Remission of Development application fees

The objective of Council's Remission Policy(PDF, 125KB) is to provide support to eligible non-profit community organisations and charitable groups who provide a valuable service to the community.

Council offers a remission of fees and charges associated with the assessment and processing of development applications (including building and plumbing applications) and infrastructure charges/contributions imposed on organisations that meet the criteria listed below.

A remission of 100% of development application fees, infrastructure charges and statutory building and plumbing fees can be approved by Council to a maximum of $150,000 per application.

Eligible fees and charges

  1. The types of fees and charges that are eligible for this remission include;
  2. Applicable development application fees outlined in Council’s Fees and Charges Schedule associated with the assessment and processing of a development application.
  3. Applicable building and plumbing application fees and charges outlined in Council’s Fees and Charges Schedule associated with the assessment and processing of a building and/or plumbing application, including associated costs such as:
    • statutory building fees
    • relaxations
    • plumbing and drainage
    • searches
    • copies of reports
    • lodgements - however, this does not include approval and or inspection costs associated with private certification.
  4. Infrastructure charges or contributions imposed for the supply of essential infrastructure networks including:
  • transport
  • stormwater
  • parks and recreation grounds.

Requirements

A remission will be considered, upon meeting all criteria, for the following types of community organisations and groups (please note the list is not exhaustive and provided for guidance only):

  • charitable organisations
  • community halls / centres
  • community organisations including seniors and community creches
  • council facilities provided for conducting Council services for the community
  • cultural organisations
  • educational facilities including school organisations, child care centres and kindergartens
  • environmental organisations
  • multicultural and Indigenous organisations
  • religious organisations
  • rescue organisations
  • Rural Fire Brigade
  • sporting and recreational organisations
  • surf life-saving clubs
  • welfare organisations
  • youth recreation and activity providers such as recreation camps, PCYC, Scouts and Guides.

This remission is available to eligible non-profit organisations and groups that meet the following criteria:

  • There is no profit or gain by individual members of the group
  • The organisations’ constitution or governing documents prevent it from distributing profits or assets for the benefit of particular persons, both while it is operating and on winding up
  • Profits can still be incurred, but are used to carry out the purpose of the organisation or group
  • Make a vital contribution to the wider Moreton Bay Region, through the provision of community programs and services
  • The organisation or group is incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981 (Queensland) or registered under the Collections Act 1966 or registered as a non-profit organisation or charitable group by the Australian Taxation Office
  • The application is made for a remission when the development application (or building/plumbing application) is considered by Council to be properly made, or in the case of Infrastructure Charges at the conclusion of the decision stage
  • The applicant is the owner or approved user (with owner consent) of the premises that are the subject of the application.

Council may consider, by exception, an application for remission, where there is a primary wide community benefit and where a strict application of the scheduled development application fees and charges could cause hardship and reduce valuable services to the community. This consideration will include an assessment of community need and the financial capacity of the organisation or group through analysis of financial records and a report to Council.

The following organisations/groups and/or developments are not eligible in the following circumstances:

  • Community organisations or charitable groups who hold a Community Club Liquor Licence (over 25 hours a week) or a Gaming Licence.
  • Where the development is for the purposes of commercial enterprise for the provision of goods and services for profit and return to shareholders.

This remission does not relate to other community support provided by Council which may include rates remission, grants and in-kind support, as this type of support is subject to other Council policies.

Applying

The organisation or group can make an application for a remission of fees and charges online via our DA lodgement portal, in person at a Customer Service Centre or by mail.

Assessment and approval will be completed in accordance with the directive of the policy.

Approximate timeframes for processing remissions are as follows:

  • Development application fees and infrastructure charges - 4 weeks from the time of lodgement with Council.
  • Building and Plumbing – 2 weeks from the time of lodgement with Council.

Using the DA lodgement portal

To lodge an application online:

  • Sign in to MBRC Online Services (Instructions)
  • Go to 'Enquiries'
  • Find the relevant 'Development' enquiry and click 'Start' to begin the process.

When uploading documents to your application, please select the attachment type of ‘Submitted by applicant’.