Scenic Rim covers Beaudesert, Boonah, Kalbar and Canungra, Tamborine Mountain, Rathdowney, Aratula and a lot of rural land in between. Most granny flats here go on acreage or town lots in Beaudesert, Boonah and on the mountain. The rules sit in the Scenic Rim Planning Scheme 2020, current version dated 30 June 2023.
The rules are simple on paper: one size cap for every lot, a short distance from the house, and shared services. What decides most Scenic Rim jobs is the zone, the road access and the overlays.
| Rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| Maximum size | 60 m² GFA on any lot size |
| Distance from the house | Within 20 m of the outermost projection of the main house |
| Services | Connected to the same water and electricity supply as the house |
| Street setback | 6 m in the residential, Township and Minor tourism zones; 10 m in Rural, Rural residential and Limited development |
| Side and rear setbacks | 1.5 m up to 4.5 m high in the residential and Township zones; 3 m in Rural residential and Limited development; 6 m in the Rural zone, 3 m on rural lots of 1 hectare or less |
| Height | 2 storeys and 8.5 m |
| Parking | One off-street space on top of the house's |
| Road access | The lot has to be accessed from a constructed road |
| Approval | Accepted subject to requirements in most residential, rural and township zones if it meets the code: building and plumbing approval only |
When you need a planning application
Council's fact sheet lists where a granny flat is accepted subject to requirements, so long as it meets every acceptable outcome of the Dwelling House Code: the Low density and Low-medium density residential zones, Township, Minor tourism, Rural residential, Emerging community and Rural zones, in most cases only with access from a constructed road. In the Limited development zone's Historical subdivision precinct the lot has to be at least 2 hectares, or 4,000 m² at Harrisville. Miss one acceptable outcome, such as 61 m² or 25 m from the house, and a code assessable application goes to council, assessed only against the rules it doesn't meet. An overlay can also lift it from accepted to assessable development.
Infrastructure charges
Scenic Rim does charge, at half rate. Under Charges Resolution Version 16, in effect from 27 August 2025, council's adopted charge is $6,548.35 for a secondary dwelling with two bedrooms or fewer and $18,335.35 for three or more. The 50% discount is built into those figures and applies only to two bedrooms or fewer. Urban Utilities charges for water and sewer separately, under its own Water Netserve Plan, so ask it too before budgeting.
Overlays to watch
The planning scheme has overlays with their own codes for agricultural land, airport environs and defence land, bushfire hazard, environmental significance, extractive resources, flood hazard, landslide hazard and steep slope, local heritage, regional infrastructure, water resource catchments and master plan areas. Flood, bushfire and landslide are the ones that most often change a granny flat job: the flood mapping includes local studies for Canungra and Veresdale. If any part of the work, including access and parking, sits inside the coloured overlay area, the overlay applies. There is no scenic amenity overlay in this scheme. Koala habitat across South East Queensland is mapped by the state, and clearing it is regulated under the Planning Regulation 2017.
Coming
Major Amendment 8, the first phase of the Scenic Rim Growth Management Strategy, was sent to the state for review in January 2025 and hasn't taken effect. Until it does, the 30 June 2023 version applies.
Rules that apply across Queensland
- You can rent a granny flat to anyone, not only family. The state removed the family-only test in September 2022. It still has to be secondary to the main house and can't be sold separately.
- You always need a building approval from a licensed certifier, and a plumbing approval from council.
- Queensland's new Housing Code started on 1 September 2026 with new setbacks. Each council keeps its current rules until it adopts the new code, by 1 September 2029 at the latest.
- As at October 2026, Scenic Rim has not adopted the Queensland Housing Code. Checked October 2026 against the state's Housing Code page and council's planning scheme page, where the current version is still the one dated 30 June 2023.
What to check on a block
The zone and precinct, whether the road is constructed, whether the home fits 60 m² within 20 m of the house, every overlay, where the Urban Utilities mains run or whether the lot is unsewered, the slope, and whether a truck and crane can get in.
Getting a granny flat in on a Scenic Rim block
Water and sewer: Urban Utilities
The Queensland Government lists Urban Utilities as the water and sewerage provider for Scenic Rim, alongside Brisbane, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley and Somerset. Council's code is plain about services: the granny flat connects to the same water and electricity supply as the house. The Queensland Government has said an owner isn't prevented from separating the utility connections, and the provider may charge to do it, so a separate meter is a question for Urban Utilities and Energex.
