How do I lodge a development application in Brisbane?

You lodge a development application (DA) with Brisbane City Council, ideally online, using DA Form 1 and dated written owner’s consent. Council sends an action notice with a fee quote, then a confirmation notice once the application is properly made. It may request more information, requires public notification for impact assessable applications, then decides. Track it on Development.i.

This guide walks through each stage in order, using Council’s published process and the Planning Act 2016 (Qld). If you are not sure whether your proposal needs a DA at all, or which kind of assessment applies, start with our guide to code vs impact assessment in Queensland.

Should I get pre-lodgement advice first?

It is worth it for most projects. Council’s How to get advice page lists two options:

• Talk to a Planner. A free 15-minute consultation about your site and City Plan, offered all year round.
• A paid pre-lodgement meeting. Held in person, onsite or virtually, it gives advice on a site or proposal before you lodge. Council aims to meet within 15 working days and gives written advice.

The pre-lodgement timeframes start from when you pay the fee, and onsite meetings carry an additional fee. You request either service through Council’s Development Services Enquiry Form. Council’s current fees are in its 2026-27 development assessment and compliance fee schedule; check it directly for the dollar amounts.

Who do I lodge a DA with, and how?

Brisbane City Council receives the application. According to Council’s Prepare and lodge an application page, you have three options:

1. Online, through Council’s development application lodgement form. Council describes this as the easiest option.
2. In person at a Customer Centre.
3. By mail to GPO Box 1434, Brisbane Qld 4001.

Lodging in person or by mail incurs a scanning fee. If you hit a technical problem while lodging online, Council’s number is 07 3403 8888.

For online lodgement, Council accepts Word, PDF and JPG files, each under 40MB, with short descriptive file names.

Which forms do I need?

• DA Form 1 (Development application details) for code or impact assessable development.
• DA Form 2 (Building work details) if the project includes building work, whether on its own or combined with another type of assessable development.

Both forms come from the Queensland Government’s forms and templates page, as Council’s lodgement page notes.

Do I need the owner’s consent?

Yes. Written owner’s consent is required when you submit. Without it the application is incomplete, and the consent must be dated to be valid. What you need depends on who owns the land:

• Individuals: a current title search, signed by all landowners.
• Companies: a current title search plus the ACN or ABN, signed by the appropriate directors or secretary.
• Council-owned land: separate consent, requested through Council’s online request form.

Because missing or undated consent leaves the application incomplete, check it before you lodge.

How are fees paid, and when is the application “properly made”?

After you lodge, Council checks the application is lodged correctly, with the required documents and owner’s consent. It then sends you an action notice containing a fee quote. BPAY is Council’s preferred payment method.

Two timing rules matter here:

• You must pay the fees within 20 business days of receiving the action notice. If you do not, the application is treated as not made and is closed in Council’s system.
• Council’s Development assessment process page says you have 20 business days to respond to the action notice, starting the day after you receive it.

A complete application is “properly made” under section 51 of the Planning Act 2016. Council will not assess an application that is not properly made until the missing information is provided. Once it is, Council issues a confirmation notice within 5 business days after it receives your response to the action notice.

Can Council refer the application or ask for more information?

Referral agencies

Council may refer the application to referral agencies, generally Queensland Government departments. It cannot decide the application until it has their responses.

Information requests

Council may issue an information request within 10 business days of the end of the confirmation period. You then have 3 months to respond. Alternatively, you can agree at lodgement not to accept an information request.

When is public notification required, and for how long?

Under section 53 of the Planning Act 2016, you as the applicant must give public notice if:

• any part of the application requires impact assessment, or
• the application includes a variation request.

The notice must state that a person may make a submission to the assessment manager (s 53(4)). Council’s process page sets out the practical timing:

• Notification must start within 20 business days of completing the last relevant action.
• The minimum notification period is 15 business days for most applications and 30 business days for a variation request.
• Business days from 20 December to 5 January do not count.
• After the closing date you have 10 business days to tell Council you have met all notification requirements.

If you live near a proposal and want to have your say, see our guide on how to object to a development application.

How is the decision made?

The rules differ by assessment type under section 60 of the Planning Act:

• Code assessment: the assessment manager must approve the application to the extent the development complies with all assessment benchmarks.
• Impact assessment: the assessment manager must approve all or part, approve with conditions, or refuse.

Council notifies you of the outcome through a decision notice within 5 working days of deciding.

What are my appeal rights?

According to Council’s process page:

• Applicants have 20 business days from the day the decision notice is given to appeal to the Planning and Environment Court. You can suspend the appeal period to request a negotiated decision notice.
• Submitters may appeal only certain impact assessable decisions or variation approvals. Submitters cannot appeal decisions on code assessable applications.

How do I track an application on Development.i?

Development.i is Council’s tracking and lookup tool. You can:

• search for an application by property address, map location or application number;
• make public submissions and read decision notices;
• view infrastructure charges notices for approved applications.

Infrastructure charges are a separate cost that comes after approval. Our guide to infrastructure charges in Queensland explains how they are set and when they are payable.

To see what is being lodged near you, browse recent DAs on our suburb pages, the Queensland market page and the Queensland major projects tracker.

Quick checklist before you lodge

1. Book a free Talk to a Planner session or a paid pre-lodgement meeting.
2. Complete DA Form 1, plus DA Form 2 if there is building work.
3. Get dated written owner’s consent with a current title search.
4. Prepare files in Word, PDF or JPG, each under 40MB, with clear names.
5. Lodge online and watch for the action notice.
6. Pay the fee within 20 business days.
7. Diary the information request window and, if needed, the notification timeline.

Primary sources

• Planning Act 2016 (Qld), in force as at 3 September 2026
• Brisbane City Council: Prepare and lodge an application
• Brisbane City Council: Development assessment process
• Brisbane City Council: How to get advice
• Brisbane City Council: Development assessment and compliance fees 2026-27

General information only, not legal or financial advice. Check the primary sources above or get professional advice for your situation.