Find development applications
Locate a development application or request a planning certificate before you buy, develop or renovate.
Search for a development application
A development application search provides access to current or past development applications. This includes plans and conditions of approval.
This information can guide you to make informed building decisions. Details from the search help to:
- identify potential development restrictions for a property
- assess future development potential in the area surrounding a property
- avoid properties that require significant investment to overcome regulatory challenges
- avoid properties that may not align with your objectives.
You can search for past and current development applications using Development.i.
Request historical records
We can help you access older development applications with a historical records search. Fees for historical requests are calculated on a case-by-case basis.
You’ll need to provide a valid rates notice or a letter from your building’s body corporate giving you authority to access the records.
After you submit a request, we contact you within 5 business days to identify relevant development history and issue your invoice.
We may be able to meet you in person to view a hardcopy file containing an approval’s:
- development conditions
- decision notice
- approved plans and documents.
For more information:
- learn about your Right to Information
- phone Council on 07 3403 8888.
Planning and development certificates
You can request a planning and development certificate as part of:
- the due diligence stage of a property settlement
- obtaining lawful use of the site for an upcoming application.
A certificate provides written information about a property’s development approvals, infrastructure charges or agreement and planning scheme provisions.
The 3 types of planning and development certificates including limited, standard and full. Each certificate provides a different level of information. only a full certificate will provide written information on whether conditions have been complied with or not.
Note: A planning and development certificate doesn’t include building approvals prior to 30 March 1998, copies of development plans or state whether the current use is lawful.
This certificate relates to standard conveyancing matters. It provides:
- a summary of the relevant planning scheme provisions and charges resolution
- any temporary local planning instrument
- any variation approval in effect
- any state planning instrument
- any state or local designations under legislation
- a copy of any information recorded for the premises in the Infrastructure Charges Register.
This certificate predominantly relates to commercial enterprises. It provides:
- the same information contained in a limited certificate
- decision notices (or negotiated decision notices) for development approvals in effect (i.e that haven’t lapsed)
- minor changes to a development approval
- approvals given to extend the currency period of a development approval
- details relating to continuing approvals (approved before 30 March 1998)
- details of decisions made on historical rezoning applications under the repealed Local Government (Planning and Environment) Act 1990
- a copy of any compliance certificate in effect given under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009
- a copy of any exemption certificate for development on the premises given under section 46 of the Planning Act 2016 (does not include heritage exemption certificates)
- judgement or court order about the development approval (other than that of a tribunal about a development permit for carrying out building works)
- a copy of any agreement about a condition of the development approval that Council (or a concurrence agency) is aware of and is in effect
- infrastructure agreement applying to the premises to which Council is a party to
- infrastructure agreements with another agency applying to the premises (This applies where we have received a copy under section 153 of the Planning Act 2016.)
- a description of each proposed amendment to be made to the planning scheme, but not yet adopted by Council.
This certificate predominately relates to commercial enterprises. It provides:
- the same information given in both the limited certificate and standard certificate
- details of any current development approval containing conditions including statement of fulfilment or non-fulfilment of each condition on a stated day (after the certificate was applied for)
- details of whether there was an infrastructure agreement that Council is party to including:
- any obligations not fulfilled, including details of the nature and extent of non-fulfilment
- details of any security given and associated payment
- information about prosecution, including:
- advice of any prosecution for a development offence related to the premises that the Council is aware of
- proceedings for a prosecution for a development offence related to the premises that Council is aware of.