Moreton Bay · New house guide
Building a new house in Moreton Bay: rules, approval and what the data shows
Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016, v7.1 sets the rules for a new house (including knockdown-rebuild) in Moreton Bay. The figures on this page come from 2,134 decided dwelling-house applications recorded against Moreton Bay council, current to 9 Sept 2026.
According to Casa Intelligence analysis of 2,134 decided dwelling-house applications in Moreton Bay, 99.7% were approved, with a median decision time of 49 days.
99.7%
Approval rate
2,128 of 2,134 decided Moreton Bay applications
49 days
Median decision time
Lodgement to decision across 2,134 dated Moreton Bay cases
2,134
Decided applications
Moreton Bay dwelling-house applications
14
Zones tracked
Moreton Bay new-house zone rows citing Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016
Do you need council approval for a new house (including knockdown-rebuild) in Moreton Bay?
Whether a new house (including knockdown-rebuild) in Moreton Bay needs a development application is decided by Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016, v7.1, which places each proposal in one of the three Planning Act 2016 categories: accepted development, code assessable or impact assessable. For a Moreton Bay lot the answer turns on the zone, any precinct mapped over it and the overlays that apply, so Moreton Bay council does not publish one blanket answer for new-house proposals.
A new house on an ordinary Moreton Bay residential lot usually goes through building approval with a private certifier rather than a planning application. That is why the 2,134 dwelling-house applications Moreton Bay council has decided in our records are the exceptions: character and heritage overlays, small, steep or flood-affected lots, and zones under Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016 where a house is not the expected use.
The Moreton Bay record gives a feel for what assessment involves: a quarter of the 2,134 dated new-house decisions were made within 29 days of lodgement, and a quarter took longer than 76 days.
The zone, precinct and overlay position of one Moreton Bay address is what settles the pathway for a new house (including knockdown-rebuild), and a free Casa block check reads all three for any Moreton Bay lot in seconds.
What Moreton Bay’s scheme says about new-house development
The passage below is quoted word for word from Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016, v7.1, the instrument Moreton Bay council assesses new-house proposals against, from the Dwelling house code, as Casa held the Moreton Bay scheme text on 9 Sept 2026.
“The purpose of the code will be achieved through the following overall outcomes: Dwelling houses support housing diversity that meets the needs of existing and future residents within the region.”
Source for these Moreton Bay new-house passages: Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016 (Moreton Bay council)
How new-house applications have fared in Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay council has decided 2,134 dwelling-house applications in our dataset, approving 2,128 (99.7%) and refusing 6. That is 1 point above the pooled South East Queensland figure of 99% across 24,107 decided new-house applications in the 7 councils Casa tracks, ranking Moreton Bay 4th of 7 for approval rate.
New house work is 15% of everything Moreton Bay council has decided in our records (14,587 applications of all kinds), which makes Moreton Bay the 4th largest new-house cohort of the 7 councils.
The median Moreton Bay decision took 49 days from lodgement, measured across the 2,134 new-house applications with both dates recorded, 9 days faster than the 58-day middle council for this cohort. Moreton Bay decisions made since the start of 2024 ran at a median of 54 days (642 cases), 5 days longer than the long-run Moreton Bay figure.
The busiest year for new-house decisions in Moreton Bay was 2025, with 398 decided. In 2025 Moreton Bay council decided 398 and approved 100%, against 209 decided in 2024.
By suburb, Moreton Bay's new-house decisions cluster in Banksia Beach (118 decided, 100% approved), Brendale (118 decided, 97% approved) and Caboolture (105 decided, 98% approved).
Moreton Bay new-house decisions by year
| Year | Decided | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 220 | 219 | 1 | 100% |
| 2022 | 205 | 204 | 1 | 100% |
| 2023 | 195 | 195 | 0 | 100% |
| 2024 | 209 | 208 | 1 | 100% |
| 2025 | 398 | 398 | 0 | 100% |
| 2026 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 100% |
Recent new-house decisions in Moreton Bay
The 4 most recently decided dwelling-house applications recorded against Moreton Bay council, each cited by Moreton Bay's own application number so it can be looked up on the council's register.
| Application | Decision | Decided | Days to decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| DA/2025/3395 | Approved | 17 Feb 2026 | 214 days |
| DA/2025/4594 | Approved | 17 Feb 2026 | 151 days |
| DA/2025/6438 | Approved | 17 Feb 2026 | 61 days |
| DA/2025/6364 | Approved | 15 Feb 2026 | 62 days |
New house in Moreton Bay: common questions
Do I need council approval for a new house (including knockdown-rebuild) in Moreton Bay?
Only your lot's zone, precinct and overlays under Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016 can answer that for a new house (including knockdown-rebuild) at a Moreton Bay address. Most Moreton Bay houses proceed on building approval alone, and a planning application is triggered by overlays, lot shape or an unusual zone. Moreton Bay council has decided 2,134 dwelling-house applications in our records, so the pathway question comes up constantly in Moreton Bay.
What is the approval rate for new house (including knockdown-rebuild) applications in Moreton Bay?
99.7% of the 2,134 decided dwelling-house applications recorded against Moreton Bay council were approved and 6 were refused. Moreton Bay sits against a pooled new-house figure of 99% across the 7 South East Queensland councils Casa tracks. These are past Moreton Bay decisions and they do not guarantee any future new-house outcome.
How long does new house (including knockdown-rebuild) approval take in Moreton Bay?
The median time from lodgement to decision across the 2,134 dated new-house applications in Moreton Bay was 49 days. A quarter of Moreton Bay decisions came within 29 days and a quarter took longer than 76 days. Since the start of 2024 the Moreton Bay median has been 54 days across 642 decisions.
What does Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016 say about new-house development in Moreton Bay?
The Dwelling house code (section 9.3.1.2) states: "The purpose of the code will be achieved through the following overall outcomes: Dwelling houses support housing diversity that meets the needs of existing and future residents within the region."
About this guide
The zone rows on this page come from Casa's rules register for Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016, v7.1, and the statistics from 2,134 decided dwelling-house applications recorded against Moreton Bay council between 8 Mar 2016 and 17 Feb 2026, computed on 9 Sept 2026.
Moreton Bay amends its scheme over time, and precincts, local plans and overlays can vary these new-house rules for a single Moreton Bay lot. Past Moreton Bay decisions describe how comparable new-house proposals fared and do not predict any future application.
This page is general information, not planning or legal advice.
Would a Moreton Bay block support a new house (including knockdown-rebuild)? Check the address free.
Moreton Bay-wide new-house rules give the frame, and a free block check reads the zone, precinct and overlays for one Moreton Bay address and returns a Casa Score for a new house (including knockdown-rebuild) in seconds.
What the Moreton Bay new house rules mean for your site
This guide covers Moreton Bay at council level across 2,134 decided dwelling-house applications. A Preliminary Planning Report covers one address: the likely pathway for a new house (including knockdown-rebuild), the constraints on that Moreton Bay lot, and the comparable Moreton Bay approvals, prepared by our planning team and delivered within three business days.