Do you need council approval for a granny flat in Queensland?
Last updated: 2 September 2026
Yes. Every secondary dwelling in Queensland needs building approval, which you obtain either through a private certifier or through your council. Building approval is a separate process from planning approval. If your proposal complies with your council's planning scheme, it can often use the "accepted development" pathway, which means you avoid lodging a separate development application, but you still need building approval. There is no single statewide floor area cap, so the size and siting rules come from your local council's planning scheme. Stated as at September 2026.
Please read this before you act on anything below. Planning rules change, and they vary by council, by zone and by individual site. Nothing on this page is legal or planning advice. Confirm your specific case with your council or a private certifier before you commit money to a project.
The two approvals people confuse
- Planning approval concerns land use: whether a secondary dwelling is allowed on that lot, how big it can be, where it can sit and how it is parked. This comes from your council's planning scheme.
- Building approval concerns the structure itself against the National Construction Code: fire separation, structural adequacy, wind rating, plumbing and drainage. A private certifier or the council issues it. Every secondary dwelling needs it, including compliant ones that skip a development application.
You can rent a Queensland granny flat to non-family
This is the single most commonly misunderstood point about Queensland secondary dwellings, so it gets its own heading.
Since late 2022, Queensland has permitted secondary dwellings to be rented to people who are not family members of the household in the primary dwelling, provided the dwelling is compliant. Before that change, many councils' provisions effectively limited occupation to household members, which is where the old "you can only house family" belief comes from. That belief is out of date.
Two qualifications matter. First, "compliant" is doing real work in that sentence: the dwelling has to meet the applicable planning scheme provisions and hold building approval. Second, short-stay letting such as Airbnb is treated differently from a residential tenancy and may require a separate material change of use approval. If short-stay is your plan, raise it with the council early rather than after delivery.
Brisbane City Council
The following are Brisbane City Council planning scheme provisions for secondary dwellings, as at September 2026.
| Requirement | Provision |
|---|---|
| Maximum gross floor area | 80 m² in metropolitan Brisbane, up to 100 m² in some rural areas |
| Excluded from gross floor area | Patios, carports and covered outdoor space |
| Rear boundary setback | Typically around 3 m |
| Side boundary setback | Typically around 1.5 m |
| Separation from existing structures | Roughly 1.8 m, for fire safety |
| Distance from the primary dwelling | Within 20 m, to remain classified as a secondary dwelling |
| Car parking | One dedicated off-street space, in addition to the main dwelling's |
| Approval pathway if compliant | Accepted development: no separate development application, but building approval from a private certifier is still required |
The excluded-area rule is worth planning around. Because covered outdoor space does not count towards the 80 m², a design that puts living area under a veranda rather than inside the walls can deliver a more generous result within the same cap.
Logan City Council
Logan City Council caps secondary dwellings at 70 m² gross floor area in residential zones, and 100 m² in other zones (source: Logan City Council planning scheme, as at September 2026). If you are comparing a Logan site with a Brisbane site, that 10 m² difference in the residential case can decide the model you choose.
Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and other councils
These councils set their own secondary dwelling provisions, and we are not going to publish figures for them that we cannot attribute to a current source. Size caps, setbacks and parking requirements differ from Brisbane's. Go to the source:
- City of Gold Coast City Plan
- Sunshine Coast Council planning scheme
- Brisbane City Plan 2014
- Logan Planning Scheme
How long it takes
- Code assessable: the statutory assessment timeframe is 35 business days, with no public notification.
- Impact assessable: add at least 15 business days of public notification on top.
- Accepted development: no development application at all, so the timeline is set by the private certifier's building approval instead.
An information request from the assessment manager pauses the statutory clock, which is why real world timeframes usually exceed the statutory ones. The single biggest saving available to you is designing to comply from the start so the project lands in the accepted development pathway.
A practical order of operations
- Check your lot's zone and the secondary dwelling provisions in your council's planning scheme.
- Test the size cap against the floor area you actually need, remembering that covered outdoor space may be excluded in Brisbane.
- Plot setbacks, the 20 m separation from the primary dwelling and the extra car space on a site sketch.
- Confirm truck and crane access, because a design that cannot be delivered is not a design.
- Engage a private certifier for building approval, and lodge a development application only if the design cannot be made compliant.
- Sort service connections: water, sewer or on-site treatment, stormwater and power.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need council approval for a granny flat in Queensland?
Yes. Building approval is always required, through a private certifier or the council, and it is separate from planning approval. Compliant proposals may avoid a separate development application via the accepted development pathway.
How big can a granny flat be in Brisbane?
Up to 80 m² gross floor area in metropolitan Brisbane, and up to 100 m² in some rural areas, with patios, carports and covered outdoor space excluded (source: Brisbane City Council planning scheme, as at September 2026).
Can you rent a granny flat to someone who is not family in Queensland?
Yes, since late 2022, where the dwelling is compliant. Short-stay letting such as Airbnb may require a separate material change of use approval.
What setbacks apply in Brisbane?
Typically around 3 m from the rear boundary and 1.5 m from side boundaries, with roughly 1.8 m separation from existing structures for fire safety, and the dwelling within 20 m of the primary dwelling (source: Brisbane City Council planning scheme, as at September 2026).
How big can a granny flat be in Logan?
70 m² gross floor area in residential zones and 100 m² in other zones (source: Logan City Council planning scheme, as at September 2026).
How long does approval take?
Code assessable projects have a 35 business day statutory assessment timeframe with no public notification. Impact assessable projects add at least 15 business days of notification.
Is there a statewide floor area limit?
No. The council's planning scheme governs, which is why Brisbane and Logan differ.
Do Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast follow Brisbane's numbers?
No. Each council has its own provisions. Check those planning schemes directly, linked above.
Talk it through before you design
Roomi builds Class 1a transportable buildings in Salisbury, Brisbane, and its project managers work through council approvals, delivery and installation with you. Tell us your council and lot size and we will start there.