Every new second home in Queensland needs two approvals, and some need three. A building approval, from a building certifier, is always required: it checks the home against the National Construction Code and the Queensland Development Code, and the certifier inspects it and signs it off. A plumbing permit, from council, is always required too, because connecting a new dwelling is permit work. A planning approval, also called a development approval or DA, is the third, and it is needed only when the council's scheme makes the home assessable: over the size cap, under the minimum lot, in the wrong zone, or inside an overlay that asks for it. The Planning Act 2016 calls the first case accepted development and the second assessable development.
The three approvals
| Approval | Who issues it | When it is needed | What it checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building approval (BA) | A building certifier, private or council, licensed by the QBCC | Always, for every new secondary dwelling and for any structure converted into one | Structure, fire, energy, siting, the engineering, the BAL and flood levels. Inspections at set stages and a final certificate |
| Plumbing permit | Council | Always. A new dwelling's plumbing and drainage is permit work | The drainage design, the connection to sewer or an on-site system, inspections at set stages, a compliance permit at the end |
| Planning approval (DA) | Council as assessment manager | Only when the planning scheme makes the home assessable | The scheme's codes: size, siting, character, flood, bushfire, parking, and anything the overlay asks for |
Accepted or assessable: the Planning Act test
Section 44 of the Planning Act 2016 sets three categories of development: prohibited, assessable and accepted. Accepted development needs no development approval. Assessable development does, and section 45 splits that into code assessment, against the scheme's codes only, and impact assessment, which also weighs public submissions and anything else relevant. A council's planning scheme is the instrument that puts a secondary dwelling into one of those boxes, and in South East Queensland the usual position is this: inside the cap, the lot rules and the setbacks, and outside any overlay that says otherwise, a secondary dwelling is accepted development. The certifier still has to be satisfied it meets the code, and will ask for a planning check before issuing the BA.
Push one rule and it becomes code assessable: a 90 m² home where the cap is 80, a home 25 m from the house where the rule says 20, a lot under the minimum. Most of those applications are decided by council officers against the code, without public notification.
The order, in practice
- Check the block: zone, lot, cap, overlays. This is the step that tells you whether a DA is in play.
- If a DA is needed, lodge it first. A certifier cannot issue the building approval until the planning approval is in place and its conditions are known.
- Engage the certifier, with the maker's plans, the engineering, the soil test and the energy report. The certifier issues the BA.
- The plumber lodges the plumbing permit with council on the state's Form 1. Council inspects the drainage before it is covered.
- Build, with the certifier's inspections at footings and frame, then the final certificate.
Who the certifier is, and what the energy and bushfire rules ask, is set out in granny flat rules in Queensland, explained. What each approval costs is on the next page.
See it for your block
Questions people ask next
Do I always need council approval for a granny flat in Queensland?
No. Every new secondary dwelling needs a building approval from a certifier and a plumbing permit from council. A planning approval from council is only needed when the planning scheme makes the home assessable: over the cap, under the minimum lot, outside a housing zone, or inside an overlay that asks for one.
Who issues a building approval?
A building certifier licensed by the QBCC, either a private certifier or one employed by council. The owner or the builder engages them. They assess the plans, inspect at set stages and issue the final certificate.
What is the difference between code assessment and impact assessment?
Under section 45 of the Planning Act 2016, code assessment is carried out against the planning scheme's codes only. Impact assessment also considers public submissions and any other relevant matter. Most secondary dwelling applications that are needed at all are code assessable.
- Planning Act 2016, sections 44 and 45 (categories of development and assessment), read 16 October 2026
- Queensland Government, secondary dwellings (building approval always required, council for development approval), read 16 October 2026
- QBCC, building approvals and certification (what a certifier does), read 16 October 2026
- QBCC, regulated plumbing work requirements (permit work), read October 2026
- Business Queensland, supporting documents for plumbing and drainage permit applications (Form 1), read October 2026