In Queensland, building approval and development approval are two separate things. Pick your project type to see which you likely need.
Free DA Checker
In Queensland, building approval (from a certifier) and development approval (from council) are two separate things. Pick your project type and overlays to see which you likely need.
Indicative guidance based on typical QLD planning scheme provisions · Confirm with your council
Building approval is issued by a private certifier under the Building Act 1975 — it checks your project against the Building Code of Australia and Queensland Development Code. A development application (DA) is assessed by council under the Planning Act 2016 against your council's planning scheme. They are two separate approvals, and you may need one, both, or neither depending on your project.
If your project meets all the accepted development criteria in your council's planning scheme, you do not need a DA. You will still need building approval from a certifier for most structural work. Keep records showing how your project meets the accepted development provisions.
Code assessment means council must assess your DA, but only against the planning scheme codes — they cannot refuse it on broader planning grounds. Most QLD DAs are code assessable. The assessment benchmarks are set out in the planning scheme.
This tool checks your project against typical Queensland planning scheme provisions to give an indicative result. It draws a clear distinction between the two approvals that are often confused: building approval from a private certifier (a technical check against the Building Code of Australia and the Queensland Development Code), and development approval from council (an assessment against the planning scheme under the Planning Act 2016).
If the result says you likely need a DA, it tells you whether it is probably code or impact assessable — which determines whether public notification is required and what council can consider.
Section 44 of the Planning Act 2016 puts every proposal into one of three categories of development: prohibited (no DA can be lodged), accepted (no DA required, though it may be subject to requirements), or assessable (a DA is required). Where development is assessable, section 45 then sets the category of assessment: code assessment, where council assesses against the planning scheme codes only, or impact assessment, where the whole scheme applies and the application is publicly notified.
The category that applies to your project is set by the tables of assessment in your council's planning scheme — not by the project type alone. This is why the tool asks about overlays: flood, bushfire, heritage and character overlays are the most common reasons an otherwise accepted project needs a DA.
If the result indicates code or impact assessment, the next step is a planning report that addresses every assessment benchmark your council will apply. instantDA generates this report from current QLD planning scheme data for $169 — the same kind of report a planner charges $800–$1,500 for, delivered as a PDF and editable Word file.
Usually yes. Accepted development under the Planning Act 2016 means you do not need a DA — but you still need building approval from a private certifier for most structural work. The certifier checks your project against the Building Code of Australia and the Queensland Development Code, separate from the planning scheme.
The council is the assessment manager and its determination is definitive. This tool provides indicative guidance — it cannot replace checking your council's specific tables of assessment. Planning schemes differ between councils and are amended regularly.
The most common trigger is an overlay — flood, bushfire, heritage or character — on the property. Not meeting quantitative planning scheme standards (setback, height, site cover) is another. A single triggered overlay can move a project from accepted to code assessable.