Brisbane · Units guide
Unit development in Brisbane: rules, approval and what the data shows
Brisbane City Plan 2014 (v36) sets the rules for a unit or apartment development in Brisbane. The figures on this page come from 8,046 decided multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications recorded against Brisbane council, current to 9 Sept 2026.
According to Casa Intelligence analysis of 8,046 decided multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications in Brisbane, 98% were approved, with a median decision time of 142 days.
98%
Approval rate
7,913 of 8,046 decided Brisbane applications
142 days
Median decision time
Lodgement to decision across 8,025 dated Brisbane cases
8,046
Decided applications
Brisbane multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications
20
Zones tracked
Brisbane unit development zone rows citing Brisbane City Plan 2014 (v36)
Do you need council approval for a unit or apartment development in Brisbane?
Whether a unit or apartment development in Brisbane needs a development application is decided by Brisbane City Plan 2014 (v36), which places each proposal in one of the three Planning Act 2016 categories: accepted development, code assessable or impact assessable. For a Brisbane lot the answer turns on the zone, any precinct mapped over it and the overlays that apply, so Brisbane council does not publish one blanket answer for unit development proposals.
A unit or apartment development in Brisbane always needs a development application. Casa's rules register for Brisbane City Plan 2014 (v36) records multi-unit residential use as contemplated in 7 of the 20 Brisbane zones it tracks, code assessable in District Centre, High Density Residential, Low-Medium Density Residential, Medium Density Residential, Mixed Use and 2 other zones. In the 13 remaining Brisbane zones it is not an anticipated use, and inside the supportive zones the density provisions, height limits and precinct mapping set how many dwellings a Brisbane site can actually carry.
The Brisbane record gives a feel for what assessment involves: a quarter of the 8,025 dated unit development decisions were made within 68 days of lodgement, and a quarter took longer than 252 days.
The zone, precinct and overlay position of one Brisbane address is what settles the pathway for a unit or apartment development, and a free Casa block check reads all three for any Brisbane lot in seconds.
What Brisbane’s scheme says about unit development development
The passage below is quoted word for word from Brisbane City Plan 2014 (v36), the instrument Brisbane council assesses unit development proposals against, from the Multiple dwelling code, as Casa held the Brisbane scheme text on 9 Sept 2026.
“The purpose of the Multiple dwelling code is to assess the suitability of development to which this code applies.”
Source for these Brisbane unit development passages: Brisbane City Plan 2014 (v36) (Brisbane council)
Units position by zone in Brisbane
Casa's register holds 20 Brisbane zone rows relevant to a unit or apartment development, each citing Brisbane City Plan 2014 (v36), and precinct mapping and overlays tighten these unit development positions for individual Brisbane lots.
| Zone | Multi-unit | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| District Centre | Yes | Code assessable |
| High Density Residential | Yes | Code assessable |
| Low-Medium Density Residential | Yes | Code assessable |
| Medium Density Residential | Yes | Code assessable |
| Mixed Use | Yes | Code assessable |
| Principal Centre | Yes | Code assessable |
| Priority Development Area | Yes | Code assessable |
| Community Facilities | No | not held |
| Conservation | No | not held |
| Character Residential | No | not held |
| Emerging Community | No | not held |
| Environmental Management | No | not held |
| Industry | No | not held |
| Low Density Residential | No | not held |
| Low Impact Industry | No | not held |
| Open Space | No | not held |
| Rural Residential | No | not held |
| Rural | No | not held |
| Special Purpose | No | not held |
| Sport and Recreation | No | not held |
"not held" means Brisbane's register has no value for that unit development cell, not that the scheme is silent. Height, setback and site-cover figures for Brisbane zones are held in the register but have not been checked against the scheme text, so they are not printed on this unit development page.
How unit development applications have fared in Brisbane
Brisbane council has decided 8,046 multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications in our dataset, approving 7,913 (98%) and refusing 133. That is 1 point below the pooled South East Queensland figure of 99% across 16,029 decided unit development applications in the 7 councils Casa tracks, ranking Brisbane 5th of 7 for approval rate.
Units work is 5.6% of everything Brisbane council has decided in our records (144,775 applications of all kinds), which makes Brisbane the largest unit development cohort of the 7 councils.
