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Small business programs

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Learn more about initiatives and signage requirement for small businesses in Brisbane.

Small Business Friendly Brisbane initiative

We are focused on becoming Australia's most small-business-friendly council, supporting the growth of local businesses. Small businesses drive local jobs, provide essential goods, and help grow Brisbane's economy. We're committed to making business easier and providing top-notch service to support you.

Our Community Experience reflects our vision for how businesses, residents, visitors, and Council employees interact through shared values of community, connection, and care. Our small business commitment shows our dedication to improving how we engage with and support local businesses.

When small businesses thrive, Brisbane thrives. That’s why we’ve set clear goals to help your business succeed.

Our small business commitment and our performance

Our commitments
  • We will raise the profile and capability of small businesses.
  • We will promote and showcase small businesses.
What we've done
Raise profile and capability
  • Hosted the Business in Brisbane Facebook group since 2020, connecting over 5,300 local business owners with information and support (as of June 2024).
  • Delivered 62 training sessions and 110 workshops at Brisbane Business Hub, plus 32 capacity-building sessions at Suburban Business Hub.
  • Launched precinct websites for Banyo Village and Rosalie Village through the Growing Precincts Together program.
  • Held the 18th Lord Mayor's Business Awards, recognizing 182 businesses and businesspeople, and hosted the Lord Mayor's Multicultural Business Dinner and Awards.
  • Awarded $250,000 in Lord Mayor's Women in Business Grants to 53 female business owners.
  • Ran Future Food and MedTech accelerators to help businesses scale.
  • Promoted local businesses through Brisbetter Explore campaigns.
  • Trained 40 solo entrepreneurs through the Maker Entrepreneurship program.
Promoting and Showcasing Businesses
  • Feature the Business Chamber Queensland Small Business Award in the Lord Mayor’s Business Awards.
  • Provided regular updates to chambers and trader groups via email, and promote their offerings via postcards, Council’s website, and the Business in Brisbane Facebook group.
  • Featured articles and updates in the Business in Brisbane newsletter on events, opportunities, and support.
  • Recognised long-standing businesses as #localicons to boost their profiles.
  • Engaged with industry groups to promote sector activities and members.
  • Promoted Brisbane businesses nationally and internationally through Visit Brisbane and Choose Brisbane websites.
  • Showcased 28 Brisbane makers in the Local Business Showcase window at Suburban Business Hub, driving sales and awareness.

Our commitments
  • Actively communicate and engage with small businesses.
  • Develop and promote place-based programs for small businesses.
What we've done
Communication and engagement
  • Established the Brisbane Business Hotline in 2012, offering 24/7 support for businesses.
  • Held six Small Business Roundtables, with input from the Queensland Small Business Commissioner.
  • Engaged with 1,591 businesses at the Suburban Business Hub and hosted workshops for 2,000 attendees at the Brisbane Business Hub.
  • Provided dedicated Council contacts, strengthening ties with business networks.
Place-based programs
  • Launched the Better Suburbs – Places and Spaces initiative to revitalise the Ryans and Robinson Road precinct in Nundah.
  • Started Growing Precincts Together in Wynnum Town Centre and Banyo Village.
  • Funded precinct websites for Rosalie and Banyo, plus social media pages for Banyo.
  • Provided business coaching to 12 businesses and food business support to 6 owners in Wynnum and Banyo.
  • Sponsored Maker Markets (Racecourse Road), First Friday events (Rosalie), and the Giddy-up Country Festival (Sandgate).
  • Created the Precinct Playbook, an online resource with tips to promote and activate precincts.

Our commitments
  • Reduce red tape for small businesses.
  • Ensure fair procurement and prompt payment terms.
  • Support business resilience and recovery.
  • Measure and report our performance.
What we've done
Simplify administration and regulation
  • Maintained a dedicated complaints page with clear guidelines on investigations.
  • Regularly updated policies on local laws, planning, and procurement.
  • Improved guidance on advertising rules for small business signs.
Fair procurement
  • Maintained 7-day payment terms for small business suppliers.
  • Hosted 10 Talk to Procurement sessions at the Suburban Business Hub.
  • Launched a new supplier platform with SAP Ariba for business opportunities.
  • Offer the Better Brisbane Proposal process for market-led proposals.
Resilience and recovery
  • Provided co-working opportunities and workshops at Brisbane and Suburban Business Hubs.
  • Delivered 160 one-on-one mentoring sessions through Brisbane Business Mentors.
  • Posted monthly #supportlocal messages in the Business in Brisbane Facebook group.
  • Offered a Survive, Sustain, Succeed workshop on crisis planning and response.
  • Launched the Vibrantly Vacant art decals program to improve vacant shopfronts.
Measure and report
  • Held regular Small Business Roundtables to gather feedback.
  • Provided a dedicated Council contact for business networks.
  • Published this page to share our small business commitments.

