Sunshine Coast · New house guide
Building a new house in Sunshine Coast: rules, approval and what the data shows
Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014, Version 27 sets the rules for a new house (including knockdown-rebuild) in Sunshine Coast. The figures on this page come from 1,289 decided dwelling-house applications recorded against Sunshine Coast council, current to 9 Sept 2026.
According to Casa Intelligence analysis of 1,289 decided dwelling-house applications in Sunshine Coast, 98% were approved, with a median decision time of 66 days.
98%
Approval rate
1,261 of 1,289 decided Sunshine Coast applications
66 days
Median decision time
Lodgement to decision across 1,256 dated Sunshine Coast cases
1,289
Decided applications
Sunshine Coast dwelling-house applications
12
Zones tracked
Sunshine Coast new-house zone rows citing Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014
Do you need council approval for a new house (including knockdown-rebuild) in Sunshine Coast?
Whether a new house (including knockdown-rebuild) 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 new-house proposals.
A new house on an ordinary Sunshine Coast residential lot usually goes through building approval with a private certifier rather than a planning application. That is why the 1,289 dwelling-house applications Sunshine Coast council has decided in our records are the exceptions: character and heritage overlays, small, steep or flood-affected lots, and zones under Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 where a house is not the expected use.
The Sunshine Coast record gives a feel for what assessment involves: a quarter of the 1,256 dated new-house decisions were made within 30 days of lodgement, and a quarter took longer than 124 days.
The zone, precinct and overlay position of one Sunshine Coast address is what settles the pathway for a new house (including knockdown-rebuild), and a free Casa block check reads all three for any Sunshine Coast lot in seconds.
What Sunshine Coast’s scheme says about new-house development
The passage below is quoted word for word from Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014, Version 27, the instrument Sunshine Coast council assesses new-house proposals against, from the Dwelling house code, as Casa held the Sunshine Coast scheme text on 9 Sept 2026.
“The purpose of the Dwelling house code is to ensure dwelling houses achieve a high level of comfort and amenity for occupants, maintain the amenity and privacy of neighbouring residential premises and are compatible with the character and streetscape of the local area.”
Source for these Sunshine Coast new-house passages: Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 (Sunshine Coast council)
How new-house applications have fared in Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast council has decided 1,289 dwelling-house applications in our dataset, approving 1,261 (98%) and refusing 28. That is 1 point below the pooled South East Queensland figure of 99% across 24,107 decided new-house applications in the 7 councils Casa tracks, ranking Sunshine Coast 6th of 7 for approval rate.
New house work is 4.0% of everything Sunshine Coast council has decided in our records (32,051 applications of all kinds), which makes Sunshine Coast the 5th largest new-house cohort of the 7 councils.
The median Sunshine Coast decision took 66 days from lodgement, measured across the 1,256 new-house applications with both dates recorded, 8 days slower than the 58-day middle council for this cohort. Sunshine Coast decisions made since the start of 2024 ran at a median of 82 days (245 cases), 16 days longer than the long-run Sunshine Coast figure.
The busiest year for new-house decisions in Sunshine Coast was 2025, with 125 decided. In 2025 Sunshine Coast council decided 125 and approved 99%, against 99 decided in 2024.
By suburb, Sunshine Coast's new-house decisions cluster in Glass House Mountains (256 decided, 98% approved), Coolum Beach (91 decided, 99% approved) and Yandina (63 decided, 100% approved).
Sunshine Coast new-house decisions by year
| Year | Decided | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 96 | 90 | 6 | 94% |
| 2022 | 94 | 92 | 2 | 98% |
| 2023 | 94 | 91 | 3 | 97% |
| 2024 | 99 | 96 | 3 | 97% |
| 2025 | 125 | 124 | 1 | 99% |
| 2026 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 100% |
Recent new-house decisions in Sunshine Coast
The 4 most recently decided dwelling-house 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCU23/0310 | Approved | 20 May 2026 | 917 days |
| MCU25/0369 | Approved | 18 Mar 2026 | 94 days |
| MCU25/0222 | Approved | 8 Mar 2026 | 210 days |
| MCU25/0308 | Approved | 4 Mar 2026 | 129 days |
New house in Sunshine Coast: common questions
Do I need council approval for a new house (including knockdown-rebuild) in Sunshine Coast?
Only your lot's zone, precinct and overlays under Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 can answer that for a new house (including knockdown-rebuild) at a Sunshine Coast address. Most Sunshine Coast houses proceed on building approval alone, and a planning application is triggered by overlays, lot shape or an unusual zone. Sunshine Coast council has decided 1,289 dwelling-house applications in our records, so the pathway question comes up constantly in Sunshine Coast.
What is the approval rate for new house (including knockdown-rebuild) applications in Sunshine Coast?
98% of the 1,289 decided dwelling-house applications recorded against Sunshine Coast council were approved and 28 were refused. Sunshine Coast sits against a pooled new-house figure of 99% across the 7 South East Queensland councils Casa tracks. These are past Sunshine Coast decisions and they do not guarantee any future new-house outcome.
How long does new house (including knockdown-rebuild) approval take in Sunshine Coast?
The median time from lodgement to decision across the 1,256 dated new-house applications in Sunshine Coast was 66 days. A quarter of Sunshine Coast decisions came within 30 days and a quarter took longer than 124 days. Since the start of 2024 the Sunshine Coast median has been 82 days across 245 decisions.
What does Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 say about new-house development in Sunshine Coast?
The Dwelling house code (section 9.3.6.2) states: "The purpose of the Dwelling house code is to ensure dwelling houses achieve a high level of comfort and amenity for occupants, maintain the amenity and privacy of neighbouring residential premises and are compatible with the character and streetscape of the local area."
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 1,289 decided dwelling-house applications recorded against Sunshine Coast council between 19 July 2000 and 20 May 2026, computed on 9 Sept 2026.
Sunshine Coast amends its scheme over time, and precincts, local plans and overlays can vary these new-house rules for a single Sunshine Coast lot. Past Sunshine Coast 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 Sunshine Coast block support a new house (including knockdown-rebuild)? Check the address free.
Sunshine Coast-wide new-house 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 new house (including knockdown-rebuild) in seconds.
What the Sunshine Coast new house rules mean for your site
This guide covers Sunshine Coast at council level across 1,289 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 Sunshine Coast lot, and the comparable Sunshine Coast approvals, prepared by our planning team and delivered within three business days.