Granny Flat Rules Queensland 2026: Size Limits Council by Council
Last updated: 16 September 2026
Queensland has no single granny flat rule. How big you can build, and whether you need a development application, is set by your local council's planning scheme — and the limits vary from 45m² to 100m² depending on where you are and how big your block is. What is consistent statewide is that since September 2022 you can rent a secondary dwelling to anyone, related or not.
A new state-level standard also commenced on 1 September 2026, and it will change things over the next three years. Below is what applies now, council by council.
Quick answer
Is there one statewide size limit? No. Each council sets its own, generally between 45m² and 100m².
Do you need council approval? In most South East Queensland councils, a compliant secondary dwelling is accepted development — no planning application required.
Do you need building approval? Yes, always, via a private certifier. Accepted development means no planning application, not no approval.
Can you rent it out? Yes, statewide, since 26 September 2022.
Can it be sold separately? No. A secondary dwelling stays on the same title as the main house.
What changed in 2026? The Queensland Housing Code commenced 1 September 2026, introducing a state-level standard of 50m², or 60m² on lots of 1,000m² or larger. Council adoption is voluntary over a three-year transition.
The 2026 state-level change
This is the part almost nothing online covers properly yet.
The Queensland Housing Code commenced on 1 September 2026. It replaces parts of the Queensland Development Code and introduces a more consistent framework for design and siting standards for detached houses and secondary dwellings.
For secondary dwellings it sets an acceptable solution of 50m² internal floor area, or 60m² on lots of 1,000m² or larger.
Three things to understand about it:
It sits in the building framework, not planning. The Planning Regulation contains no statewide floor area figure for secondary dwellings. The number now exists at building level.
Adoption is voluntary. Local governments may adopt the Code across a three-year transition period beginning 1 September 2026. Seventy-seven councils each decide separately.
Until your council adopts it, your council's planning scheme governs. If your scheme currently allows 70m² or 80m², that remains the figure that applies to your design.
What this means in practice: in most of South East Queensland, what you are permitted to build today is more generous than the new state standard. If a secondary dwelling is something you have been considering, the current settings are the most favourable they are likely to be for a while.
Can you rent out a granny flat in Queensland?
Yes, to anyone. This is statewide and it is the rule most published information still gets wrong.
On 26 September 2022, an amendment to the Planning Regulation 2017 removed the restriction limiting occupancy of a secondary dwelling to members of the primary dwelling's household. Before that, a secondary dwelling generally had to house a family member. That restriction no longer exists, and it remains removed as at September 2026.
The Queensland Government maintains current guidance on secondary dwellings, and the Residential Tenancies Authority covers the tenancy relationship.
Three caveats that apply everywhere:
It stays on the same title. A secondary dwelling is subordinate to the main house. It cannot be sold off separately or strata titled.
Tenanting can trigger additional building requirements. Additional fire separation and sound transmission provisions of the building code may apply. Raise it with your certifier before you start, not after.
Older approvals may carry conditions. If yours was approved with occupancy restrictions, you may need a change application under the Planning Act 2016 before renting.
One local nuance worth knowing: Logan still runs secondary dwellings and auxiliary units as separate pathways with different parking requirements, so if you are in Logan and intend to tenant the dwelling, confirm which category applies before you design.
Council by council
Brisbane
Maximum size: 80m² gross floor area as accepted development
Siting: attached, or within 20 metres of the main house
Site cover: 50% on lots over 450m²
Parking: one space for the granny flat, one for the house
Watch: Major Amendment Package L is progressing, proposing size tied to block size, 50% total site cover and a single-storey restriction. Council's timeline anticipates adoption mid to late 2026.
Gold Coast
Maximum size: 80m² gross floor area, around 90m² in rural and rural residential zones
Siting: attached, or within 10 metres — tighter than Brisbane
Driveway: must share the main house's driveway
Site cover: 50% in the low density residential zone
Parking: one additional on-site space
Watch: exceeding 80m² triggers infrastructure charges of roughly $17,000 to $24,000, and in the low density zone it becomes impact assessable with public notification
Logan
Maximum size: 70m² on lots under 1,000m², 100m² on lots of 1,000m² or more
Siting: within 20 metres, beside, behind, above or below — not in front
Parking: two on-site spaces for an attached secondary dwelling, five for an auxiliary unit
Services: separate water meter required, separate bin service per dwelling
Watch: infrastructure charges apply to secondary dwellings, not only auxiliary units. Logan runs three separate development categories and choosing the wrong one is costly.
