Moreton Bay · Townhouses guide
Townhouse development in Moreton Bay: rules, approval and what the data shows
Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016, v7.1 sets the rules for a townhouse development in Moreton Bay. The figures on this page come from 1,000 decided multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications recorded against Moreton Bay council, current to 9 Sept 2026.
According to Casa Intelligence analysis of 1,000 decided multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications in Moreton Bay, 99% were approved, with a median decision time of 73 days.
99%
Approval rate
988 of 1,000 decided Moreton Bay applications
73 days
Median decision time
Lodgement to decision across 1,000 dated Moreton Bay cases
1,000
Decided applications
Moreton Bay multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications
16
Zones tracked
Moreton Bay townhouse development zone rows citing Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016
Do you need council approval for a townhouse development in Moreton Bay?
Whether a townhouse development 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 townhouse development proposals.
A townhouse development in Moreton Bay always needs a development application. Casa's rules register for Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016 records multi-unit residential use as contemplated in 4 of the 16 Moreton Bay zones it tracks, code assessable in Centre, High Density Residential, Medium Density Residential and Next Generation Neighbourhood. In the 12 remaining Moreton Bay 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 Moreton Bay site can actually carry.
The Moreton Bay record gives a feel for what assessment involves: a quarter of the 1,000 dated townhouse development decisions were made within 45 days of lodgement, and a quarter took longer than 138 days.
The zone, precinct and overlay position of one Moreton Bay address is what settles the pathway for a townhouse development, and a free Casa block check reads all three for any Moreton Bay lot in seconds.
What Moreton Bay’s scheme says about townhouse development development
The passage below is quoted word for word from Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016, v7.1, the instrument Moreton Bay council assesses townhouse development proposals against, from the General residential zone 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 for the Suburban neighbourhood precinct: The suburban neighbourhood precinct consists of a primarily residential urban fabric providing predominantly low density, low rise, detached housing on a variety of lot sizes with a maximum site density of 15 dwellings per hectare or a maximum site density of 75 dwellings per hectare if complying with b.”
Source for these Moreton Bay townhouse development passages: Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016 (Moreton Bay council)
Townhouses position by zone in Moreton Bay
Casa's register holds 16 Moreton Bay zone rows relevant to a townhouse development, each citing Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016, and precinct mapping and overlays tighten these townhouse development positions for individual Moreton Bay lots.
| Zone | Multi-unit | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | Yes | Code assessable |
| High Density Residential | Yes | Code assessable |
| Medium Density Residential | Yes | Code assessable |
| Next Generation Neighbourhood | Yes | Code assessable |
| Community Facilities | No | not held |
| Emerging Community | No | not held |
| Extractive Industry | No | not held |
| Environmental Management and Conservation | No | not held |
| General Residential | No | not held |
| Industry | No | not held |
| Limited Development (Constrained Land) | No | not held |
| Low Density Residential | No | not held |
| Recreation and Open Space | No | not held |
| Rural Residential | No | not held |
| Rural | No | not held |
| Township | No | not held |
"not held" means Moreton Bay's register has no value for that townhouse development cell, not that the scheme is silent. Height, setback and site-cover figures for Moreton Bay zones are held in the register but have not been checked against the scheme text, so they are not printed on this townhouse development page.
How townhouse development applications have fared in Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay council has decided 1,000 multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications in our dataset, approving 988 (99%) and refusing 12. That is level with the pooled South East Queensland figure of 99% across 16,028 decided townhouse development applications in the 7 councils Casa tracks, ranking Moreton Bay 4th of 7 for approval rate.
Townhouses work is 6.9% of everything Moreton Bay council has decided in our records (14,587 applications of all kinds), which makes Moreton Bay the 5th largest townhouse development cohort of the 7 councils.
The median Moreton Bay decision took 73 days from lodgement, measured across the 1,000 townhouse development applications with both dates recorded, 7 days faster than the 80-day middle council for this cohort. Moreton Bay decisions made since the start of 2024 ran at a median of 76 days (265 cases), 3 days longer than the long-run Moreton Bay figure.
