Australia and the relevant standards and issues the approval.
Where a secondary dwelling exceeds the accepted development parameters, for example too large, too far from the main house, or triggering an overlay, a development application to Brisbane City Council is also required before the certifier can issue building approval. Our guide on private certifiers vs council explains how the two roles split.
Because a secondary dwelling is a full habitable building, the drawing set is more involved than a carport or deck. A typical approval set includes:
Structural engineering, a site survey, hydraulic/stormwater design and council or DA fees sit outside the drawing set and are arranged or paid separately as your project requires.
Plan Draft provides fixed price granny flat plans for Brisbane homeowners, the complete drawing set your certifier needs, at $4,990 for a standard secondary dwelling on a standard residential lot. Typical turnaround is 15–20 business days from receipt of site information.
Before any work begins we check your block against the City Plan parameters and confirm whether your project fits the accepted development pathway or needs a development application, so there are no surprises. View the full granny flat plans service or send us your project details.
A secondary dwelling always needs a building approval. Under Brisbane City Plan 2014 it can often be approved as accepted development without a development application, provided it meets the size, setback and site coverage rules. If it exceeds those limits a development application is required.
Generally up to 80m² of habitable floor area as accepted development, within 20 metres of the main dwelling, with site coverage no more than 50%. Larger proposals, to around 90m², require a development application.
Yes. Since September 2022 a secondary dwelling in Queensland can be rented to anyone. It no longer has to be occupied by a member of the main household.
Drawing production typically takes 15–20 business days because a secondary dwelling is a full habitable building. Certifier assessment timing depends on whether a development application is also needed.
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$4,990 fixed price. Send us your project details and we’ll confirm suitability within one business day, with no commitment required.