Do I need a DA for a granny flat in Brisbane?

Brisbane City Council's planning scheme treats a single secondary dwelling on a residential lot as Accepted Development — meaning no MCU (Material Change of Use) DA is required — provided:

- Maximum gross floor area: 80m². - Single storey, OR compliant two-storey within height limits. - One secondary dwelling per lot only. - Complies with setbacks (typically same as the main dwelling). - Complies with height limits (8.5m / 2 storeys typical). - Sufficient on-site car parking (typically 1 space).

If you stay inside the Accepted thresholds, no town planning DA is needed. Your builder still needs to obtain a Building Works approval — that's a building certifier process, not a council planning process, and is required for any new dwelling regardless.

You DO need an MCU if: - The secondary dwelling exceeds 80m² GFA. - You want a second secondary dwelling on the lot. - The proposal breaches setback, height, or site cover rules. - The lot is in a heritage or specific character precinct with overlay-driven restrictions.

Separate tenancy is permitted in Brisbane — meaning you can rent the granny flat to anyone, not just family. This is what unlocks the strong yield economics on secondary dwellings as investments.

Other SEQ councils have different thresholds — see our [granny flat guide](/learn/secondary-dwelling-granny-flat) for the council-by-council breakdown.