Using City Plan

Brisbane City Plan 2014 (City Plan) has been developed by Brisbane City Council in consultation with the community to support a simple, fast and clear development assessment process. The plan guides how land in Brisbane can be used and developed to support economic growth, while protecting our city's enviable way of life.

The information on this page will help you understand how City Plan can assist you to plan your development.

How does City Plan work?

City Plan contains requirements that apply to certain types of development within Brisbane. Council uses City Plan to determine whether a development application is required and as a set of rules to assess whether your development is approved to proceed.

There are four types of development.

  1. Material change of use – for example changing the use of a property such as a house to a multiple dwelling.
  2. Reconfiguring a lot – for example making larger or smaller lots by amalgamating or subdividing.
  3. Building work – for example building, repairing, altering or moving a structure.
  4. Operational work – for example filling and excavating.

What tools are available to help with my development application?

View and easily navigate City Plan in City Plan online. This tool makes it easy for you to see what requirements may affect your development and what mapping applies to your property.

City Plan online - mapping 

City Plan online includes a mapping tool that allows you to view your property on a map to see the zone, zone precinct, overlays and neighbourhood plans that apply to your site. It can also generate a property report that will help you to identify the rules that apply to your development and the criteria Council will use to assess your application. City Plan online operates best in Chrome.

How to find a property

  1. Access City Plan online mapping.
  2. To search, you can either:
    1. Enter the property address in the search bar (as per the example in grey text in the search bar); or
    2. Enter lot and plan, street or suburb on the right hand side of the search bar
  3. The information you enter should be in the format as suggested for each search type. The results should start to appear as you enter the information.
  4. Click on the correct result to action the search.

The property will appear in the middle of the screen, with boundaries identified by a red dashed outline.

Left hand pane

You can find details of the property in the left hand pane. You can choose to view a:

  • Property Lot report - shows details of the lot
  • Property holding report - shows the holding details. Holdings can sometimes include more than one lot (e.g. two lots on one title or rates notice).

You can also click on the Zones, Neighbourhood Plans and Overlays information, which will take you to the relevant part of the City Plan text that applies to your property.

Right hand pane

In the right hand pane, various mapping layers can be selected and deselected as required. From this pane, you can also:

  • change the base layer (i.e. the aerial view) that the mapping is presented on
  • view the legend
  • create a mark-up on the map using the drawing and text tools and print the results
  • use the measurement tools
  • show sun angles
  • change the transparency of various mapping layers
  • access City Plan online 'help'.

How to generate a property report

  1. Find a property (see above).
  2. In the left hand pane, click either the 'View Property Lot report (PDF)' or 'View Property Holding report (PDF)'.
  3. This will generate a PDF that shows the summary details of the property, including what City Plan mapping layers are relevant.
  4. Print or save the PDF.

City Plan online - planning scheme (requirements)

Once you have your property report from the mapping tool, you can read more about development requirements by viewing the planning scheme. You can access the planning scheme via the property results in the left hand pane or by returning to the 'hamburger menu' (three horizontal blue lines) and selecting 'View the planning scheme'. City Plan online includes City Plan divided into sections so you can quickly and easily find the planning information that relates to your development. 

How do I know if I need to submit a development application?

Depending on the type of development you are proposing, and the location and characteristics of the site, you may need to submit a development application to Council.

A City Plan online property enquiry can help you determine if the proposal requires Council approval. You can phone Council on (07) 3403 8888 during business hours and ask to speak to a town planner, to assist you in determining if your proposal requires a development application to be submitted.

While Council aims to assist you through the process, you may wish to engage a consultant, town planner, surveyor or other appropriately qualified professional for help with your building or development project.

This table provides information about how to know if you need to submit a development application and what category it sits under including exempt, self-assessable, code assessable and impact assessable.

Accepted development

The proposed development does not need assessment against Brisbane City Plan 2014.

Accepted development, subject to requirements

For certain common development types you may not need to lodge a development assessment application (i.e it may be accepted development, subject to requirements). To check whether or not your application is accepted development, subject to requirements (self-assessable) or requires a development assessment application, Council recommends you engage with an appropriately qualified professional.

Code assessable

You need to apply to Council and we will assess your application against the relevant codes in Brisbane City Plan 2014. This application will not require public notification.

Impact assessable

You will need to apply to Council to assess your application against the relevant codes in Brisbane City Plan 2014. Depending on the type of development, the assessment can range across all provisions of City Plan. This application will need public notification (public notice on the site, public notice in the newspaper and giving notice to owners of adjoining lots).

More information

You can:

Disclaimer: The content on this page is a summary and has been prepared to assist the reader to understand City Plan. Please refer to the full City Plan document, entitled Brisbane City Plan 2014, via City Plan online for further detail.

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