Every Queensland development application needs a core set of documents — plus extras that depend on what overlays and constraints apply to your site. This checklist covers both.
The mandatory State form under the Planning Act 2016. Lodged with council as assessment manager. Includes land description, applicant details, proposal description, and assessment benchmarks to be addressed.
Drawn to scale showing the site, boundaries, existing and proposed buildings, setbacks, site cover, and any features relevant to the assessment (trees, easements, contours).
A written report addressing each applicable assessment benchmark — the zone code, any development codes, and every overlay code triggered by the property. This is the core document. instantDA generates one from current QLD planning scheme data for $169.
A current title search confirming you are the owner — or written consent from the owner(s) if you are not. If the land has a registered easement or covenant, include that document too.
Trigger: Flood hazard overlay
Prepared by a hydraulic engineer. Addresses flood immunity, finished floor levels, and any impact on flood storage or flow.
Trigger: Bushfire hazard overlay
Prepared by an accredited bushfire consultant. Addresses the bushfire attack level (BAL) and required construction standards under AS 3959.
Trigger: Heritage or character overlay
Addresses the impact on heritage values or character amenity. May require a heritage consultant for State-listed places.
Trigger: Vegetation / koala habitat
Prepared by an ecologist. Addresses impacts on protected vegetation, fauna habitat, and any required offsets.
Trigger: Steep or unstable site
Prepared by a geotechnical engineer. Addresses slope stability, foundation conditions, and any landslide risk.
Trigger: Stormwater discharge
Prepared by a civil engineer. Addresses lawful point of discharge, water quality, and any on-site detention requirements if council requires it.
Trigger: Body corporate land
Written approval from the body corporate if the land is part of a community titles scheme. Not all works need this — check your by-laws.
Trigger: Commercial or industrial use
May be required if the use generates significant traffic or parking demand beyond what the planning scheme anticipates for the zone.
Your planning report addresses every assessment benchmark the council will check. instantDA generates it from current QLD planning scheme data.
Get your planning report — $169 →Each council publishes its own lodgement checklist — check your council's website for any additional local requirements.
DA Form 1 is the statutory form prescribed under the Planning Act 2016. Every development application in Queensland must use it. The form requires you to identify the land, describe the proposal, nominate the assessment manager, and list the assessment benchmarks the DA must address. A correctly completed DA Form 1 is the difference between an application being accepted for assessment and being returned as not properly made.
Each council publishes its own lodgement requirements and may have a local checklist in addition to DA Form 1. Check your council's planning and development page before lodging.
Of all the documents in a DA, the planning report does the heaviest lifting. It must address every applicable assessment benchmark — the zone code, any development codes, and every overlay code triggered by the property. For code assessment, the report is the primary evidence that your proposal complies. For impact assessment, it is the foundation on which the broader case is built.
instantDA generates this report for $169, structured code-by-code the way an assessment manager reads it. Delivered as a PDF and editable Word file. If council issues an information request, re-run for the same address at no extra cost.
Council may return the application as not properly made — it is not assessed until all mandatory parts are complete. If the missing information is fundamental (no DA Form 1, no evidence of ownership), the application may not be accepted for assessment at all.
DA Form 1 requires you to address the assessment benchmarks, and a planning report is the standard way to do this. For a straightforward code-assessable project the report may be relatively short — but you still need to demonstrate compliance with each applicable code.
Partially. Site plans and floor plans serve both. But building approval under the Building Act 1975 and a DA under the Planning Act 2016 are separate processes with different requirements. Your certifier will need additional documentation specific to the Building Code of Australia.