If you are building between Caloundra and Noosa, you are working under two different planning schemes run by two different councils. Most owners find out late, when a certifier tells them the design cannot be approved as drawn. Here is how the approvals work, and where the two councils genuinely differ.
Building approval and development approval are not the same thing
Both sit under the Planning Act 2016, which is why the language confuses people. The distinction that matters on site:
- Planning (development) approval is assessed against the local planning scheme: land use, height, site cover, setbacks, gross floor area, vegetation, and mapped constraints such as flood, bushfire, landslide, coastal protection and biodiversity.
- Building approval is a development permit for building work, assessed against the National Construction Code and the Queensland Development Code (QDC) and issued by a licensed building certifier under the Building Act 1975.
Every new house, extension, pool and demolition needs a building approval, and so does most deck, shed and retaining wall work once it passes the size triggers set out below. Only some jobs need a planning approval as well — and where one is required, it must be resolved first.
What does a private building certifier actually do?
Your certifier assesses the drawings against the building codes, issues the approval and inspects the work as it goes up. The QBCC states that a dwelling has five mandatory inspection stages — excavation, footing, slab, frame and final.
What a certifier cannot do is override the planning scheme. Sunshine Coast Council puts it bluntly: “Building certifiers cannot approve any work that conflicts with the local planning scheme or the Queensland Development Code.” Where a design conflicts, you lodge a request for a concurrence agency response, and council must receive it before the certifier can grant approval. Noosa Shire Council says the same: “Private building certifiers are not authorised to approve any building work that is contrary to the local planning scheme.”
The contractor must also be licensed. The QBCC requires a licence for building work valued over $3,300. Roebuck Concepts holds QBCC company licence 15280811.
When do you need a development application?
- The proposed use is not a consistent use in the zone.
- The design fails an acceptable outcome — commonly height, site cover, setback or gross floor area.
- The site carries an overlay: bushfire, flood, landslide, coastal protection, biodiversity or building height.
- You are clearing vegetation that is not exempt, or doing operational work such as a non-standard driveway crossover.
For building approval, Sunshine Coast Council lists new construction, alterations and additions, demolition, decks and pergolas over 10m² or a mean height of 2.1m, sheds over 10m² or 2.4m, all new garages and carports, retaining walls over 1m or within 1.5m of a building or another retaining wall, and pools.
Sunshine Coast Council vs Noosa Shire Council: the real differences
| Issue | Sunshine Coast Council | Noosa Shire Council |
|---|---|---|
| Planning scheme | Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014, commenced 21 May 2014 | Noosa Plan 2020, adopted July 2020, Amendment No. 3 from 20 March 2026 |
| House height | Dwelling house code AO1: the figure shown for your site on the Height of Buildings and Structures Overlay Map | Fixed in the zone codes: 8 metres and 2 storeys in Low Density Residential |
| Site cover | No single scheme-wide figure; assessed through the dwelling house code and zone provisions | Fixed by zone: 50% for a single storey house in Low Density Residential |
| Secondary dwelling | Dwelling house code AO12.1: maximum 60m² gross floor area, or 90m² in the Rural and Rural residential zones. Tighter inside the Caloundra local plan precinct CAL LPP-2, at 45m² and 4 metres high | Counted inside the dwelling house, within the 500m² GFA cap; triggers a third car space |
| Vegetation clearing | Permit needed for protected vegetation under the vegetation management code | Permit required to clear vegetation on all private land in the shire |
| Non-compliant building work | Request for concurrence agency response | Referral Agency Response, Early Referral Response, or a Building Work Assessable Against the Planning Scheme application |
Noosa’s height, site cover and floor area controls
This is the biggest single difference for anyone designing in Noosa Shire. Council’s Fact Sheet 2: Building a Dwelling House sets the built form requirements. In Low Density Residential: maximum height 8 metres and 2 storeys; site cover 50% for a single storey building, or for two storeys either 50% on one level and 30% on the other, or 40% across all levels; maximum gross floor area 500m²; at least 20% of the site as soft landscaping, with artificial turf excluded; and two car spaces. High Density Residential allows 12 metres and 3 storeys; Rural Residential is 8 metres and 30% site cover.
