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Rural areas in the region are used for a wide range of agricultural and rural uses. They are also great places to live, so there are requirements in place to make sure that the areas remain compatible for both houses and rural uses.
Generally, a house is permitted on a rural lot so long as it has access to an all-weather road and a water supply, and wastewater is appropriately treated and disposed of on-site.
A house also needs to be separated from adjoining properties to manage the impact of noise, odour or spray drift from rural uses and animals on neighbouring properties. Council’s planning scheme requires that a house should be located at least 50 metres from all property boundaries. Additionally, houses must be set even further away from quarries or intensive animal industries to minimise any further impact.
If you are proposing to place your house within 50 metres of any property boundary, your building certifier cannot approve this location and will need to refer this to Council for assessment. As the 50 metre setback is both an alternative building provision to the Queensland Development Code and a requirement to meet Accepted Development subject to requirements criteria for the planning scheme, you will need to submit a code assessable Material Change of Use development application and a request for a referral agency response. If any of the other requirements can’t be met, you may need to submit a code assessable development permit to Council, in addition to standard building and plumbing approvals.
Rural lots can be affected by different natural characteristics, which Council has categorized as ‘overlays’. An overlay identifies areas of land with particular characteristics that need to be considered when development is planned in these areas, to ensure safety to people and property. Many of these overlays relate to hazards such as bushfire, flooding and landslide.
If your proposed building site is located within one of these overlay areas, Council has requirements in place in the planning scheme that must be considered. For example, if your building site is located in a bushfire hazard overlay, you may need to engage a professional to prepare a Bushfire Management Plan and ensure that you have provided sufficient on-site water storage on the property.
To check if your property is within an overlay area, use the ‘Identify’ tool within Council’s planning scheme maps.
The planning scheme definition of a Dwelling includes a secondary dwelling that is associated with the main dwelling. This means that you may be allowed to build a secondary house, but it should be:
The second house will still need to meet the same requirements as the main house as described above, such as being located 50 metres from all property boundaries. More information can be found in Council’s Information Sheet below.
Building a second dwelling does not automatically entitle you to subdivide the property. Please refer to Subdividing rural properties or acreage for further information about subdividing rural blocks.
Council also recommends checking with your home & contents insurance provider to determine the effect that a second house may have on your insurance policies.
Council’s planning scheme maps outline the zone for each property. You can use the ‘Identify’ tool in these maps to determine which zone your land is in.
Development - Dwelling houses, secondary dwellings and dual occupancy information sheet INFO 008 (for print)
For further information please phone Council’s Technical Advice Officers on 131 872, or visit your nearest Customer Service Centre.
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