Townhouses and units in Moreton Bay — do you need approval?
City of Moreton Bay's planning scheme — the Moreton Bay Regional Council Planning Scheme 2016 (Version 8, 2026-09-11) — decides whether townhouses 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 general residential zone
It depends — see below. Multiple dwellings vary by precinct from accepted subject to requirements to code-assessable, so the precinct and site details decide what development application (if any) is needed.
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
Multiple dwelling. Residential zones first.
| Zone | What the table says | Conditions | What you'll need |
|---|---|---|---|
| General residential zone | It depends — see below Table 5.5.6 | accepted subject to requirements for 6 or fewer dwellings meeting lot/height/walking-distance criteria in Next generation/Urban precincts; otherwise code assessable where meeting building-height examples or precinct triggersIf not met: a development application with impact assessment (neighbours can make submissions). | Building approvalAssessed against: 6.2.6 General residential zone code, 9.3.2 Residential uses code |
| Emerging community zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.3.2.2.1 | Transition developed lot: accepted subject to requirements or code for 6 or fewer dwellings near a centre/station; otherwise/Interim precinct impactIf not met: a development application with code assessment. | Building approvalAssessed against: 6.2.3 Emerging community zone code, 9.3.2 Residential uses code |
| Rural residential zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.11.1 | multiple dwelling not listed for this zone | Building approvalAssessed against: The planning scheme |
| Township zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.12.3.1 | Residential precinct: site density ≤45 dw/ha, lot ≥1000m² with 30m frontage, within 800m of Centre precinct and meeting building heightIf not met: a development application with impact assessment (neighbours can make submissions). | Building approvalAssessed against: 6.2.12 Township zone code, 9.3.2 Residential uses code |
| Centre zone | Needs a development application (code assessment) Table 5.5.1.1.1 | if in the Caboolture, Strathpine or district centre precinctIf not met: a development application with impact assessment (neighbours can make submissions). | Building approvalAssessed against: 6.2.1 Centre zone code, 9.3.2 Residential uses code |
| Community facilities zone | Accepted if you meet the requirements Table 5.5.2.1.1 | if in the Abbey precinct Residential Area and dwellings do not exceed 20If not met: a development application with code assessment. | Building approvalAssessed against: 6.2.2 Community facilities zone code, 9.3.2 Residential uses code |
| Environmental management and conservation zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.4.1 | Multiple dwellings are not listed in this zone, so they fall under the default row and need an impact-assessed development application. | Building approvalAssessed against: The planning scheme |
| Extractive industry zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.5.1 | Multiple dwellings (townhouses/units) are not listed in the Extractive industry zone, so they default to an impact-assessable development application. | Building approvalAssessed against: The planning scheme |
| Industry zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.7 | Multiple dwellings are not listed in the Industry zone, so they default to an impact-assessable development application. | Building approvalAssessed against: The planning scheme |
| Limited development zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.8 | Multiple dwellings are not listed in the Limited development zone, so they default to an impact-assessable development application. | Building approvalAssessed against: The planning scheme |
| Recreation and open space zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.9.1 | multiple dwelling not listed for this zone | Building approvalAssessed against: The planning scheme |
| Rural zone | Needs a development application (impact assessment — neighbours can make submissions) Table 5.5.10.1 | multiple dwelling only accepted in limited Cedarton/Mt Nebo precinct cases, otherwise not listed | Building approvalAssessed against: The planning scheme |
Overlays that change the answer
The table above is the base case, before any overlay. Flood, bushfire, landslide, heritage and character overlays are the usual reasons a normally-accepted project becomes a development application — add your address above and the tool flags the ones that apply to your lot.
Worth knowing in Moreton Bay
The planning scheme's tables of assessment do not state numeric minimum lot sizes for reconfiguring a lot in any zone — the minimum lot size (and frontage) is set by the applicable 9.4.1 'Reconfiguring a lot code' for the relevant zone/precinct and the zone code, which are not reproduced in the Part 5 tables provided here. All reconfiguring a lot is code assessable 'if not otherwise specified' (impact assessment is the catch-all for anything not meeting the code's criteria). Separate state rules apply: Schedule 12 of the Planning Regulation makes reconfiguring a lot in Residential and Industry zones code assessable against the Schedule 12 benchmarks; a building approval under the Building Act is still required for building work even where the planning scheme treats it as accepted development; and the Vegetation Management Act may separately regulate clearing of native vegetation. Several zones are divided into precincts that materially change the answer for some projects — notably the Emerging community zone (Interim precinct vs Transition precinct developable lot vs developed lot, the latter mirroring the General residential Next generation neighbourhood precinct), the Community facilities zone precincts (where a Dwelling house is accepted subject to requirements and is NOT assessed under the Dwelling house code), and the Township zone precincts. In the Rural zone and Rural residential zone a Dwelling house is accepted development subject to requirements assessed under the relevant zone code (not the Dwelling house code). The Redcliffe Kippa-Ring local plan and Caboolture West local plan replace the base zone tables for land within those local plan areas and can change the category of development (e.g. in Caboolture West's Urban living precinct reconfiguring is impact assessable unless within an approved Neighbourhood Development Plan). Where more than one overlay applies, the highest category of assessment applies.
What else you'll need
- Building approval
More about Moreton Bay
- What can you build in Moreton Bay? Council overview and development applications
- Every Queensland zone explained, with what each council allows and the planning overlays that change the answer
- What City of Moreton Bay charges for a development application, compared with other councils
- A Landbrief site report for your Moreton Bay address — every planning layer that applies to the lot
Other projects in Moreton Bay
Granny flatDual occupancySubdivideShed or carportExtensionPoolFence or wallHome businessShop, café or officeClear treesDemolish
The statewide position on this project: Townhouses in Queensland.
Read from the Moreton Bay Regional Council Planning Scheme 2016 (Version 8, 2026-09-11) 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.