Brisbane City Council

What a granny flat costs in Brisbane.

Prices, the local rules, and which models fit your block. Delivered from Laceys Creek, 45km away.

All in, one bedroom$178,600–$191,600Finished and liveable, all-in

Do the fit-out yourself$158,800–$207,600Kit, you finish it

From our yard45kmDelivery zone A

Wind regionRegion BStandard structural rating

The rules

The rules in Brisbane.

What matters	Where it stands
Maximum size	80sqm in residential zones, 100sqm on rural land. Within 20m of the main house.
Approval pathway	Accepted development when compliant: building approval through a private certifier, no council DA. Some sites (ours at Wavell Heights included) take the DA pathway; allow 1 to 3 months.
Who can live in it	Rent it to anyone. The old family-only rule was removed in September 2022.
Setbacks and siting	6m front on most lots, 1.5m sides, 3m rear. Site cover 50% maximum. We site it for your block.
Car parking	No extra space required on most compliant sites.
Services	Shares the main house connections.
Overlays	Bushfire on the western fringe, flood near the river, character rules on pre-1946 streets. We check the mapping before we quote.

Which models fit here.

FitsCompact 4.8

FitsStudio 6.0

FitsStandard 8.4

FitsWide 8.4

FitsFlex 10.8

FitsFamily 13.5

Current as at August 2026. Planning schemes change; we confirm every rule for your site before you sign anything.

How it works here

In Brisbane, the overlay decides the job.

Brisbane assesses granny flats as secondary dwellings under Brisbane City Plan 2014, and for most homeowners the news is good. Keep the design to 80sqm of gross floor area on a residential block, or 100sqm on rural land, sit it within 20 metres of the main house, and meet the standard setbacks and 50% site cover. Do that and it is accepted development. No development application to council. Building approval runs through a private certifier instead, usually weeks rather than months, with plumbing approval handled alongside it.

Overlays are what change the picture here. Large parts of the inner and middle suburbs sit under the Traditional building character overlay, the pre-1947 timber and tin streets in places like Paddington, Camp Hill and Annerley. Heritage, wetland and flood mapping can also apply. An overlay does not rule a granny flat out, but it can shift you from the accepted pathway into a development application, so allow one to three months and design to suit the streetscape from the start.

On renting, the position is settled. Since the Queensland Government change in September 2022, a Brisbane secondary dwelling can be rented to anyone, not only family. Council has also been refining its secondary dwelling provisions through City Plan amendments, with Major Amendment Package L closing consultation in late 2025. We confirm the current rules for your exact lot before you commit to a design.

White Outhaus module with skillion roof against trees and sky — Placed, finished and connected

Approvals and site works

What the council part costs.

Costed from our completed build at Wavell Heights.

Approvals and consultants$16,700 invoiced

Site works and footings$30,000 to $51,000 on that job

Approvals take1 to 3 months

DeliveryZone A, 45km. Quoted per address.

Certifier, DA, survey, soil, services location, energy report, engineering. Every invoice on one job. A 27m crane lift on a main road with traffic control. Easy-access blocks sit nearer $20,000. 3.4m wide models travel as standard loads; 4.0m models need a pilot vehicle.

What you pay

Four ways to buy.

The Standard 8.4, our one bedroom module. Prices include GST. The all-in column is the finished, liveable number with approvals and site works included.

Option	You pay us	All in, liveable
Kit	$59,900	$158,800–$207,600
Lock-up	$75,900	$174,800–$212,700
Complete	$139,900	$176,900–$189,900

See every model and every option on the full price ladder.

Next step

What will it cost on your block?

The numbers above are real ranges from completed builds. Your block decides the rest. Send us the address and we will come back with what Brisbane allows on it, the site costs, and the model that fits.

Start a Site Check See the range

Where we deliver

9 areas in this council.

Brisbane50km from the yard

Brisbane City Council assesses more secondary dwellings than any other council in the country, and it has its own rules about who can live in one. Read them before you order, because they change what you build.

The Gap40km from the yard

Backing onto the forest means bushfire assessment is close to certain. Non-combustible steel cladding is the right starting point for a site like this, and the BAL report tells you the rest.

Ferny Grove35km from the yard

Sloped, treed and well located. A block where the module is straightforward and the crane is the interesting part of the quote.

Brookfield45km from the yard

Acreage inside the city boundary. Space is not the constraint here; the driveway and the tree canopy usually are.

Moggill60km from the yard

Large lots close to the river, which puts flood levels and bushfire on the same site assessment more often than you would expect.

Bracken Ridge35km from the yard

Post-war blocks with genuine depth. Bracken Ridge is a straight run down the highway from the yard, so delivery stays simple.

Chermside40km from the yard

Inner north, high rental demand, tight side access. The Compact and Studio do most of the work in suburbs like this one.

Wynnum60km from the yard

Bayside, which means salt. The never-painted argument for a Colorbond skin is at its strongest within a few streets of the water.

Carindale60km from the yard

Big houses on big blocks with not much left over. Where a Carindale secondary dwelling works, it usually works because of a rear lane or a patient crane operator.

The range

Which model fits Brisbane.

Six models, two widths. The 3.4m series travels without a pilot vehicle. The 4.0m series needs one.

Compact 4.816.3sqm · office or gym Studio 6.020.4sqm · one room and bathroom Standard 8.428.6sqm · 1 bed, 3.4m wide Wide 8.433.6sqm · 1 bed, 4.0m wide Flex 10.843.2sqm · 1–2 bed Family 13.554.0sqm · 2 bed

Outhaus modular granny flat lit at dusk, sliding doors open onto a timber deck in a backyard — Lit at dusk, doors open to the deck

How pricing works

Questions

Granny flats in Brisbane, answered.

Do I need council approval for a granny flat in Brisbane?

Usually not a development application. Under Brisbane City Plan 2014, a compliant secondary dwelling up to 80sqm, within 20 metres of the main house and meeting standard setbacks, is accepted development. You still need building and plumbing approval, which a private certifier handles. Overlays such as Traditional building character, heritage or flood can trigger a development application, so we check your lot mapping first.

How big can a granny flat be in Brisbane?

Up to 80sqm of gross floor area on standard residential lots, or up to 100sqm on rural land, under Brisbane City Plan 2014. The dwelling must sit within 20 metres of the primary house, and total site cover across both dwellings is capped at 50%. Garages and covered decks are treated separately from gross floor area in most cases. We confirm the numbers for your design.

Can I rent out a granny flat in Brisbane?

Yes. Since 26 September 2022, Queensland planning rules allow secondary dwellings to be rented to anyone, not only members of your household. That applies across Brisbane. The granny flat still needs to meet building standards for a separate household, fire separation and sound insulation included, which is confirmed through the building approval process.

What if my Brisbane house is in a character area?

If your block sits under the Traditional building character overlay, common in pre-1947 suburbs, a granny flat is still possible. The design may need planning approval and should respect the character streetscape. That usually means a development application and a one to three month timeframe. We flag overlay mapping in your Site Check before you spend anything on design.

Keep reading

Nearby councils and the detail.

Next step

Start with the site, not the brochure.

A Site Check tells you what your land allows before you spend anything on design. Straight answer, your address, no obligation.

Start a Site Check See the range