The busiest year for townhouse development decisions in Moreton Bay was 2017, with 180 decided. In 2025 Moreton Bay council decided 160 and approved 98%, against 92 decided in 2024.
Where the Moreton Bay application description states a dwelling count, the median townhouse development proposal was 18 dwellings across 592 described applications, and 0% of those were two-dwelling schemes.
By suburb, Moreton Bay's townhouse development decisions cluster in Morayfield (87 decided, 100% approved), Redcliffe (73 decided, 100% approved) and Caboolture (69 decided, 100% approved).
Moreton Bay townhouse development decisions by year
| Year | Decided | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 63 | 63 | 0 | 100% |
| 2022 | 68 | 68 | 0 | 100% |
| 2023 | 71 | 69 | 2 | 97% |
| 2024 | 92 | 92 | 0 | 100% |
| 2025 | 160 | 156 | 4 | 98% |
| 2026 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 100% |
Recent townhouse development decisions in Moreton Bay
The 4 most recently decided multiple-dwelling and multi-unit 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/2025/6304 | Approved | 17 Feb 2026 | 68 days |
| DA/2025/6506 | Approved | 13 Feb 2026 | 56 days |
| DA/2025/5531 | Approved | 13 Feb 2026 | 105 days |
| DA/2025/6504 | Approved | 12 Feb 2026 | 55 days |
Townhouses in Moreton Bay: common questions
Do I need council approval for a townhouse development in Moreton Bay?
Only your lot's zone, precinct and overlays under Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016 can answer that for a townhouse development at a Moreton Bay address. A townhouse development in Moreton Bay always needs a development application. Moreton Bay council has decided 1,000 multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications in our records, so the pathway question comes up constantly in Moreton Bay.
Which zones allow townhouse development development in Moreton Bay?
Casa's register for Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016 records townhouse development development as contemplated in Centre, High Density Residential, Medium Density Residential and Next Generation Neighbourhood, 4 of the 16 Moreton Bay zones tracked. Precinct mapping and overlays can still restrict a Moreton Bay lot inside one of those zones.
What is the approval rate for townhouse development applications in Moreton Bay?
99% of the 1,000 decided multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications recorded against Moreton Bay council were approved and 12 were refused. Moreton Bay sits against a pooled townhouse development 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 townhouse development outcome.
How long does townhouse development approval take in Moreton Bay?
The median time from lodgement to decision across the 1,000 dated townhouse development applications in Moreton Bay was 73 days. A quarter of Moreton Bay decisions came within 45 days and a quarter took longer than 138 days. Since the start of 2024 the Moreton Bay median has been 76 days across 265 decisions.
What does Moreton Bay Region Planning Scheme 2016 say about townhouse development development in Moreton Bay?
The General residential zone code (section 6.2.6.2) states: "The purpose of the code will be achieved through the following overall outcomes for the Suburban neighbourhood precinct: The suburban neighbourhood precinct consists of a primarily residential urban fabric providing predominantly low density, low rise, detached housing on a variety of lot sizes with a maximum site density of 15 dwellings per hectare or a maximum site density of 75 dwellings per hectare if complying with b."
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 1,000 decided multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications recorded against Moreton Bay council between 4 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 townhouse development rules for a single Moreton Bay lot. Past Moreton Bay decisions describe how comparable townhouse development 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 townhouse development? Check the address free.
Moreton Bay-wide townhouse development 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 townhouse development in seconds.
What the Moreton Bay townhouses rules mean for your site
This guide covers Moreton Bay at council level across 1,000 decided multiple-dwelling and multi-unit applications. A Preliminary Planning Report covers one address: the likely pathway for a townhouse development, the constraints on that Moreton Bay lot, and the comparable Moreton Bay approvals, prepared by our planning team and delivered within three business days.