The information in this section may help if you are planning a small-scale residential project like:

• building or extending a home
• adding a secondary dwelling (e.g. granny flat), auxiliary unit or dual occupancy
• adding an outbuilding (e.g. shed, carport)
• using a caravan onsite
• starting a home-based business
• adding an advertising device
• constructing a driveway crossover
• subdividing.

To find out the requirements for any of these projects and to find out if you need a development application, you can:

• see Assessment criteria and categories of development
• use the planning enquiry tool in the Logan PD Hub
• download our residential checksheets (for material change of use or building work assessable against the planning scheme (MCU, BWAP Checksheet (PDF 696 KB)), or where Concurrence Agency Referral (CAR Checksheet (PDF 399 KB) to Council is required) to help determine the right type of application if you are:
  • proposing a new home or secondary dwelling (e.g. granny flat) or dual occupancy (which may be an auxiliary unit),
  • undertaking an extension to any of these structures,  or
  • establishing a Class 10A domestic structure (e.g. a carport, shed or garage).

For more information about a dwelling house, secondary dwelling, auxiliary unit or dual occupancy, please download our Domestic housing fact sheet (PDF 1.2 MB).

Dwelling house and secondary dwellings

A dwelling house is where land is used for residential purposes. It can include domestic outbuildings, extensions and secondary dwellings.

A secondary dwelling (e.g. granny flat) is a dwelling that:

• is self-contained and is beside, behind, below or above the primary dwelling house
• can be attached to or detached from the primary dwelling house
• is on the same lot
• has the same owner
• cannot be subdivided
• cannot have a separate title
• has restrictions including:
  • a size limit of 70m2 if located in a residential zone on a lot less than 1,000m2, or
  • a size limit of 100m2 otherwise.

Infrastructure charges apply for Secondary dwellings.

Auxiliary unit and dual occupancy

An auxiliary unit is a dwelling that:

• may be occupied by different households (e.g. the auxiliary unit could be rented out to someone else, other than a family member of the primary dwelling)
• is located on a lot with a minimum size of 450m2
• has a maximum of two bedrooms, one kitchen and one living space
• has a size limit of:
  • 70m2 if located in a residential zone and on a lot less than 1,000m2
  • 70m2 if located in the emerging community zone and on a lot less than 1,000m2, or
  • 100m2 otherwise.

A dual occupancy is a premises that has two dwellings on one lot, built for two separate households (e.g. a duplex). 

Dual occupancy dwellings may have different owners and separate titles. A dual occupancy is not a multiple dwelling (multiple dwellings have more than two dwellings, like a set of units). 

Infrastructure charges apply to Auxiliary units and dual occupancy dwellings. For more information, please see Infrastructure planning and charges.

Domestic outbuildings (sheds, carports)

If a residential property already has a dwelling house, other projects are known as building works (like building a shed or carport, building an extension or adding a swimming pool).

In most cases, building works do not need approval from us if they meet the criteria (assessment benchmarks) that apply from the Logan Planning Scheme.

You will need to get a building approval from a private building certifier for all buildings over 10m2.

A private building certifier can help you to find out if you need a building approval. In most cases they will help you lodge the application. For more information, please see Private building certifiers.

For more information about domestic outbuildings, please see Domestic outbuildings or download our residential checksheets (for material change of use or building work assessable against the planning scheme (MCU, BWAP Checksheet (PDF 696 KB), or where Concurrence Agency Referral (CAR Checksheet (399 KB) to Council is required) to help determine the right type of application.

Caravans

A person may temporarily live in a caravan or relocatable home on an existing residential property for up to 180 days per calendar year if:

• they have previously lived in a dwelling on the same property but the dwelling has been destroyed or is not fit to live in, or
• building work is being carried out for a dwelling on the same property. 

Living in a caravan will also require compliance with the relevant local laws.  For more information, please see Caravans and accommodation or contact our team.

For more information about a dwelling house, please download our Domestic housing fact sheet (PDF 1.2 MB) or see Dwelling house and secondary dwellings on this page. 

Home-based businesses

Home-based businesses are generally operated on a small scale by the residents of the home and do not have more than two workers who do not live there.

Some examples of home-based businesses include:

• bed and breakfast
• farm stay
• home office
• home based childcare
• home-based food and drink business.

A home-based business does not include an office, shop, warehouse, transport depot or a hobby.

For more information about home-based businesses, please see Home-based business.

Subdividing (reconfiguring a lot)

Subdividing includes:

• subdividing a lot to make two or more lots
• combining (amalgamating) two or more lots
• rearranging boundaries
• creating an easement to give access from a road.

You can find out if a property can be subdivided from information in the Logan PD Hub. To use the Hub, please:

• find your property either by typing the address or using the map search
• select the planning enquiry tool and click on What can I do here?
• select (double-click on) the activity (e.g. Reconfiguring a lot).

The hub will generate a planning enquiry report that will tell you:

• relevant details about the property (including size, zone and local plan)
• whether or not a development application is required, and the criteria for any application
• the applicable development codes (rules) from the Logan Planning Scheme 2015
• any overlays that affect the property (e.g. flooding, bushfire hazard, vegetation, steep slopes) and may have an impact on how a development is done
• other rules (controls) like minimum and average lot sizes, access widths and minimum frontages.

Subdividing a lot is either code assessable or impact assessable and will require a development application. For more information about the criteria for code and impact assessment and minimum lot sizes in different zones, please see Reconfiguring a lot.

If the proposed subdivision increases the demand on trunk infrastructure (e.g. water supply, major roads, sewer network), charges will apply. Infrastructure charges are generally payable before approval of the plan of subdivision. To help you identify these charges, which will depend on the location and scale of the development, you can use the infrastructure charges estimator in the Logan PD Hub.

There are important Commonwealth telecommunications rules that you need to comply with.  For more information, please visit Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.

To help you find out applicable fees and charges for a subdivision, please refer to our Checklist of subdivision project costs. This is a spreadsheet (in Microsoft Excel format) that you can download and enter information to calculate estimated total costs.