Bed and breakfast
Find out what approvals you need to use your property as a bed and breakfast. Read the Home-based business code.
What is a bed and breakfast?
A bed and breakfast provides tourist and visitor accommodation on a short-term, commercial basis. The host operates and maintains these facilities and guests are generally given breakfast.
Under Brisbane City Plan 2014 (City Plan), a bed and breakfast is a home-based business and doesn’t include a:
- motel, hotel and other forms of short-term accommodation
- boarding house, hostel and other forms of rooming accommodation.
What you need to know
Before you set up a bed and breakfast on your property, you need to:
- find key facts about your property
- understand the relevant codes
- know the preferred locations.
Find key property facts
Use the mapping tool in City Plan online to find key facts about your property. This includes:
- zoning
- neighbourhood plans
- overlays.
Understand the code
The Home-based business code in City Plan applies to bed and breakfasts.
The code outlines perfomance outcomes to ensure the operation of a home-based business doesn't compromise neighbouring residents.
Know the preferred locations
City Plan encourages bed and breakfasts to be located in the following zones:
What you need to do
Follow this process to get the relevant approvals before setting up a bed and breakfast.
You may need one or more of the following approvals for your bed and breakfast:
- planning approval
- building approval.
Planning approval
Your bed and breakfast may need planning approval.
To find out if you need to lodge a development application for planning approval, phone Council and ask to speak to a Planning Information Officer.
Building approval
You may need to seek advice if you’re planning to undertake building works. Get advice from a licensed private building certifier or building consultant for:
- building work for a new or existing bed and breakfast
- any building approval that is required.
Your bed and breakfast could be accepted development under certain circumstances.
Projects that are accepted development don’t need planning approval, as long as they meet certain requirements.
Use the online self-assessable checklist to see if your proposal meets the accepted development criteria.
Once you’ve determined the property details and relevant approvals, you can prepare your development application (if required).
You can submit your development application:
- online
- in person
- by mail.
In some cases, you may be able to fast track your application.
We will review and assess your development application.
We may ask you to supply more information during the assessment process.
During this time, you can check your application status.
Other things to consider
Multiple home businesses
City Plan doesn’t limit the number of home-based businesses you can operate from a dwelling. However, you need to make sure you comply with the requirements in the Home-based business code.
Business changes
If the nature of your business changes over time, you may need to reconfirm whether you need planning approval.
Other advice
You may need to get advice from Council about your bed and breakfast if:
- it requires planning approval
- the premises are located within a neighbourhood plan or overlay area.
Phone our Business Hotline on 133 BNE (133 263).
More information
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