If a sewer or water main runs through the yard, Urban Utilities needs no referral when every footing load sits at least 300 mm below the pipe and the building ends up at least 3 m clear of its centreline. Closer than that, the certifier lodges a Build Over Asset referral with structural drawings and the engineer's Form 15.
Rural and acreage lots
Much of Scenic Rim has no town sewer or water. Where the sewer isn't available, the granny flat can dispose of its wastewater by connecting to the house's on-site system, which then has to be sized for both. Where there's no town water, the dwelling house needs on-site storage of at least 45,000 litres. The 20 m rule matters most on acreage: the granny flat can't go down the paddock, it has to sit near the house. Rural setbacks of 10 m to the road and 6 m to the side and rear on lots over a hectare rarely bite on a large lot, but on a narrow rural lot they can.
Crane access in Scenic Rim
The truck route usually matters more than the crane. Tamborine Mountain is reached by steep, winding roads, and many lots there and around Canungra are sloping and treed. Out past Boonah and Rathdowney, long gravel driveways, causeways and soft ground after rain can mean a smaller truck, a longer crane reach or a wait for dry weather. Town lots in Beaudesert and Boonah are closer to suburban: power along the verge and a crane reaching over the house. A site visit before booking is standard.
What an install costs in Scenic Rim
Most installs run $59,000 to $140,000 inc GST, on top of the price of the home. In Scenic Rim, budget separately for council's infrastructure charge and any Urban Utilities charge. Costs climb with distance from the factory, long rural access, a sloping lot on the mountain, a flood level, and an unsewered lot where the house's wastewater system has to be upgraded to take the granny flat. A flat town lot with sewer close by lands at the lower end.
Questions about granny flats in Scenic Rim
How big can a granny flat be in Scenic Rim?
60 m² GFA, on any size lot, to stay accepted development. Bigger means a code assessable application to council.
How far from the house can it go?
Within 20 m of the outermost projection of the main house. Further away needs a planning application.
Does Scenic Rim charge infrastructure charges on a granny flat?
Yes. Council's adopted charge is $6,548.35 for two bedrooms or fewer and $18,335.35 for three or more, under the resolution in effect from 27 August 2025. Urban Utilities charges separately for water and sewer.
Can the granny flat have its own water meter?
Council's code has it connected to the same water and electricity supply as the house. Separating connections is a question for Urban Utilities and Energex, and a connection charge may apply.
My lot has no sewer. Can I still build one?
Yes, if the granny flat's wastewater can go to the house's on-site system. That system has to handle both, so it often needs an upgrade.
Do I need council approval?
Usually not, in the residential, township and most rural zones with a constructed road, when the design meets every acceptable outcome of the Dwelling House Code. Building approval from a private certifier and plumbing approval are still required. An overlay can change that.
Read next
- Queensland granny flat rules, explained
- Owner builder or licensed builder on a modular home
- Renting out a granny flat
- What a granny flat costs in SEQ
- Free block check
- Granny flats in Logan
- Granny flats in Ipswich
- Granny flats in Gold Coast
Homes that fit a typical lot in Scenic Rim
60 m² GFA within 20 m of the main house, on any lot size. On a typical 600 m² lot that means up to 60 m². These are the lowest installed prices among the 140 homes from 25 m² to that size on the site, on an easy block, with homes the maker says are Class 1a first.
See all homes up to 60 m² Check your own block
Rule from Scenic Rim's planning rules, checked October 2026. Installed prices are estimates on an easy block, inc GST. Your block decides the real number.
- Scenic Rim, Dwelling Houses and Secondary Dwellings fact sheet (June 2023)
- Scenic Rim, Overlays fact sheet (June 2023)
- Scenic Rim Planning Scheme 2020, amendments and ePlan
- Scenic Rim, Charges Resolution Version No. 16 (27 August 2025)
- Scenic Rim, infrastructure charges
- Urban Utilities, build or construct over or near pipes or easements
- Queensland Parliament, Question on Notice 1574 (2023), secondary dwelling utilities and charges
- Queensland Government, secondary dwelling changes
- Queensland Government, Queensland Housing Code
- Ministerial statement, Queensland Housing Code
- Business Queensland, SEQ water and sewerage service providers
- Queensland legislation, Planning Regulation 2017 (koala habitat in SEQ)