Sunshine Coast · Granny flat guide
Building a granny flat in Sunshine Coast: rules, approval and what the data shows
Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014, Version 27 sets the rules for a granny flat or secondary dwelling in Sunshine Coast. The figures on this page come from 248 decided secondary dwelling (granny flat) applications recorded against Sunshine Coast council, current to 9 Sept 2026.
According to Casa Intelligence analysis of 248 decided secondary dwelling (granny flat) applications in Sunshine Coast, 97% were approved, with a median decision time of 69 days.
97%
Approval rate
241 of 248 decided Sunshine Coast applications
69 days
Median decision time
Lodgement to decision across 247 dated Sunshine Coast cases
248
Decided applications
Sunshine Coast secondary dwelling (granny flat) applications
13
Zones tracked
Sunshine Coast granny flat and secondary dwelling zone rows citing Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014
Do you need council approval for a granny flat or secondary dwelling in Sunshine Coast?
Whether a granny flat or secondary dwelling in Sunshine Coast needs a development application is decided by Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014, Version 27, which places each proposal in one of the three Planning Act 2016 categories: accepted development, code assessable or impact assessable. For a Sunshine Coast lot the answer turns on the zone, any precinct mapped over it and the overlays that apply, so Sunshine Coast council does not publish one blanket answer for granny flat and secondary dwelling proposals.
Casa's rules register for Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 records a secondary dwelling as contemplated in 5 of the 13 Sunshine Coast zones it tracks, including Emerging Community, Low Density Residential, Medium Density Residential, Rural Residential and 1 other zone, and not in 8 others. A Sunshine Coast granny flat that meets the scheme's size and siting requirements for its zone can often proceed on building approval alone, while one that falls outside them or picks up an overlay trigger needs a development application.
Sunshine Coast's own wording on secondary dwellings is quoted further down this page from the Dwelling house code, which is the passage a Sunshine Coast assessing officer reads first.
The Sunshine Coast record gives a feel for what assessment involves: a quarter of the 247 dated granny flat and secondary dwelling decisions were made within 40 days of lodgement, and a quarter took longer than 108 days.
The zone, precinct and overlay position of one Sunshine Coast address is what settles the pathway for a granny flat or secondary dwelling, and a free Casa block check reads all three for any Sunshine Coast lot in seconds.
What Sunshine Coast’s scheme says about granny flat and secondary dwelling development
The passage below is quoted word for word from Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014, Version 27, the instrument Sunshine Coast council assesses granny flat and secondary dwelling proposals against, from the Dwelling house code, as Casa held the Sunshine Coast scheme text on 9 Sept 2026.
“where provided, a secondary dwelling:- (i) is located, designed, constructed and used to have an association with the primary dwelling; and (ii) is small in size, such that the secondary dwelling is ancillary to the primary dwelling.”
Source for these Sunshine Coast granny flat and secondary dwelling passages: Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 (Sunshine Coast council)
Granny flat position by zone in Sunshine Coast
Casa's register holds 13 Sunshine Coast zone rows relevant to a granny flat or secondary dwelling, each citing Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014, and precinct mapping and overlays tighten these granny flat and secondary dwelling positions for individual Sunshine Coast lots.
| Zone | Secondary dwelling |
|---|---|
| Emerging Community | Yes |
| Low Density Residential | Yes |
| Medium Density Residential | Yes |
| Rural Residential | Yes |
| Rural | Yes |
| Community Facilities | No |
| High Density Residential | No |
| High Impact Industry | No |
| Limited Development (Constrained Land) | No |
| Low Impact Industry | No |
| Medium Impact Industry | No |
| Open Space | No |
| Sport and Recreation | No |
"not held" means Sunshine Coast's register has no value for that granny flat and secondary dwelling cell, not that the scheme is silent. Height, setback and site-cover figures for Sunshine Coast zones are held in the register but have not been checked against the scheme text, so they are not printed on this granny flat and secondary dwelling page.
How granny flat and secondary dwelling applications have fared in Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast council has decided 248 secondary dwelling (granny flat) applications in our dataset, approving 241 (97%) and refusing 7. That is 3 points below the pooled South East Queensland figure of 99.6% across 1,804 decided granny flat and secondary dwelling applications in the 5 councils Casa tracks, ranking Sunshine Coast 5th of 5 for approval rate.
Granny flat work is under 1% of everything Sunshine Coast council has decided in our records (32,051 applications of all kinds), which makes Sunshine Coast the 3rd largest granny flat and secondary dwelling cohort of the 5 councils.
The median Sunshine Coast decision took 69 days from lodgement, measured across the 247 granny flat and secondary dwelling applications with both dates recorded, 23 days slower than the 46-day middle council for this cohort. Sunshine Coast decisions made since the start of 2024 ran at a median of 71 days (103 cases), 2 days longer than the long-run Sunshine Coast figure.
