Subdividing land in Rockhampton — do you need approval?
Rockhampton Regional Council's planning scheme — the Rockhampton Region Planning Scheme 2015 (Version 5, 2025-03-28) — decides whether a subdivision needs a development application, and the answer depends on the zone your property is in. Below is what its table of assessment says for each zone; or check your own address.
In a low density residential zone
Needs a development application (code assessment). Subdividing land in this zone needs a code-assessed development application.
I don't know my zone — choose my council instead
The zone is on your rates notice, or a Landbrief site report will find it for you.
Zone by zone
Reconfiguring a lot. Residential zones first.
| Zone | What the table says | Conditions | What you'll need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low density residential zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | all reconfiguring a lot in this zone | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Low density residential zone code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Low density residential zone — Fitzroy River accommodation precinct | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | all reconfiguring a lot in this zone | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Low density residential zone code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Low density residential zone — Residential stables precinct | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | all reconfiguring a lot in this zone | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Low density residential zone code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Low-medium density residential zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | all reconfiguring a lot in this zone | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Low-medium density residential zone code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| High density residential zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | Subdividing this land needs a code-assessed development application. | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: High density residential zone code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Rural residential zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | Subdividing land in this zone needs a code-assessable development application against the relevant zone and reconfiguring codes. | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Rural residential zone code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Township zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | Subdividing land in the Township zone needs a code-assessable development application against the zone and reconfiguring codes. | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Township zone code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Emerging community zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | if any new lot is 10 hectares or greaterIf not met: a development application with impact assessment (neighbours can make submissions). | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Emerging community zone code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code, The planning scheme |
| Community facilities zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | Subdividing land in the Community facilities zone needs a code-assessable development application. | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Relevant zone code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| District centre zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | Subdividing this land needs a code-assessed development application. | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: District centre zone code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Environmental management and conservation zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.1 | Subdividing land in this zone always needs an impact-assessable development application. | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: The planning scheme |
| High impact industry zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | All reconfiguring a lot | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Relevant zone code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Limited development (constrained land) zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | if the reconfiguring involves only a boundary realignmentIf not met: a development application with impact assessment (neighbours can make submissions). | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Relevant zone code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Local centre zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | All reconfiguring a lot | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Local centre zone code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Low impact industry zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | All reconfiguring a lot | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Relevant zone code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Major centre zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | Subdividing this land needs a code-assessed development application. | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Major centre zone code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Medium impact industry zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | All reconfiguring a lot | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Relevant zone code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Neighbourhood centre zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | All reconfiguring a lot | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Neighbourhood centre zone code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Open space zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | All reconfiguring a lot | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Relevant zone code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Principal centre zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | Subdividing this land needs a code-assessed development application. | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Principal centre zone code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Rural zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | if any new lot meets the minimum lot size in the reconfiguring a lot code, or it is only a boundary realignmentIf not met: a development application with impact assessment (neighbours can make submissions). | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Rural zone code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Special industry zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | Subdividing land in the Special industry zone needs a code-assessable development application. | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Relevant zone code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Special purpose zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | Subdividing land in the Special purpose zone needs a code-assessable development application against the zone and reconfiguring codes. | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Special purpose zone code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Specialised centre zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | All reconfiguring a lot | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Specialised centre zone code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Sport and recreation zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | All reconfiguring a lot | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Sport and recreation zone code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
| Waterfront and marine industry zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1 | Subdividing land in the Waterfront and marine industry zone needs a code-assessable development application. | Survey plan; Infrastructure charges; Operational worksAssessed against: Relevant zone code, Reconfiguring a lot code, Access, parking and transport code, Filling and excavation code, Landscape code, Stormwater management code, Water and sewer code |
Overlays that change the answer
- Special management area overlay. Reconfiguring a lot that creates new lots becomes impact assessable; reconfiguring that creates no new lots is unchanged. (Table 5.9.10)
- Acid sulfate soils overlay. No change to category, but the Acid sulfate soils overlay code applies to assessable development below 20m AHD involving significant excavation or filling. (Table 5.9.1)
- Biodiversity overlay. No change to category, but the Biodiversity overlay code applies to assessable reconfiguring and operational work. (Table 5.9.3)
- Water resource catchments overlay. No change to category, but the Water resource catchments overlay code applies to assessable development. (Table 5.9.12)
Worth knowing in Rockhampton
IMPORTANT: The scheme's building work table (section 5.6) is 'Not applicable' — the scheme does NOT itself make domestic building work (sheds, carports, pools, fences, extensions, demolition) assessable in the base case. Those projects are generally 'accepted' under the planning scheme (no planning development application), but a building approval under the Building Act 1975 is almost always still required and must be obtained separately. Overlays (especially Flood, Character, Heritage) can change this — see overlay_triggers. Granny flats: the QPP 'Dwelling house' definition includes a secondary dwelling, so a granny flat follows the Dwelling house row of each zone; in residential/township/rural/rural residential/emerging community zones a dwelling house is 'accepted' (or 'accepted subject to requirements' in Emerging community and Rural), but in centre, industry, open space, sport & recreation, community facilities, special purpose, limited development and environmental zones a dwelling house is not listed and falls to the 'any other use' row = impact assessable. Minimum lot sizes for subdivision are set in Table 9.3.5.3.2 of the Reconfiguring a lot code, which was not reproduced in the material provided — specific numeric minimums per zone could not be extracted, so min_lot_size_m2 is null for all zones. Known thresholds: Emerging community = 10 hectares for code assessment; Rural = the minimum nominated in the Reconfiguring a lot code. Many zones have precincts and sub-precincts; the scheme states that for a precinct/sub-precinct the relevant (parent) zone categories apply for reconfiguring and operational work, but material-change-of-use tables can differ by precinct (e.g. Low density residential Fitzroy River accommodation precinct allows some small-scale commercial uses). Tree clearing: the scheme only regulates vegetation clearing as operational work via overlays (Biodiversity, etc.); the general operational work table (5.7.1) mainly covers filling/excavation and access/services works — most vegetation clearing is accepted under the scheme but the State Vegetation Management Act 1999 rules are separate and may still apply. Home-based business is 'accepted subject to requirements' in residential, township, rural, rural residential, industry and emerging community zones (meet the relevant zone code) and 'accepted' in centre zones.
What else you'll need
- Survey plan
- Infrastructure charges
- Operational works
More about Rockhampton
- What can you build in Rockhampton? Council overview and development applications
- Every Queensland zone explained, with what each council allows and the planning overlays that change the answer
- What Rockhampton Regional Council charges for a development application, compared with other councils
- A Landbrief site report for your Rockhampton address — every planning layer that applies to the lot
- Development applications in Parkhurst
- Development applications in Kawana
- Development applications in Park Avenue
- Development applications in Berserker
- Development applications in Frenchville
- Development applications in Gracemere
- Development applications in Koongal
- Development applications in Depot Hill
Other projects in Rockhampton
Granny flatDual occupancyShed or carportExtensionPoolFence or wallHome businessTownhousesShop, café or officeClear treesDemolish
The statewide position on this project: Subdivide in Queensland.
Read from the Rockhampton Region Planning Scheme 2015 (Version 5, 2025-03-28) tables of assessment. General information, not advice. The council's planning scheme and the Planning Act 2016 decide — confirm with the council or a town planner before you build.