A practical site feasibility guide for Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Logan and Redland.
Quick Facts – At a Glance
Start with the property: Backyard space alone does not confirm whether a granny flat is possible.
Check the council rules: Lot size, permitted floor area, setbacks and parking differ between areas.
Look below the ground: Sewer, water, stormwater and easements can restrict the best building position.
Check the physical site: Slope, access and the existing house can change design and cost.
First step: Request Hive’s Free Site Assessment Report before paying for detailed plans.
Indicative guidance only: the requirements and costs must be confirmed for the actual property and design.
There is no single yes or no granny flat rule
For most homeowners, the first question is not what the floorplan should look like. It is much simpler: can I actually build a granny flat on my property? In South East Queensland, the answer often depends on more than the amount of backyard space you can see from the kitchen window.
Lot size, zoning, setbacks, overlays, sewer and stormwater infrastructure, access, slope and the relationship to the existing home can all affect what is practical. Checking those issues first gives you a better basis for choosing a design and setting a budget.
Check the planning rules and available space
The planning scheme is the council’s rulebook. Zoning identifies the type of development intended for an area. An overlay is an extra mapped layer, such as flooding, bushfire or heritage, that can add requirements.
The lot area on the title is not the same as the area available for a granny flat. Allow for the existing house, required clearances from boundaries, parking, outdoor space, services and access. Site cover is the proportion of the lot covered by buildings or structures under the applicable definition.
Check these seven things before choosing a floorplan
Planning pathway: establish whether the proposed secondary dwelling can meet the applicable rules without a planning application, or whether additional council assessment is needed.
Lot size and dwelling size: confirm the council’s permitted floor area for the zone and lot. Gross floor area, often shortened to GFA, is a planning measurement; it is not simply the room sizes shown on a sales plan.
Boundary setbacks: measure from the legal boundary and the part of the building specified by the applicable rule. Walls and roof projections may need separate checks. A fence is not reliable proof of the boundary.
Existing home: check privacy, daylight, drainage and fire separation. There is no single rule saying a detached granny flat must always be exactly 1.8 m from the house. That distance is an important fire-design threshold, and closer arrangements require certifier assessment.
Services and easements: establish where the sewer, water and stormwater assets run, who owns them and what access must be kept. A mapped line may need an on-site location investigation.
Overlays and land conditions: review flood, bushfire, vegetation, heritage, noise and slope constraints relevant to the property. An overlay is not automatically a building ban.
Construction access: the appointed builder needs a safe way to bring in materials, excavate, construct footings and remove waste. A person-width path does not prove machinery access.
What to check in each council area
The council checks below sit alongside the common building requirements. A planning scheme is the council’s rulebook; its zones and precincts identify areas with different controls.
Brisbane
Use City Plan online to check the zone, overlays and neighbourhood plan. Small lots and rear lots need particular care. Confirm the secondary-dwelling size, setbacks, site cover and parking under the current provisions rather than relying on a general Brisbane example.
Moreton Bay
Check both the zone and precinct. Council’s guidance includes different minimum lot/frontage and dwelling-size provisions, with separate rural rules. Shared services, access and the relationship to the main home also matter. A suitable layout in Brisbane may need changes here.
Ipswich
Use City Plan 2025. Council links secondary-dwelling floor-area allowances to lot size, but setbacks, height, parking and mapped constraints must also comply. Building and plumbing approvals remain necessary even when a separate planning application is not needed.
Logan
Check the property through the Logan PD Hub and the current residential rules. Council publishes different secondary-dwelling size limits according to zone and lot size. Infrastructure charges are a separate cost check; a smaller dwelling or energy concession should not be assumed to remove them.
Redland
Check City Plan zoning and overlays as well as the secondary-dwelling amenity guideline. Meeting a size guideline does not settle every approval issue. Council may need to assess a departure, while building and plumbing approvals still apply.
What happens after the preliminary assessment
A useful assessment explains what appears workable, what needs further investigation and what might change the budget. Some sites can move to an indicative quote and site visit; others need a survey, utility location or specialist planning advice first.
Planning approval deals with land use and planning rules. Building approval deals with the building’s compliance. Plumbing and drainage approval deals with the relevant plumbing work. These are separate checks, even when coordinated together.
A Queensland Housing Code transition is underway from 1 September 2026 to 1 September 2029. Local adoption determines which siting provisions apply. Confirm the current rules for the address before fixing the building position.
Request Your Free Site Assessment Report
Start with Hive Small Homes’ Free Site Assessment Report. This preliminary desktop review identifies potential setbacks, mapped underground infrastructure and easements, overlays and other feasibility issues, subject to verification. It helps identify what needs further investigation before detailed plans or specialist work.
The report is not a boundary survey, on-site utility location, soil investigation or formal approval. Necessary specialist investigations are separate. Hive coordinates feasibility, design, engineering and approvals; construction contracts are directly between homeowners and independent QBCC-licensed builders.
Click here to request your Free Site Assessment Report
Related Articles
Benefits of a Site Visit Before Building a Granny Flat
Do I Need a Survey Before Building a Granny Flat?
What Soil Tests and Engineering Are Required for a Granny Flat?
Important Information
This article is general information, not building, planning, energy assessment, engineering or legal advice. Eligibility, floor area, approval pathways, specifications and pricing must be confirmed for each project by the relevant professionals. Published October 2026.
Official Sources and Further Reading
Queensland secondary-dwelling guidance
Queensland Development Code and transition
Moreton Bay secondary dwellings