Ipswich
Maximum size: banded by lot size under Ipswich City Plan 2025. The old 50m² one-bedroom auxiliary unit limit no longer applies.
Approval: many secondary dwellings are now accepted development, no planning application
Bedrooms: the old one-bedroom cap is gone
Watch: Ipswich has extensive flood and overland flow overlays, which matter more here than almost anywhere in South East Queensland
Note: the scheme changed on 1 July 2025. A great deal of published information about Ipswich still describes the superseded rules.
Other South East Queensland councils
Limits outside these four vary considerably — some councils cap small-lot secondary dwellings well below 50m², while others allow up to 100m² on larger blocks, and several coastal character precincts apply additional height and size restrictions.
Check your own council's planning scheme, or send us your address and we will tell you where your block sits.
What's the same everywhere
Whatever your council, these hold across Queensland:
Building approval is always required. From a licensed private building certifier. Accepted development removes the planning application, not the building approval.
Gross floor area usually excludes decks and carports. Measured around the outside of the walls, typically excluding patios, balconies and unenclosed carports. This is worth designing around — a generous covered deck adds real living space without touching your cap.
Overlays override everything. Flood, bushfire, character, heritage, landslide, environmental significance and transport corridors can add requirements or push you into assessable development even when your size and siting comply. Check them before you design, not after.
It stays on one title. Same lot, same owner, no subdivision.
Energy efficiency applies. All new dwellings must meet NCC 2022 requirements, including a 7 star NatHERS rating.
The approval process
Where no planning application is needed, the sequence runs:
Confirm your zone, overlays and size band through your council's planning mapping
Design to the accepted development criteria for your council
Assemble the approval package — architectural drawings, soil test, engineering, survey, energy efficiency compliance
Building approval through a private certifier, typically five to six weeks
Construction, usually ten to twelve weeks for a secondary dwelling
Where a development application is required, add time and consultant involvement. It is a normal process and plenty of projects go through it.
Frequently asked questions
How big can a granny flat be in Queensland? It depends on your council. Across South East Queensland the limits generally run from 45m² to 100m², with lot size often determining which band applies. The new Queensland Housing Code sets a state-level figure of 50m², or 60m² on lots of 1,000m² or larger, but council adoption is voluntary.
Do I need council approval for a granny flat in Queensland? In most South East Queensland councils, a compliant secondary dwelling is accepted development and needs no planning application. Building approval from a private certifier is always required.
Can I rent out a granny flat in Queensland? Yes. Since 26 September 2022 there is no requirement that the occupant be related to the household in the main house.
Can I sell a granny flat separately? No. A secondary dwelling remains on the same title as the main house. Only a dual occupancy can be separately titled, and that is a different and more involved approval pathway.
What is the difference between a secondary dwelling and a dual occupancy? A secondary dwelling is subordinate to the main house, on the same lot and title. A dual occupancy is two dwellings of comparable standing, assessed differently, and in some cases able to be separately titled.
Do decks and carports count toward the size limit? Generally no. Gross floor area is measured around the external walls and usually excludes decks, patios, balconies and carports. Confirm the definition for your council.
How long does the whole process take? Roughly five to six weeks for approval and ten to twelve weeks to build, where no development application is required.
How Compact Homes can help
We design and manage the full approval process for architecturally designed secondary dwellings across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Logan and Ipswich, then hand over to a builder from our network.
Our approval package is $12,500 and covers architectural drawings, soil testing, engineering, surveying, certifier fees, energy efficiency compliance, and full management through to a building approval for your block.
See our granny flat designs and floor plans, look through completed projects, or get in touch with your address and we will tell you what your block can take.
Council guides
We know the development requirements around secondary dwellings well, but we are not town planners. If you need formal planning advice, let us know and we can point you to someone. Planning rules change — always confirm the current position with your local council before relying on this guide.