Placing a structure on your property
Your property has approved locations where you can build structures. These depend on easements, building envelopes and relevant planning schemes.
Private building certifiers give technical advice about the best placement for your structure. They consider all legislative requirements. Learn more about private certifiers and building approvals.
What can affect building on your property
Building envelopes
A building envelope gets created as part of a land subdivision. It determines where on a property buildings can go, or restrictions that apply. If you build within the building envelope, building relaxation is not required. You will need town planning approval to build outside a building envelope.
Lodge applications to build outside the building envelope through a private building certifier.
You can find building envelope plans using DA Tracker. If you are unable to locate the information via DA Tracker, contact Council.
Building over or beside a Council drainage easement
Properties have easements for several reasons, such as access, electricity, sewerage, and drainage. Easements give the right for someone other than the owner to use or enter a section of land. Learn more about stormwater drainage easements.
Property title plans and easement documents are available through the Department of Resources.
Council generally does not allow the construction of buildings within drainage easements. Filling or excavating within an easement is not permitted.
Under exceptional circumstances, Council may allow a building within or beside an easement. You need written consent from the easement owner and a development application.
Apply to build near an easement through a private building certifier. On your behalf, they will lodge a Request to build over and or adjacent to a Council asset.
A deed of indemnity is also required from the property owner as part of the application.
Covenants
Developers create, set, and enforce covenants. They can apply to a group of homes or lots, such as an estate.
Council does not hold any information about covenants that may exist on a property. Contact the original developer with any enquiries.
Working with your private certifier
Private certifiers look at the standard boundary setbacks for new structure placement. These are set by the Queensland Development Code and the Planning Scheme. Certifiers may also consider the effect on the amenity or the local area's character. This is in line with Council's Amenity and aesthetics policy.
Certifiers will apply for any extra approvals required on the owner’s behalf. This can include relaxations or concurrence agency referral applications. Property owners can lodge these applications to Council themselves. In this case, they must provide a copy of the approval to their certifier.
You are not required to tell your neighbours of a proposed development. It is a good idea to talk to your neighbour about developments requiring these types of approval. In some cases, Council may request a statement from a neighbour.
Lodge a concurrence agency referral application
- Sign in to Online Services
- Go to 'Enquiries'
- Find 'Development - Concurrence Agency Referral/Advice' and click 'Start' to begin the process.
Lodge application
You can also download the Concurrence agency referral application form(PDF, 767KB). Complete and return it:
Minor amendments to concurrence approvals
You can apply for minor amendments to existing applications within their currency period. Complete the Minor amendment to concurrence agency application and pay the relevant fee.