Most of the time between the first call and the keys is paperwork, and the single biggest swing is whether the block needs a planning application. A building approval from a private certifier, with the plumbing permit beside it, takes about two to six weeks once the documents are complete, across every South East Queensland council, because the certifier is private and the council's part is the plumbing permit, decided within 10 business days on a standard application. A planning application takes months rather than weeks: the Planning Act runs it through confirmation, an information request, a decision and a decision notice, and the clock stops while the applicant answers. Brisbane is the exception worth knowing: its RiskSMART service decides a low-risk, decision-ready code assessable application, a new dwelling house included, within 10 business days.
The two clocks
| Approval | Who decides | Typical time in SEQ | What stretches it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building approval | A private certifier | 2 to 6 weeks once the documents are complete | Missing documents, a referral to council on siting, waiting on the engineer, who waits on the soil test and survey |
| Plumbing permit | Council | 10 business days on a standard application; councils with a fast-track declaration decide a plain sewered dwelling faster | Incomplete drawings, on-site wastewater design |
| Planning application, where needed | Council as assessment manager | Months, not weeks. Brisbane's RiskSMART: 10 business days for a decision-ready low-risk application | An information request, a referral to the state, public notification on impact assessment |
The two to six weeks for a building approval and the months for a planning application are what installers across the region see on secondary dwelling jobs; the plumbing figure and Brisbane's are the published ones.
How a planning application runs
The Planning Act 2016 and the Development Assessment Rules set the stages. The council confirms the application is properly made, may send one information request, assesses, decides and issues a decision notice. The applicant's time answering an information request is not the council's time, which is why a complete application the first time is the fastest thing an owner controls. For code assessment the Act also gives the applicant a lever: if the assessment manager has not decided within the decision period, the applicant can give a deemed approval notice, and on the day it is received the application is taken to be approved, with the council having 10 business days to issue conditions. It is rarely used on a granny flat, but it is the reason decision periods are kept.
Council by council
Where a council publishes a figure, the council page carries it. Brisbane's RiskSMART covers a new dwelling house or an extension to one that meets the dwelling house code, the small lot code, the neighbourhood plan and the character overlay codes, with fees paid and no information request needed. The other eleven councils do not publish a target for a code assessable secondary dwelling, so the honest answer is the months figure and a pre-lodgement meeting to find out what that council will ask for. Moreton Bay refers a secondary dwelling to itself as a referral agency on the building application where the lot or frontage misses its minimums, Redland does the same on size or setbacks, and that referral adds weeks inside the building approval rather than a separate application.
What an owner can do about it
- Find out on day one whether a planning application is in play. Council approval, or building approval only?
- Order the soil test and the survey first; the engineer cannot finish without them, and the certifier cannot start without the engineer.
- Give the certifier and the council complete documents once. An information request is the slowest line on this page.
- Place the home to miss the overlay where that is possible. A flood or bushfire report is weeks; a planning application because of an overlay is months.
- In Brisbane, ask whether the job is RiskSMART eligible before lodging anything.
See it for your block
Questions people ask next
How long does a granny flat building approval take in Queensland?
About two to six weeks once the documents are complete, from a private certifier, with the council plumbing permit decided within 10 business days on a standard application. The engineering, soil test and survey have to be in first.
How long does a planning application for a granny flat take?
Months rather than weeks, because the Planning Act runs it through confirmation, an information request, a decision and a decision notice, and the applicant's time answering requests is not counted. Brisbane's RiskSMART decides a low-risk, decision-ready application within 10 business days.
What is a deemed approval?
Under the Planning Act 2016, if the assessment manager has not decided a code assessable application within the decision period, the applicant can give a deemed approval notice and the application is taken to be approved on the day it is received, with 10 business days for the council to issue a decision notice with conditions.
- Planning Act 2016, section 64 (deemed approval), read 16 October 2026
- Brisbane City Council, fast-tracking development applications with RiskSMART (10 business days, new dwelling house), read 16 October 2026
- Business Queensland, supporting documents for plumbing and drainage permit applications (decision times), read October 2026
- Business Queensland, permit applications for plumbing and drainage work, read 16 October 2026
- Redland City Council, design and siting (concurrence agency referral inside the building approval), read 16 October 2026
- City of Moreton Bay, secondary dwelling information sheet (council as referral agency), read 15 October 2026
- Installer timelines on secondary dwelling jobs across South East Queensland, 2026, read 16 October 2026