Guide · Brisbane houses
Do I need approval for a deck or stairs?
It depends on the job. Small repairs usually need nothing. Most new decks and new flights of stairs need building approval, and some Brisbane streets need planning approval as well. Find your job below.
Find your job
Each job gets one of three answers. They cover building approval, which is about how the work is built. Planning approval is a separate question, covered further down.
- Usually no approval
A repair, or a deck small enough to be exempt. The work still has to meet the building code.
- Ask a certifier
Structural work. Whether it needs approval depends on how much is being replaced, so check before work starts.
- Needs approval
A building certifier has to approve the plans before the work starts.
Stairs
-
Usually no approval
Replacing a few worn treads, like for like
A repair that leaves the stringers and posts alone, and does not change the size or height of anything.
-
Ask a certifier
Replacing stringers, posts or the whole flight
The stringers and posts carry the stairs, so this is structural work, even when the new flight goes back in the same spot.
-
Ask a certifier
New stairs, or stairs moved to a new spot
New building work on the house. Plan on building approval unless a certifier tells you otherwise.
Decks
-
Usually no approval
Replacing deck boards on a sound frame
A repair that leaves the bearers, joists and posts alone.
-
Ask a certifier
Replacing bearers, joists or posts
Structural work. A small repair can go ahead without approval. Once it reaches more than 20 per cent of that kind of component, it needs approval.
-
Usually no approval
A new deck that is small, low and open
Exempt only if it passes all six checks below.
-
Needs approval
A new deck that fails any of the six checks
Bigger than 10 square metres, higher than 1 m off the ground, longer than 5 m on any side, or roofed.
-
Needs approval
Roofing or enclosing an existing deck
A roof or walls turn an open deck into a different kind of structure.
General information for houses in Brisbane, checked against the sources at the end of this page on 8 October 2026. A building certifier gives the answer for your property.
New decks
The six checks.
Brisbane City Council says a new deck needs no building approval only when all six are true. Miss one and it needs approval.
- Its plan area is no more than 10 square metres
- It is no more than 1 m above the natural ground
- It has no roof
- No side is longer than 5 m
- It does not affect the structure of the house, a retaining wall or any other structure, on your block or next door
- It does not change a pool fence or pool enclosure
Building approval and planning approval are different things
Most people say council approval and mean both. They are two separate questions with two separate answers.
Building approval asks whether the work is built safely and to the code. In Queensland it comes from a licensed building certifier, not from the Council counter. The certifier checks the plans before work starts and inspects the job as it goes.
Planning approval asks whether the work suits the block and the street. That one is Council's. Brisbane City Council's deck guidance says you may need it when the property sits in an overlay such as the Traditional building character overlay, or in a neighbourhood plan area with its own rules.
The character overlay covers many of the older timber and tin streets in Brisbane, which is also where a lot of front stairs and verandahs are due for work. If your house is one of them, read Council's page on heritage and character properties before changing anything that faces the street.
No approval does not mean no rules
Work that skips building approval still has to meet the National Construction Code. For stairs and decks on a house that means:
- Risers between 115 mm and 190 mm, and goings between 240 mm and 355 mm
- Every riser in a flight matching its neighbour within 5 mm
- A balustrade at least 1 m high wherever someone could fall 1 m or more from a deck or landing
- No gap in a balustrade that a 125 mm ball could pass through
The stair calculator sets a flight out to those limits, and our guide to building external timber stairs explains each one.
Licensing is separate again. In Queensland, building work valued over $3,300 has to be done by a contractor with a QBCC licence, whether or not the job needs approval. Ours is QBCC 15357497.
What to do next
- Find your job in the list above.
- Check whether your property is in a character or heritage area.
- If the answer is approval, or you are not sure, talk to a building certifier before any work starts. The QBCC licence search lists certifiers.
- Get the job measured and quoted. Raise approval with Ben at the walk-through, so you know where your job stands before anything is built.
We build and replace external stairs and decks across Brisbane.
Sources
- Brisbane City Council: building a deck, for the six checks and the planning overlays
- Building Regulation 2021 (Qld), schedule 1, for repairs and other work that needs no building approval
- Business Queensland: when you don't need building approval
- National Construction Code 2022 housing provisions, part 11, for stair and balustrade dimensions
Straight answers
Approval questions.
Do I need council approval for a deck in Brisbane?
Building approval comes from a licensed building certifier, not from Council. A new deck skips it only when it is unroofed, no more than 10 square metres, no more than 1 m above natural ground, has no side longer than 5 m, and does not affect another structure or a pool fence. Council comes into it when the property sits in an overlay such as the Traditional building character overlay.
How big can a deck be without approval?
In Brisbane, 10 square metres in plan area with no side longer than 5 m. It also has to be unroofed and no more than 1 m above natural ground. A deck that goes past any of those needs building approval.
Do I need approval to replace external stairs?
Replacing a few worn treads like for like is a repair and usually needs nothing. Replacing the stringers, the posts or the whole flight is structural work, so check with a building certifier before the old stairs come out.
Who gives building approval in Queensland?
A licensed building certifier. Most are private certifiers you engage yourself, or through your builder. Council handles planning approval, which is a separate question about what is allowed on the block.
Does a deck with no approval still have to meet the building code?
Yes. Brisbane City Council is clear that a deck exempt from building approval must still comply with the National Construction Code. That covers how it is built, and the balustrade wherever someone could fall 1 m or more.
Get a quote
Want it built properly?
A call or an email books a walk-through. Ben looks at the job on site, tells you where it stands on approval and gives you a clear written quote.
- Phone
- 0430 705 916
- Hours
- Mon to Thu 6:30am to 8pm
Fri and Sat 6:30am to 4:30pm
Sun closed - Licence
- QBCC 15357497