Small Business Roundtable

Council launched the Small Business Roundtable in 2021 to respond to small business needs.

Meeting monthly, it connects Council officers, industry representatives, and business leaders to address issues, gather feedback, and shape support for small businesses.

Small Business Friendly Program

The Queensland Government's Small Business Friendly Program aims to enhance the operating environment for small businesses and provide the opportunities they need to thrive.

Council's commitment to this program reinforces our longstanding dedication to making it easy to do business in Brisbane.

More information

For more information on Council's small business friendly commitment, email Council. 

Looking for something else

Brisbane's business networks

Vibrant and active precincts

Advertising device approval

Small business signs

Small businesses in business areas can typically display self-assessable signs, as long as the business:

  • is not in the Queen Street or Valley Malls
  • does not have a Heritage or Commercial character overlay (check with a property enquiry).

Home businesses in residential areas can also display a self-assessable sign.

You don’t need Council approval for self-assessable signs as long as you meet the requirements. If your sign doesn’t comply, you’ll need to apply for a full assessment and license.

Types of advertising devices

Check the type of advertising devices to find the name of the advertising device you are proposing for your property.

Illuminated or electronic advertising devices and signs must meet additional technical standards.

An awning fascia sign is an advertisement attached to the fascia of an awning or verandah.

To be self-assessable, it must:

  • fit within the fascia’s outline
  • not exceed 600mm in height.

Illuminated or electronic awning fascia signs must meet additional technical standards.

information outline

Fascia refers to the vertical board below the building's roof edge.

A blind or canopy sign attaches to solid or flexible material.

For a sign to be self-assessable, it must:

  • suit the blind/canopy and the building it’s installed on
  • have at least 2.4m clearance between any rigid part and the footway
  • have at least 2.1m clearance between any flexible part and the footway.

An under-awning sign is an ad hanging beneath an awning or veranda.

For it to be self-assessable, it must:

  • be at right angles to the building frontage
  • be no larger than 2.5m long, 0.5m high, and 0.3m deep
  • cover no more than 75% of the awning or veranda width
  • not extend past the outer edge of the awning or veranda
  • have at least 2.4m clearance from the footway
  • be centred along the shop or tenancy it advertises (one extra sign is allowed at an arcade entrance)
  • be at least 3m from another under-awning sign and 1.5m from a property boundary.

Illuminated or electronic under-awning signs must meet additional technical standards.

A window sign is an advert displayed on or through a display window.

For it to be self-assessable, it must:

  • cover no more than 25% of the glass area
  • be no larger than 2m².

Illuminated or electronic window signs must meet additional technical standards.

A footway sign (also called an A-frame, T-frame, or sandwich board) is a portable ad usually displayed on a footway.

To be self-assessable, it must:

  • be for a property in a business or city area (check with a property enquiry)
  • have a max height of 1m, width of 0.6m, and depth of 0.6m
  • sit at least 450mm from the kerb, with a 2m pedestrian corridor between the sign and the property boundary
  • be no more than 4m from the property’s boundary
  • not block or clutter street landscaping, furniture, or artwork.

You can have up to two footway signs per shop.

A commercial flag is a fabric display hung from a pole to advertise a business.

To be self-assessable, it must:

  • have an area no larger than 5m²
  • be no more than 6.5m above the ground.

A business promotion sign is a temporary ad for an auction, sale, or business promotion.

To be self-assessable, it must:

  • have a max area of 4m²
  • be displayed only on the property where the activity is happening
  • not use electronic displays
  • be up for no more than 14 days within any 90-day period.

Only one business promotion sign is allowed per street frontage.

An information sign provides details, like “entrance” or “parking,” with no commercial benefit.

To be self-assessable, it must:

  • have a max area of 2m²
  • only include the name, logo, or slogan of the organization controlling the property
  • display the name or logo no larger than one-third of the sign’s area.

Council will limit the number of signs to what’s needed for clear communication.

Illuminated or electronic signs must meet additional technical standards.

Under the Business Name Registration Act 2011, businesses must display their name at all public trading locations.

Home businesses with a registered ABN, following the Home Business Code, can display a small sign with their name or business type.

To be self-assessable, a home business sign must:

  • not be illuminated
  • be painted, attached to a wall or fence, or freestanding
  • not exceed 0.6m².