A home based business is a dwelling that is used for a business activity that is subordinate to the residential use.

Home based businesses are dwellings first and businesses second. They are intended to be compatible with the character of the area and not impact the surrounding residents. Generally, home based businesses are small scale, operated by the residents of the dwelling and do not need more than two non-resident employees.

Some examples include:

• bed and breakfast
• farm stay
• home office, and
• home based child care.

It does not include an: 

• office
• shop
• warehouse, or
• transport depot.

Do I need an approval?

A development approval is not needed if the home based business complies with the requirements in the Logan Planning Scheme 2015, i.e. complies with all of the acceptable outcomes of the applicable codes and meets the requirements in the category of development and assessment table.

If the proposal cannot meet one of these requirements, the development becomes assessable development and you need to lodge a development application before the use can be carried out.

As a general rule, if the home based business:

• involves more than one non-resident employee or has a use area greater than 50m² it becomes code assessable
• involves more than two non-resident employees, has a use area greater than 100m² or involves an industrial activity it requires impact assessment, which requires public notification to be undertaken.

To find out if you need to lodge a development application, the zone of the property must be identified. You can use the Property report tool in the Logan PD Hub to find out a property zoning.

When you know the zoning of the property, you can:

• refer to the Logan Planning Scheme 2015, Part 5 (Tables of Assessment) which show if the development is code assessable or impact assessable and outlines the assessment benchmarks
• use our planning enquiry tool in the Logan PD Hub to:
  • select a property
  • select an activity, in this case a Home Based Business
  • click on your proposed development to get a report which shows you:
    • the criteria triggering the need for a development application
    • applicable development codes from the Logan Planning Scheme 2015
    • other selected considerations, e.g. size and height constraints, setbacks.

The assessment benchmarks may include the Home based business code (Part 9 of the planning scheme) and the Servicing, Access and Parking Code.

Development applications are subject to a number of conditions that depend on the type, size, location and circumstances of the proposal. Conditions will be set for the home based business, like restricting the hours of operation or the number of vehicle trips.

Some activities like food preparation will need licensing. For more information about Licensing, please see Licensing.

How do I obtain a development permit?

If the home bases business is not accepted development a development permit is required before the activity can be carried out. You will need to lodge a Material Change of Use development application.   

For more information about how to lodge your application, please see Application forms and lodgement.

How much will it cost?

The fee for lodging a development application will vary depending on the type and size of the development, the category of assessment, and other factors. These fees are set by resolution of Council. 

For more information about fees and payment methods, please see Fees, charges and payments.

Will I have to pay infrastructure charges?

Infrastructure charges do not apply to home based businesses.

For more information about home based businesses, please contact our team.