One set of design and siting rules for detached houses across the state. Here is what changed, and the two dates that decide when it lands on your jobs.
The Queensland Housing Code commenced on 1 September 2026.
It replaces the design and siting rules that have governed detached houses since 2010, and it sets statewide figures for site cover, setbacks, height, privacy, parking and open space.
Two dates decide what it means for your work.
The first is the day your council amends its planning scheme to say how the Code applies. From that day, the Code governs building work in that area. The second is 1 September 2029. That is the day the old rules expire everywhere, whether a council has acted or not.
What the Code replaces
The old rules were Queensland Development Code Parts 1.1 and 1.2, published on 11 March 2010. Part 1.1 covered lots under 450 square metres. Part 1.2 covered lots of 450 square metres and over.
The new Code keeps that split. Chapter 1 is the small lot chapter. Chapter 2 is the larger lot chapter. Which one applies to a job depends only on the size of the lot.
It covers a single house, a house with a secondary dwelling, and the sheds, garages and structures that go with them. It applies in every zone where a dwelling is allowed. It does not cover structures less than 1 metre above ground level, other than swimming pools, and it does not cover indoor pools, work inside a tourist park, or development in a priority development area. Where a site sits in an overlay, the overlay still varies the rules to the extent it says so.
Why 1 September 2029 matters more than the adoption date
A three year transition period sounds like councils have three years to decide. Read the regulation and it is narrower than that.
Section 106 of the Building Regulation 2021 sets out how it works. The old provisions continue to apply to a council planning scheme until the earlier of two days. The first is the day an amendment to that scheme takes effect stating how the Code applies. The second is 1 September 2029.
After that date there is no fallback. The old rules are gone in every local government area in the state, and the Code applies whether or not the council did anything.
The transition period decides when the Code arrives in each council area. It does not decide whether.
Commencement and adoption are two different things
Commencement is when the Queensland Housing Code became law, which was 1 September 2026. Adoption is when it starts governing building work in a particular council area, which happens when that council amends its planning scheme to say how the Code applies. Until then, the 2010 rules still govern jobs in that area. On 1 September 2029 that fallback ends and the Code applies regardless. The department has said it will publish the effective day for each scheme amendment on its website.
How much of the block you can build on
Site cover is the share of the lot that buildings and structures can take up. It is where the biggest change sits, and only on smaller lots.
On lots under 450 square metres, the Code allows 65 per cent site cover where the lot is 250 square metres or less, and 60 per cent on anything above that. The old figure was 50 per cent.
On lots of 450 square metres and over, the Code allows 50 per cent. That is the same as the old figure. On a standard suburban block, site cover has not moved.
One detail worth knowing on battle axe lots. The area of the access handle is excluded from the site cover calculation, so it does not add to the footprint you are allowed to build.
The house moves forward and the yard moves back
The setback changes work in both directions. The house is allowed closer to the street and closer to the side boundary. In exchange, it has to sit further off the rear boundary.
| Acceptable solution | Old rules, 2010 | New Code, lots under 450 square metres | New Code, lots 450 square metres and over |
| Maximum site cover | 50 per cent of the lot, both lot sizes | 65 per cent on lots of 250 square metres or less, 60 per cent above that | 50 per cent, unchanged |
| Front setback, external wall | 3m on an access street, 4m on a collector street, 6m on larger lots | 3m | 5m |
| Front setback, garage or carport | Same as the dwelling | 5m | 5.6m |
| Side boundary, ground floor | 1.5m where that part of the wall is 4.5m or less high | 1m | 1.5m |
| Rear boundary, ground floor | 1.5m where that part of the wall is 4.5m or less high | 3m | 4m |
| Secondary dwelling floor area | No figure in the old rules | 50 square metres | 50 square metres, or 60 on lots of 1,000 square metres or larger |
The Department of Housing and Public Works has said the change reflects where households actually spend time outdoors, which is the rear yard, and that the aim is to put usable space there while keeping streetscapes intact.
For anyone laying out a floor plate, the practical effect is simple. The building gets wider relative to the block on small lots, pushes forward toward the street, and the yard moves behind it. That is a coherent design position, and on small lot product it is a reasonable answer to the pressure on housing supply.
