QLD Development Types & Assessment Categories
Queensland uses a unique two-axis framework under the Planning Act 2016. First, every development is classified into one of four development types (MCU, Building Work, OPW, ROL). Second, each type is assigned one of four assessment categories in the council's planning scheme Land Use Table (Accepted, Code, Impact, Prohibited). The intersection determines whether you need a DA, what the assessment looks like, and how long it takes.
This is materially different from NSW (where the EP&A Act uses DA / CDC / Exempt) and Victoria (where the P&E Act uses planning permits with VicSmart fast-track). Don't assume cross-state experience translates — the QLD framework requires its own approach.
The four development types
Section 44 of the Planning Act 2016 defines four types of development. A single project often spans multiple types (e.g. a new dual occupancy = MCU + Building Work + ROL once it's subdivided).
Material Change of Use
Starting a new use of premises, or materially intensifying an existing use. The defining QLD planning concept — where most non-trivial development triggers an MCU assessment.
Examples
- •Starting a cafe in a former retail shop
- •Converting an office to a child care centre
- •Adding a second dwelling-house on a lot (sometimes also a building work)
- •Increasing the GFA of a service station by ≥30%
- •Changing from one use class to another in the planning scheme Land Use Table
Building Work
Building, altering, removing or demolishing any building or other structure. Includes most physical construction. Not the same as the building approval issued by a private certifier under the Building Act 1975.
Examples
- •New dwelling-house construction
- •Extension or alteration of existing dwelling
- •Demolition of pre-1947 character housing (in Brisbane CR Z)
- •Erecting or altering a structure (verandah, carport, swimming pool)
- •Earthworks ancillary to building (excavation, retaining walls)
Operational Work
Works on the land that aren't building work — earthworks, vegetation clearing, advertising devices, drainage, road construction, and landscaping. Operational work for advertising signs (signage) is a common QLD-specific category.
Examples
- •Earthworks above 'minor' thresholds (typically 50-100 cubic metres)
- •Vegetation clearing on freehold land (subject to Vegetation Management Act)
- •Erecting an advertising device (sign) — see Advertising Devices Code
- •Road or driveway construction in greenfield estates
- •Stormwater detention basins, retaining walls in some councils
Reconfiguring a Lot
Subdividing land — creating new lots, amalgamating lots, boundary realignments, dividing land into parts (e.g. ground leases). Subdivision is treated as its own development type in QLD, separate from building work.
Examples
- •Standard residential subdivision (greenfield estates)
- •Boundary realignment between two adjoining titles
- •Dual occupancy Torrens subdivision (after MCU + Building Work approved)
- •Body corporate (community title) subdivision of an apartment building
- •Excision of a lot from a larger rural parcel
The four assessment categories
Sections 43-44 of the Planning Act 2016. Each council scheme classifies every defined use into one of these four categories per zone. The determination time, public notification, appeal rights and complexity all vary by category.
Accepted Development
No development approval required at all. Either accepted absolutely or 'accepted subject to requirements' (must meet specified standards but no DA).
- •Defined in the council planning scheme Land Use Table or Codes SEPP equivalents
- •Replaces the old 'self-assessable' category from the SPA 2009 / IDAS regime
- •Most single dwellings on standard residential lots fall here (subject to meeting Dwelling House Code)
- •Building approval (private certifier) typically still required for building work
Code-assessable Development
Development application required, but assessed only against the assessment benchmarks (the codes) — not broader merit considerations. No public notification, no third-party appeal rights, faster determination.
- •Council assesses against scheme codes only
- •Bounded discretion — must approve if codes satisfied
- •Brisbane RiskSMART program offers ~5-day fast-track for code-assessable DAs
- •Pathway most projects aim for to avoid impact assessment
Impact-assessable Development
Full merit assessment — DA assessed broadly against scheme codes, the planning scheme as a whole, and any submission concerns. Public notification mandatory; third-party appeal rights to the Planning and Environment Court.
- •15+ business day public notification period
- •Submitters can object — and appeal to P&E Court if approved
- •Council can impose conditions and refuse on broader grounds
- •Determination typically 6-12 months
- •Most large-scale or contentious projects
Prohibited Development
Cannot be applied for at all. The land use is not permitted in the zone under the planning scheme; council has no power to grant consent.
- •Listed in the Land Use Table as 'prohibited'
- •Cannot be approved through any DA process
- •Only resolution is to amend the scheme (a multi-year process)
- •Or pursue a different use that is accepted, code- or impact-assessable
Who decides — council, SARA, or the Independent Assessment?
Most DAs are decided by the local council. Some are escalated to the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) where state interests are triggered — state-controlled roads, koala habitat, coastal management areas, mining, tourism precincts. The Planning Regulation 2017 Schedule 9 lists the trigger thresholds.
For very large projects, the Coordinator-General may declare them as State Significant Projects for independent assessment outside the standard council DA framework.
Brisbane operates a RiskSMART program that fast-tracks code-assessable DAs to a 5-business-day determination — valuable for designers and small developers. See our QLD planning hub for more on RiskSMART.
Working out which pathway applies to your project?
Find your council's mapping tool to look up the Land Use Table for your zone, or talk to a QLD planner for complex matters.