The Queensland Housing Code, and whether my council has adopted it

The Queensland Housing Code is a state-wide set of design and siting rules for detached houses and secondary dwellings: building height, setbacks, privacy, car parking, site cover and private open space. It replaces two parts of the Queensland Development Code, MP 1.1 and MP 1.2, that had not changed since 2010. It does not switch on by itself. The transition period runs from 1 September 2026 to 1 September 2029, and during it the code applies in a council area only once that council amends its planning scheme to say how. Until then the old parts, or the council's own siting rules, keep applying. As at the date on this page none of the twelve South East Queensland councils' secondary dwelling rules on this site had changed to adopt it.

What the code covers, and what it does not

The code is about siting, the way a home sits on its lot: how tall, how far from each boundary, how much of the lot it may cover, how it protects a neighbour's privacy, where the car goes, how much open space is left. It applies to a single house, a house with a secondary dwelling, and their sheds and garages. It is a building assessment provision, so a certifier applies it at building approval.

It does not set the council's size cap for a secondary dwelling, the minimum lot, or the overlays. Those stay in the planning scheme. The questions on this site that turn on the cap and the lot are unchanged by it.

The dates

• 3 August 2026. The code and the updated Modern Homes Standards were released.
• 14 August 2026. The Modern Homes Standards changes started, including a 5 star energy rating for homes under 50 m² instead of 7, and 6 stars for a raised floor home. These apply now and are a separate change from the code.
• 1 September 2026. The three year transition period began. A council can adopt the code from this date by amending its planning scheme.
• 1 September 2029. The transition period ends.

Which councils have adopted it

None of the twelve South East Queensland councils on this site had adopted the code when their secondary dwelling rules were last re-read on 15 October 2026. Each council page shows the rule in force and the document it came from, and will change the day a council amends its scheme. Brisbane has said it is reviewing its own package of small-housing changes, Major amendment package L, against the code before setting a date for it.

Until a council adopts the code, its siting rules for a second home come from one of two places: the Queensland Development Code parts 1.1 and 1.2, or the alternative siting provisions written into the council's own scheme. Most councils have the second. That is the patchwork the code is meant to replace.

What this means for a block owner now

Design to the council's current rule, not the code. The council page for the block has the setbacks and the gap to the main house as they stand. If an application is going in during 2027 or 2028, ask the certifier whether the council has adopted the code since, because a scheme amendment can change the setbacks between a quote and a lodgement.

See it for your block

• Council rules, with the source and date
• Check your block
• Is a second home allowed on my block?

Questions people ask next