As shed industry experts that talk to those who are in the market for sheds, (as well as those who sell, design and build sheds), we hear a lot of questions around building regulations and how they apply to sheds.
We recently covered some of the most commonly asked questions for shed regulations in NSW.
Here, we carry on that train of regulation thought, but with the Queensland-specific building regulations, for shed projects in QLD.
Here we’ll cover some of the most commonly asked questions, such as what permits are needed for sheds in QLD, what size sheds can be built without a permit in QLD, and more.
While some of the regulations and processes can be similar across states and territories, unfortunately they are not completely the same.
Not only do the states vary, but some local councils require different levels of permits and certifications, and you may also be required to gain other additional local approvals, based on the specifics of your property or build site. This can include anything from environmental approval for environmental factors to specific requirements around fire safety and water runoff.
So, the advice is always to check in with your local council as to what the specific requirements are for your exact property and exact scenario. You can also speak to your shed retailer, shed builder, whoever has designed, planned and ordered your shed, or even a private third party contractor hired for this approval process.
We recommend starting with your shed retailer, designer and builder, as these parties will often have a strong knowledge of these areas through experience, may offer services to complete your applications for you, can provide you with the information you need to lodge with any applications required, or at the very least, could point you in the right direction. And of course, this guide will give you more of an idea on the overall process.
Before you build a shed, you need to be informed on the correct building classification suitable for the property and usage of the building. This information can be obtained from local council, surveyor, certifier or shed business.
In QLD, if you want to build a shed, your project must meet the requirements set out under this national building code.
In addition to meeting the building code requirements, you may need to apply for (and obtain successfully) the following:
Shed permits required in QLD:
Other important factors:
There are location-specific requirements for your property and local area within your state that may come into play. So it’s important to find out some key pieces of information about your property and any requirements that might apply, before you begin.
This includes things such as:
A word of caution with alterations or upgrades later:
If you plan to make any alterations to your shed down the track, it’s important to have a look at how this could impact your application process, and your building permits and approvals. It’s important to be careful about any upgrades to an existing shed as a rule, as upgrades and alterations may mean that your shed now requires a building permit, where one wasn’t needed before.
A note on electricity, solar and plumbing:
If you plan on installing electricity, solar panels or plumbing into your shed project, it’s important to look into how these could affect your permits, approval processes and timings before you begin. These are things that can make the permit process a little harder, and can also affect the permits, requirements and applications needed (for example, you may now need permits, where without these elements, you may not need permits).
In Australian building codes, a Class 10(a) Shed is a non-habitable building that has a residential property on the same site. It isn’t the main feature of the surrounding landscape.
While a shed is a non-habitable building, it still must be built to comply with the minimum Building Codes of Australia standards and rules.
There may be different requirements, based on your local council’s specifics, if your shed is on a non-residential property (eg, a farm). Calling your local council is the best way to find out what these are for your specific property and area.
If you are building a shed that may be classed as habitable (class 1a), you might also have to comply with different standards, or receive different permits and applications. It’s important to check with your local council, shed retailer, and builder, about this first as well before getting started.
In Queensland, the Building Regulation 2006 and the Queensland Development Code set out the requirements of building a shed. Under these requirements, QLD sheds will not need a building approval if your shed meets all the following conditions:
Australia-wide, across most locations, the process for gaining building approval to build a shed usually involves submitting your plans for review and approval by the local council.
In Queensland, when you submit your plans to your local council, they’ll assess them against the applicable building codes, and regulations before giving you the official go-ahead and building approval certificate. Like most other states and territories, you need this before you begin your build.
It’s of course important to check what other approvals you need, aside from your building approval certificate. This will be specific to your shed’s features, size, location and more. Here’s how to go about it:
A building certifier can give you advice on the building approval, and some can organise your approval, if you provide them the right information; scaled, detailed plans for the build that have been completed by an architect or draftsperson.
Ask your shed retailer if they can provide this information (the drawings, specs and information for your building application) for you — if they use our industry-leading software, they can!
In fact, your shed retailer and or builder may be able to help you with the application process itself, and advice on what approvals and applications you need. We recommend taking this as a first step.
Local councils will often recommend you get advice from a private building certifier or licenced contractor, to apply for the approvals you need, and to ensure you have covered all bases that you need to.
Some shed retailers will fall into this category, especially those who offer building services. Being in the business of sheds, most shed retailers will either know, or have some idea, and will usually be able to direct you to the right source of information.
Shed Retailers who use Quotec LIVE to design their sheds are able to provide home owners with engineering compliance and local council documents specific to the site address of where the building is located.
So we recommend asking whoever you’re ordering your shed through, and whoever is erecting your shed, how they can help.
The shed retailer who designs your shed and orders all of your shed materials (also known as your shed kit) will be able to provide you with the details and drawings needed for your building application if they use some of the best software in the industry. There’s also a good chance that they’re very much across the shed building application, and might even offer this service within their offering.
In Queensland, you are responsible for making sure that the shed build complies with all of the applicable laws and standards. These cover the building assessment provisions across everything from fire separation and boundary setbacks, to structural soundness, and limits in size.
Specifically, the standards you have to make sure you comply with in QLD are:
Ensuring that you do check with your local council to be sure you don’t need to do anything else for your specific shed build and local council’s requirements;
If you are finding all this a bit of a headache and would rather get the help of some experts, we don’t blame you — building regulations are notoriously difficult to understand for the average person (read: not immersed in the shed industry, building industry and experienced in QLD building regulations). A rule of thumb is to always check with your local council, to make sure you’ve got a handle on all the different types of permits you may need for your specific location and any other social or environmental factors that may come into play for your property.
There are various avenues you can take to get some help and guidance;
Further reading:
NSW Shed Regulations