Building your house
Approvals
Before you begin work on design of your new house, you need to find out what approvals are required.
Your new house design must meet building and planning regulations.
There are two types of approvals:
- Building approval (provided by a building certifier and assessed under the Building Code of Australia).
- Planning approval (provided by Brisbane City Council and assessed under the Brisbane City Plan 2000 (City Plan)).
Building approval ensures that buildings are structurally sound. Planning approval is used to make sure new houses and other structures:
- complement the existing streetscape, including character elements (where relevant); and
- do not negatively affect neighbours, or the natural environment
Most new houses require only building approval. However, depending on where you live, the design of your house, and the size of your property, you may also need planning approval under City Plan. Planning approval takes time and there are costs involved. Costs include Council application fees and the costs of getting technical reports from experts such as town planning consultants, engineers and landscape designers to support your application.
Building approval
All separate or 'detached' houses, including houses on small lots, are 'Class 1a' buildings under the Building Code of Australia. All 'Class 1a' buildings need building approval. Extensions or renovations which involve new building work are also subject to building approval.
You can arrange for building approval of your new house through a building certifer. Certifers are listed in the Yellow Pages under 'building surveyors'. You must give the certifier scaled and detailed plans prepared by a draftsperson or architect.
State building regulations contain rules about where houses can be located on a lot and how they should be designed, depending on whether your property is 450 square metres or less (a 'small lot') or over 450 square metres.
Your certifier can seek a 'relaxation' of some building requirements (for example, minimum distances from side boundaries) by making an application to Council. This is called a 'siting variation'.
To save the cost of a separate building application at a later date, you should think about including details of any sheds, garages, carports, or other structures you have in mind with your application. These are often subject to building approval if constructed separately.
Planning approval
One of City Plan's main objectives is to minimise the impacts of new development on existing streetscapes and the living environment for residents. You may need to design your new house to meet planning criteria, or to submit a planning application to Council. You may need planning approval before you get building approval, particularly if your new house is mostly surrounded by houses built before 1946.
The following factors will determine what planning criteria apply to your house, if any:
- where your property is located (that is, what is your Area classification or zoning?)
- whether or not your property is included in a Demolition Control Precinct (DCP)
- whether or not it is a small lot (as defined in City Plan)
- whether your property is affected by an overlay
If a planning application is required, this type of development may be suitable for assessment using the RiskSMART process.
More information on building a new house
To find out whether City Plan criteria apply to your new house, and what you need to do, refer to:
Other useful links
Useful links to state requirements
Queensland Development Code – siting and amenity - detached housing:
- MP 1.1 - Design and siting standard for single detached housing on lots under 450 square metres
- MP 1.2 - Design and siting standard for single detached housing on lots 450 square metres and over
