What can I build without council approval in Queensland?

In Queensland you can build some small work without building approval, within the limits the state sets: a small garden shed, a low fence and a low retaining wall kept away from buildings and loads are the usual examples. Most other building work needs building approval from a certifier before it starts, and the council’s planning scheme can ask for its own approval on top.

Who approves building work in Queensland?

A building certifier, usually a private one you engage, gives the building approval. The council does not issue it, but it still has a say: it decides any request to build closer to a boundary than the state’s siting rules allow, and any planning approval the zone or an overlay asks for. The post on council approval explains how the two fit together.

What is usually exempt?

• a small garden shed under the size and height limits the state sets
• a fence below the height limit, unless it is a pool barrier
• a low retaining wall with no load above it and kept clear of buildings
• some small shade structures and minor repairs

Each of these may be exempt only while it stays inside every limit the state sets. Go past one, even slightly, and the work needs approval. The post on shed size and the post on retaining wall height go into the detail.

What always needs approval?

A roofed patio, carport or larger shed, a deck high off the ground, a swimming pool and its barrier, a granny flat and any extension to the house. The post on patio approval in Queensland covers the most common case.

Does exempt mean anything goes?

No. Work that is exempt from building approval still has to be built safely, and the planning scheme can still catch it. A heritage or character overlay can ask for a planning approval for a fence or shed, an easement or sewer main still limits where it sits, and a flood overlay can still set its floor. Check the overlays before you build, even when the work is small.

Reading it for your own lot

RapidSiteplan reads the council and building rules for your lot from its address, checks the design against them as you place it, lets you edit it as often as you like, and prints the site plan. Site plans and assessments in minutes. Place the structure and the plan shows the overlays on the lot and whether it keeps to the siting rules, so you know whether a certifier or the council needs to see it.

Search your address, see what the plan shows for a shed, patio or carport, or open a council page such as Brisbane or Gold Coast. Site plans across Queensland lists every council, and site plans by council covers the rest of Australia.

Common questions

What can I build without council approval in Queensland? Small work within the limits the state sets, such as a small garden shed, a low fence or a low retaining wall kept away from buildings. Anything larger, or anything an overlay or the planning scheme catches, needs approval first.

Can I build without approval in Queensland if the work is small? Sometimes. The state lists the small building work that may be exempt from building approval, and each item has size and height limits. The council’s planning scheme can still ask for a planning approval on top.

Is a patio exempt in Queensland? A roofed patio or carport usually needs building approval from a certifier. Where it sits closer to a boundary than the siting rules allow, the council decides the siting first.

General information only, not building or legal advice, requirements vary by council and change over time; always confirm with your council or certifier.