What councils can still change, and what they cannot
The Code is not one fixed standard everywhere. This is the part that decides whether consistency actually turns up.
A council that adopts the Code can still write its own numbers into its planning scheme for seven things:
- Building and structure height
- Front boundary setbacks
- Site cover, and secondary dwelling floor area
- The number of car parking spaces
- Maximum garage and carport access width
- Landscape open space
- Fences, privacy fences and privacy screens
Three things carry no such power. Side and rear boundary setbacks. Visual privacy. Private open space. Those figures are the same in every council area that adopts the Code.
So the deeper rear setback is locked in. The front setback is not. Site cover is not. Height is not.
That is the test worth applying to each council as it moves, rather than counting how many have adopted. A builder tracking licensing and compliance settings across several council areas needs to know which of those seven a council changed, because that list decides whether a design carries across a boundary unchanged.
Secondary dwellings, parking and height
The Code puts a floor area figure on secondary dwellings for the first time in the building rules. It is 50 square metres of internal floor area, rising to 60 square metres on lots of 1,000 square metres or larger.
A lot with a secondary dwelling needs a third parking space. It can be uncovered, and it can be in tandem with the spaces for the main house. At least one space on the lot has to be in a garage or carport.
Parking dimensions are set out in the Code. A single garage space is 3 metres wide by 6 metres deep, or 3.2 metres wide where level entry access under the Livable Housing Design Standard runs through that garage. An uncovered single space is 2.5 metres by 5.4 metres.
Height stays at 8.5 metres for houses, and 4.5 metres for garages, carports and sheds. Both increase by 1.5 metres where the lot slope is over 15 per cent. The setback tables include rows for a third storey, but on a flat lot the height limit puts those out of reach. This is not a general permission for three storey houses.
What to do with this on a job being priced now
Nothing changes on a current job until the relevant council amends its scheme, or until 1 September 2029, whichever comes first. Until then the 2010 rules apply and the design you are pricing is unaffected.
The thing to watch is the gap between quoting and building. A job priced now in a council area that amends its scheme next year could be built under a different set of siting numbers than the one it was drawn to. That is a bigger deal on small lot product, where site cover moves by 10 to 15 percentage points and the rear setback moves by 1.5 metres.
Master Builders Queensland has said it will keep advocating for widespread adoption to cut compliance burden. On the regulation as written, widespread adoption is now the default by 2029. The open question is no longer whether the Code applies. It is how much of it survives the seven things councils can still rewrite on the way in.
Frequently asked questions
It commenced on 1 September 2026. The Code records that it was published on 3 August 2026 and replaces Queensland Development Code Parts 1.1 and 1.2, published on 11 March 2010.
Only if that council has amended its planning scheme to say how the Code applies. Until then the 2010 rules continue to govern building work in that area. The department publishes the effective day for each amendment on its website.
The old rules expire on 1 September 2029. From that date the Code applies in that area regardless of whether the council amended its scheme.
On lots under 450 square metres, 65 per cent where the lot is 250 square metres or less and 60 per cent above that. On lots of 450 square metres and over, 50 per cent, which is unchanged from the old rules.
For seven things, yes: height, front setbacks, site cover and secondary dwelling floor area, parking numbers, garage and carport access width, landscape open space, and fences and screens. Side and rear setbacks, visual privacy and private open space cannot be varied.
Related articles
- Queensland Has Released Its Statewide Housing Code and Eased Six Modern Homes Rules
- Are Australia’s Fast Track Housing Approvals Actually Delivering?
Last updated: 7 September 2026. Figures read from the Queensland Housing Code as published, and from the Building Regulation 2021 in force as at 14 August 2026.
General information only. This article describes what the Queensland Housing Code and the Building Regulation 2021 provide. It is not legal, planning or compliance advice and does not account for the circumstances of any particular site or project. Requirements vary by council area and by lot, and overlays may vary the Code. Confirm current obligations with the relevant council, the Department of Housing and Public Works and your building certifier.
Author: TGB Editorial
0 Comments