This article continues our discussion on the rules and regulations for granny flats and dual occupancy developments in each Council throughout southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales. Our team at Granny and Co have been working closely with Marc Joyce Town Planning to provide this information and will update this section again in the near future but in the meantime call us if you need clarification.

Moreton Bay Regional Council’s requirements are set out in the MBRC Planning Scheme. There have been several rule changes for granny flats in this region ever since our team was involved in our first build back in 2008, thankfully Council has recently clarified its position on secondary dwellings (granny flats) as well as dual occupancy or duplex developments. It’s important to understand the difference between the two because, to put it simply, Moreton Council’s 45m2 and 55m2 size restriction for secondary dwellings makes it difficult (but not impossible) to build a small but comfortable 2-bedroom solution. If you need something bigger – like the 80m2 granny flats permitted within the neighbouring Brisbane Council catchment – then you’re basically applying for a dual occupancy solution and development approval (DA) will be required.

We’ve added some links to Council’s website in the above paragraphs that clarify the rules and regulations for building granny flats and dual occupancy developments in Moreton Council’s catchment but to make things easier we’ve summarised the main points below. 

GRANNY FLAT CHECKLIST (MBRC)

• • Granny flat definition: “secondary dwelling”
  • Self-assessable? Yes, provided there aren’t any significant development constraints
  • Maximum size: 55m2 GFA if your frontage is more than 15m wide, 45m2 if it’s less than 15m (GFA is measured around the outside of the granny flat walls… excludes Patios, Decks, Carports, etc)
  • Maximum overall site coverage / footprint on your site? 50%
  • Maximum distance from the primary dwelling: typically 10m
  • Does it need to be located behind the primary dwelling? No
  • Is there a minimum lot size (frontage)? No
  • What are the required boundary setbacks? Setbacks vary depending on the zoning of your land
  • What are the total number of car spaces required? This varies, 3+1 or 1+1
  • Can I rent out my granny flat to someone outside of my household group? Not permitted for secondary dwellings but its ok if you have dual occupancy approval
  • Do infrastructure contributions / levies apply? Not for secondary dwellings (yes for dual occupancy)

DUAL OCCUPANCY CHECKLIST (MBRC)

• Granny flat / house definition: “dual occupancy”
• Self-assessable? No, it’s code assessable which means you’ll need development approval.
• Maximum size: N/A
• Maximum overall site coverage / footprint on your site? 50%
• Maximum distance from the primary dwelling: N/A
• Does it need to be located behind the primary dwelling? No
• Is there a minimum lot size (frontage)? Typically no, but this depends on the zoning or your property
• What are the required boundary setbacks? Setbacks vary depending on the zoning of your land
• What are the total number of car spaces required? This varies, 3+1 or 1+1
• Can I rent out my granny flat to someone outside of my household group? Yes
• Do infrastructure contributions / levies apply? Yes

Source: 

Keep in mind that these are only applicable to properties within the Moreton Bay Regional Council’s catchment, so make sure to double-check your Council’s rules and regulations if your property falls outside of this catchment