Council Approval vs. Building Approval

Ever heard someone say, "Your going to need approval for that", and thought what is that and how do I get it? Well, there are two types of approval that you may need if you are looking at doing some development or construction: a 'Development Approval' (or Council Approval, DA for short) and a 'Building Approval' (BA).

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Like the name a suggests, a DA is related to your local Council requirements. For certain developments and constructions, plans must be submitted to council for assessment against the CityPlan and Planning Act 2016. Some examples include; renovations to a pre-1946 home in a traditional character area, a multi-unit dwelling (including townhouses) and even some decks and pools. There are three types of development approvals:

  1. Accepted development, subject to requirements - This type of approval does not need to be assessed by council, however it means there are certain requirements which you need to comply with.

  2. Accepted Development - This type of development does not require a Development Approval and there are no requirements in the CityPlan you need to comply with.

  3. Development Approval - This type of development requires plans to be submitted to council so they can be assessed and approved by council assessment team.

A Building Approval is similar, however it is assessed by a Private Certifier against a different set of laws and regulations such as the Building Act 1975, National Construction Code (formally Building Code of Australia), Queensland Development Code and Australian Standards. To gain Building Approval you must submit a set of BA plans which must be signed off by an accredited Private Building Certifer before any construction can start. A certifier will also need to inspect the progress of construction at critical points of the project. At the completion of construction a certifier must do a 'Final Inspection' and supply a Form 21.

In some cases you may only need a BA and depending on your project you may not need either, however,  if you need a DA for your project, you must first have this approved by council before you can submit your BA.

If you have any questions regarding your approval please contact us.