The median Brisbane decision took 142 days from lodgement, measured across the 8,025 unit development applications with both dates recorded, 62 days slower than the 80-day middle council for this cohort. Brisbane decisions made since the start of 2024 ran at a median of 120 days (524 cases), 22 days shorter than the long-run Brisbane figure.
The busiest year for unit development decisions in Brisbane was 2015, with 699 decided. In 2025 Brisbane council decided 223 and approved 99%, against 213 decided in 2024.
By suburb, Brisbane's unit development decisions cluster in Nundah (337 decided, 98% approved), Chermside (303 decided, 99% approved) and Carina (262 decided, 99% approved).
Brisbane unit development decisions by year
| Year | Decided | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 361 | 348 | 13 | 96% |
| 2022 | 237 | 234 | 3 | 99% |
| 2023 | 235 | 235 | 0 | 100% |
| 2024 | 213 | 213 | 0 | 100% |
| 2025 | 223 | 220 | 3 | 99% |
| 2026 | 88 | 88 | 0 | 100% |
Recent unit development decisions in Brisbane
The 5 most recently decided multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications recorded against Brisbane council, each cited by Brisbane's own application number so it can be looked up on the council's register.
| Application | Decision | Decided | Days to decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| A006978543 | Approved | 22 May 2026 | 70 days |
| A006992901 | Approved | 21 May 2026 | 51 days |
| A006938849 | Approved | 21 May 2026 | 128 days |
| A006935023 | Approved | 20 May 2026 | 133 days |
| A006976432 | Approved | 19 May 2026 | 71 days |
Units in Brisbane: common questions
Do I need council approval for a unit or apartment development in Brisbane?
Only your lot's zone, precinct and overlays under Brisbane City Plan 2014 (v36) can answer that for a unit or apartment development at a Brisbane address. A unit or apartment development in Brisbane always needs a development application. Brisbane council has decided 8,046 multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications in our records, so the pathway question comes up constantly in Brisbane.
Which zones allow unit development development in Brisbane?
Casa's register for Brisbane City Plan 2014 (v36) records unit development development as contemplated in District Centre, High Density Residential, Low-Medium Density Residential, Medium Density Residential, Mixed Use, Principal Centre and 1 other zone, 7 of the 20 Brisbane zones tracked. Precinct mapping and overlays can still restrict a Brisbane lot inside one of those zones.
What is the approval rate for unit or apartment development applications in Brisbane?
98% of the 8,046 decided multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications recorded against Brisbane council were approved and 133 were refused. Brisbane sits against a pooled unit development figure of 99% across the 7 South East Queensland councils Casa tracks. These are past Brisbane decisions and they do not guarantee any future unit development outcome.
How long does unit or apartment development approval take in Brisbane?
The median time from lodgement to decision across the 8,025 dated unit development applications in Brisbane was 142 days. A quarter of Brisbane decisions came within 68 days and a quarter took longer than 252 days. Since the start of 2024 the Brisbane median has been 120 days across 524 decisions.
What does Brisbane City Plan 2014 (v36) say about unit development development in Brisbane?
The Multiple dwelling code (section 9.3.14.2) states: "The purpose of the Multiple dwelling code is to assess the suitability of development to which this code applies."
About this guide
The zone rows on this page come from Casa's rules register for Brisbane City Plan 2014 (v36), and the statistics from 8,046 decided multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications recorded against Brisbane council between 28 Jan 2004 and 22 May 2026, computed on 9 Sept 2026.
Brisbane amends its scheme over time, and precincts, local plans and overlays can vary these unit development rules for a single Brisbane lot. Past Brisbane decisions describe how comparable unit development proposals fared and do not predict any future application.
This page is general information, not planning or legal advice.
Would a Brisbane block support a unit or apartment development? Check the address free.
Brisbane-wide unit development rules give the frame, and a free block check reads the zone, precinct and overlays for one Brisbane address and returns a Casa Score for a unit or apartment development in seconds.
What the Brisbane units rules mean for your site
This guide covers Brisbane at council level across 8,046 decided multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications. A Preliminary Planning Report covers one address: the likely pathway for a unit or apartment development, the constraints on that Brisbane lot, and the comparable Brisbane approvals, prepared by our planning team and delivered within three business days.