Free checklist · South East Queensland
The SEQ Development Application Readiness Checklist
15 things to confirm before you buy, design, lodge and see a development application through to decision — grounded in the statutory DA process under the Planning Act 2016 and what we see in SEQ council records.
Before you buy
The cheapest place to fix a problem is before you own it.
Confirm the zone and what it actually permits
The zone code decides whether your proposal is code or impact assessable — and that single distinction drives the timeline, the cost and the risk of the entire application.
Map every overlay on the lot
Flood, bushfire, heritage, vegetation and other overlays each trigger their own assessment code, and each can add a specialist consultant report — typically $3,000 to $15,000 per discipline at DA stage.
Verify the site with a survey, not aerial imagery
A formal survey often reveals boundary discrepancies, easements or level changes that change the development yield — before you commit, not after.
Price in infrastructure charges before you make an offer
Infrastructure charges are consistently underestimated — on the Sunshine Coast they can run $28,000 to $35,000 per dwelling, before you have built anything.
Before you design
Constraints first, concept second — the reverse order is what forces redesigns.
Confirm the assessment pathway in writing
Code assessment is decided against the codes with no public notification; impact assessment adds a public notification period of at least 15 business days plus third-party submitter rights.
Brief your designer on the constraints before concept drawings
A concept drawn before the planning constraints are fully mapped is the most common cause of redesign cycles — and every consultant downstream of the architect re-issues their report when the drawings change.
List the consultant disciplines your site triggers
Overlays and referrals — not project size — drive the specialist list, so two projects of identical size can carry wildly different DA budgets.
Check for state referral triggers early
A state-controlled road, koala habitat or other state interest can send the application through SARA, a referral that runs up to 35 business days.
Before you lodge
A complete, code-compliant application is the single best timeline protection you have.
Make sure the application is “properly made”
Council confirms a properly made application within 10 business days — missing mandatory documents stall the clock before it even starts.
Pre-empt the information request
Council may only issue one information request, but the assessment clock stops when it does and one RFI cycle routinely adds two to four months of elapsed time.
Budget a contingency for the RFI response
Responding to an information request typically means additional consultant work — commonly $10,000 to $30,000 — so it belongs in the budget as a line item, not a surprise.
Test the proposal with council before lodgement
A pre-lodgement meeting surfaces problems while they are still cheap to fix — far cheaper than discovering them through the information request.
After you lodge, through to decision
Lodgement is the midpoint, not the finish line.
Track the statutory clock, not just the calendar
The core decision period is 35 business days for a code assessable application with no referrals — elapsed times run longer mainly because information requests stop the clock.
Read every condition before you celebrate the approval
Approvals arrive with conditions that carry real compliance costs — they belong in your feasibility, not in the surprise column.
Know your appeal and negotiation window
An applicant may appeal a refusal — or the conditions of an approval — to the Planning and Environment Court within 20 business days of the decision notice, and that window is also when negotiated decision notices happen.
Want the site questions answered for your address?
The $150 Preliminary Planning Report covers the zone, overlays, assessment pathway, consultant disciplines, infrastructure charges and comparable approved DAs for any SEQ address — delivered in minutes.
Get my report — $150