The busiest year for granny flat and secondary dwelling decisions in Sunshine Coast was 2025, with 51 decided. In 2025 Sunshine Coast council decided 51 and approved 100%, against 40 decided in 2024.
By suburb, Sunshine Coast's granny flat and secondary dwelling decisions cluster in Doonan (11 decided, 100% approved), Eerwah Vale (10 decided, 100% approved) and Glass House Mountains (9 decided, 89% approved).
Sunshine Coast granny flat and secondary dwelling decisions by year
| Year | Decided | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 100% |
| 2022 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 100% |
| 2023 | 27 | 26 | 1 | 96% |
| 2024 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 100% |
| 2025 | 51 | 51 | 0 | 100% |
| 2026 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 100% |
Recent granny flat and secondary dwelling decisions in Sunshine Coast
The 4 most recently decided secondary dwelling (granny flat) applications recorded against Sunshine Coast council, each cited by Sunshine Coast's own application number so it can be looked up on the council's register.
| Application | Decision | Decided | Days to decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCU25/0319 | Approved | 24 Feb 2026 | 107 days |
| MCU26/0006 | Approved | 20 Feb 2026 | 37 days |
| MCU25/0333 | Approved | 8 Feb 2026 | 80 days |
| MCU25/0359 | Approved | 28 Jan 2026 | 50 days |
Granny flat in Sunshine Coast: common questions
Do I need council approval for a granny flat or secondary dwelling in Sunshine Coast?
Only your lot's zone, precinct and overlays under Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 can answer that for a granny flat or secondary dwelling at a Sunshine Coast address. Some compliant Sunshine Coast proposals of this type proceed on building approval alone, while others need a full development application. Sunshine Coast council has decided 248 secondary dwelling (granny flat) applications in our records, so the pathway question comes up regularly in Sunshine Coast.
Which zones allow granny flat and secondary dwelling development in Sunshine Coast?
Casa's register for Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 records granny flat and secondary dwelling development as contemplated in Emerging Community, Low Density Residential, Medium Density Residential, Rural Residential and Rural, 5 of the 13 Sunshine Coast zones tracked. Precinct mapping and overlays can still restrict a Sunshine Coast lot inside one of those zones.
What is the approval rate for granny flat or secondary dwelling applications in Sunshine Coast?
97% of the 248 decided secondary dwelling (granny flat) applications recorded against Sunshine Coast council were approved and 7 were refused. Sunshine Coast sits against a pooled granny flat and secondary dwelling figure of 99.6% across the 5 South East Queensland councils Casa tracks. These are past Sunshine Coast decisions and they do not guarantee any future granny flat and secondary dwelling outcome.
How long does granny flat or secondary dwelling approval take in Sunshine Coast?
The median time from lodgement to decision across the 247 dated granny flat and secondary dwelling applications in Sunshine Coast was 69 days. A quarter of Sunshine Coast decisions came within 40 days and a quarter took longer than 108 days. Since the start of 2024 the Sunshine Coast median has been 71 days across 103 decisions.
What does Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 say about granny flat and secondary dwelling development in Sunshine Coast?
The Dwelling house code (section 9.3.6.2) states: "where provided, a secondary dwelling:- (i) is located, designed, constructed and used to have an association with the primary dwelling; and (ii) is small in size, such that the secondary dwelling is ancillary to the primary dwelling."
About this guide
The zone rows on this page come from Casa's rules register for Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014, Version 27, and the statistics from 248 decided secondary dwelling (granny flat) applications recorded against Sunshine Coast council between 7 June 2013 and 24 Feb 2026, computed on 9 Sept 2026.
Sunshine Coast amends its scheme over time, and precincts, local plans and overlays can vary these granny flat and secondary dwelling rules for a single Sunshine Coast lot. Past Sunshine Coast decisions describe how comparable granny flat and secondary dwelling proposals fared and do not predict any future application.
This page is general information, not planning or legal advice.
Would a Sunshine Coast block support a granny flat or secondary dwelling? Check the address free.
Sunshine Coast-wide granny flat and secondary dwelling rules give the frame, and a free block check reads the zone, precinct and overlays for one Sunshine Coast address and returns a Casa Score for a granny flat or secondary dwelling in seconds.
What the Sunshine Coast granny flat rules mean for your site
This guide covers Sunshine Coast at council level across 248 decided secondary dwelling (granny flat) applications. A Preliminary Planning Report covers one address: the likely pathway for a granny flat or secondary dwelling, the constraints on that Sunshine Coast lot, and the comparable Sunshine Coast approvals, prepared by our planning team and delivered within three business days.