Noosa also warns that its setback provisions “are different from the standard provisions of the Queensland Development Code (QDC) and vary depending on the zone of the land”. That is deliberate: council’s Fact Sheet 26 explains that Noosa Plan 2020 uses sections 32 and 33 of the Building Act 1975 to vary QDC requirements for dwelling houses, including height, site cover and setbacks. A design that sails through in Buderim can need a council application in Sunshine Beach.
Vegetation clearing: the step most owners miss
Noosa Shire Council states that “the planning scheme requires a permit to clear vegetation on all private land in the shire”. Clearing becomes assessable where it is not exempt, is not inside an approved building envelope, and is on land mapped for biodiversity significance, in the protected vegetation overlay, or identified as a riparian buffer. Exempt categories are tied to lot size. Council’s fees from 1 July 2026 are “$128.00 Tree Application/Site Inspection Fee plus $124.00 for Tree Removal fee for 1 tree and $62.00 per additional tree”. Mapped SEQ koala habitat adds a state layer, with some proposals referred to the State Assessment and Referral Agency.
Sunshine Coast Council protects vegetation through its vegetation management code and overlays rather than a shire-wide permit, noting that “it is an offence to damage or remove certain protected trees and areas of vegetation on private property”. Some clearing associated with a building work approval, up to 600m², is exempt.
What the Queensland Housing Code changes from September 2026
Business Queensland advises that the new Queensland Housing Code has a transition period running from 1 September 2026 to 1 September 2029, during which “the QHC will only apply in a local government area if the local planning scheme is amended to specify how the QHC applies”. Otherwise the existing QDC parts 1.1 and 1.2, or the alternative siting provisions already written into the scheme, continue to apply. Since both councils write their own siting provisions, confirm this for your site.
How this shapes your build program
Confirm zone and overlays, test the design against the acceptable outcomes, lodge any council application, then issue for building approval. Design that ignores the scheme is the most expensive kind, because the redraw lands after you have paid for it. We work across both — the Grandview Drive Extension at Coolum Beach under Sunshine Coast Council, Nairana Rest at Noosa Heads under the Noosa Plan. Whether it is a new home build, a renovation or an extension, settle the approval pathway before the drawings are finished.
Common questions about building approvals
Do I need council approval to build a house on the Sunshine Coast?
You need a building approval, which a private building certifier can issue. A separate planning approval from Sunshine Coast Council is only required if the design fails an acceptable outcome in the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014, or the site carries an overlay such as bushfire, flood or biodiversity.
Can a private certifier approve a house that does not meet the planning scheme?
No. Sunshine Coast Council states that “building certifiers cannot approve any work that conflicts with the local planning scheme or the Queensland Development Code”, and requires a concurrence agency response first. Noosa Shire Council states that private certifiers “are not authorised to approve any building work that is contrary to the local planning scheme”.
What is the maximum house height in Noosa’s Low Density Residential zone?
8 metres and 2 storeys, per Noosa Shire Council’s Fact Sheet 2 for Noosa Plan 2020. High Density Residential allows 12 metres and 3 storeys, and in Rural and Rural Residential zones a pitched roof may reach 9 metres provided no other part exceeds 8 metres.
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Noosa Shire?
Usually yes. Council states the planning scheme requires a permit to clear vegetation on all private land in the shire, with exempt categories that vary by lot size. Fees from 1 July 2026 are $128.00 for the application and site inspection, plus $124.00 for the first tree and $62.00 per additional tree.
Is a granny flat treated the same by both councils?
No. Under the Sunshine Coast dwelling house code, acceptable outcome AO12.1 gives a secondary dwelling a maximum gross floor area of 90m² on a lot in the Rural or Rural residential zone, and 60m² in any other zone. One local plan precinct is tighter: inside precinct CAL LPP-2 in the Caloundra local plan area, a secondary dwelling is capped at 45m² and 4 metres in height. Under Noosa Plan 2020 a secondary dwelling forms part of the dwelling house, counts towards the 500m² gross floor area cap in Low Density Residential, and triggers a third car space.
Does small building work still need a licensed builder in Queensland?
The QBCC requires a licence for building work valued over $3,300, and Queensland Home Warranty Scheme cover is compulsory for residential construction work valued at more than $3,300, with the premium paid before work begins. Plumbing, drainage and gas fitting need an occupational licence at any value.