Building standards

Building approval vs development approval, the NCC, and how building work intersects with the planning scheme.

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Acceptable Outcomes vs Performance Outcomes — QLD Codes

How QLD planning codes work: performance outcomes with acceptable outcomes beneath them. Why missing an acceptable outco

7 min read

Boundary Setbacks in QLD — How Close Can You Build?

How close to the boundary can you build in QLD? QDC setback rules for houses, sheds and carports, the low-structure conc

7 min read

Building Height Limits in QLD

How tall can you build in QLD? The QDC height limits for houses, how slope changes them, and why your council's planning

7 min read

Car Parking Requirements for QLD Development

How many car parks does your QLD development need? Where the rates come from, the QDC dwelling standard, and how to argu

7 min read

Overshadowing and Shadow Diagrams in QLD

Does QLD have overshadowing rules? There's no state-wide numeric solar access test — here's what the QDC says, when coun

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Privacy and Overlooking Rules in QLD

Can your neighbour see into your yard? How QLD handles privacy and overlooking — screening, window placement, elevated d

7 min read

Private Open Space Requirements in QLD

What is private open space in QLD and how much do you need? Where the requirement comes from, how it's measured, and why

7 min read

The Queensland Development Code (QDC), Explained

What is the Queensland Development Code? What the QDC covers, which MP parts apply to houses, and how councils can vary

7 min read

Site Cover and Plot Ratio in QLD

What is site cover in QLD and how is it measured? The QDC 50% acceptable solution, what counts towards it, and why a pat

7 min read

Siting Variations in QLD — Building Closer to the Boundary

Need to build closer to the boundary than the QDC allows? How a siting variation works in QLD, who decides it, what to s

7 min read

Building standards — Free QLD DA Guides | instantDA