Short answer: every house demolition on Brisbane’s southside needs building approval from a licensed building certifier, and some also need planning approval from Brisbane City Council. The council one is the slow one, and it turns on where the house sits and when it was built. If the block is in the traditional building character overlay and the whole house is pre-war, or it is on a heritage register or in a pre-1911 overlay, you are lodging a development application before anyone touches a wall. Here is how we sort it out before a demolition job in Annerley, Holland Park or Coopers Plains, from the bloke who ends up in the excavator seat either way.
What does demolition brisbane southside involve, permit-wise?
Two separate approvals, and people mix them up constantly. Building approval is the one every demolition needs. You get it from a licensed building certifier (find one through the QBCC), who wants scaled plans from a draftsperson or architect before signing anything. Planning approval is the council one, and most post-war houses in Sunnybank, Mount Gravatt or Coopers Plains never need it.
Brisbane City Council’s own demolition or removal page lists when planning approval is required: the site is on the Queensland Heritage Register, it is a local heritage place, it is in the pre-1911 building overlay, it is in the traditional building character overlay and the entire building was built before 1946, it is a commercial character building, it is a registered boarding house, or demolition is assessable under a neighbourhood plan. Demolishing any building in a principal or major centre zone also needs planning approval. Everything else is the certifier’s job.
Why does everyone on the southside talk about pre-1947 houses?
Because that is the line that catches the old Queenslanders in Annerley, Yeronga, Holland Park and Coorparoo. Council’s page uses two wordings, “built before 1946” and “during or before 1946”, which is why you hear “pre-1947” at the pub and “pre-1946” on the form. If your house is from the mid-1940s and the date matters, council publishes a practice note on how it determines a building’s construction date, and a town planner can pin it down for you. Guessing is how people end up with a stop-work order and a very expensive lesson.
The overlay matters as much as the age. A 1930s cottage in a street that is not in the traditional building character overlay is usually just a certifier job. The same cottage three streets over, inside the overlay, is a development application against the traditional building character (demolition) overlay code. The only way to know is to look the address up on City Plan online before you book a machine. We do that check for every quote, because the answer changes the timeline by months.
Which demolition jobs skip council planning approval?
More than you would think. A free-standing outbuilding built after 1946 does not need planning approval, so the old fibro shed or the 1970s garage can usually go on the certifier’s say-so. Inside the character overlays, council lists minor works that are accepted: internal walls, stairs, post-1946 additions and extensions, post-1946 alterations where removing them brings back the original design, and swapping windows or doors for matching-style replacements. That is why a lot of our southside work is a part-demolition: take the back extension off a Yeronga Queenslander, leave the original core, and the builder starts the new work behind it.
None of that lets you skip the certifier. Building approval still comes first, and so does a plumbing approval from council if the work caps off the sanitary drain, which a licensed plumber must do. If our trucks have to cross the footpath to get at the block, council also wants a footpath permit. Small bits of paper, but they are the ones that stop a job on the morning it starts.
What has to happen before the excavator turns up?
In the order we run it. Services first: power, gas, water and sewer disconnected and capped by the right trade, with the paperwork in the folder. Asbestos second: if the house predates 1990, assume it is there until a test says otherwise, and a licensed removalist clears it before our machine comes within a street of the place. Trees third: anything protected under council’s vegetation rules needs sorting before the fences go up, and when a tree is in the way of the machine access we bring in the arborists from our tree side so it comes down legally and in one visit. Then the certifier’s approval, the council approval if the overlay demanded one, the neighbour notification, the traffic and footpath permit if we need it, and a site plan that shows where the skip and the trucks live.
Only after that does the 8 tonne excavator roll off the float. On a standard post-war house in Coopers Plains or Acacia Ridge the actual knock-down is a day, sorting and loading is another day or two, and the slab or stumps and footings come out last. Timber, steel and concrete get separated so the tip fees stay sane; mixed loads cost more than clean ones every time.
Who is responsible for which bit?
The owner holds the approvals, even if the builder or the demolition contractor lodges them. The certifier holds the building approval and inspects. Council holds the planning side. The demolition contractor holds the licence for the demolition work itself; in Queensland that runs through the QBCC, so ask whoever you hire for their licence number and check it on the QBCC register before you pay a deposit. If someone offers to “just knock it down on the weekend” with no paperwork, they are offering you their problem. The fines and the rebuild orders land on the owner, not on the bloke who has already been paid cash.
Our process is dull on purpose: a site visit, a check of the overlays, a written scope that says exactly what comes down and what stays, a services and asbestos checklist, then the machine. The house demolition cost guide covers what each of those steps does to the bill, and the Salisbury site clearance post shows what a commercial version looks like.
Which southside suburbs do we cover?
Brisbane’s south and south-west is home ground: Annerley, Yeronga, Holland Park, Coopers Plains, Mount Gravatt, Sunnybank and out through Acacia Ridge to Forest Lake, plus Logan and Ipswich. The character overlay bites hardest in the older inner-south streets; the further out you go toward Calamvale and Browns Plains, the more often a demolition is a straight certifier job. Commercial demolition further afield is by quote.
Get the permit question answered before you get a price
Send the address and a couple of photos of the house and the access. We will tell you whether it is a certifier job or a council job before we put a number on it. Call 0424 168 352 or use the quote form.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need council approval to demolish a house on Brisbane's southside?
Only in the cases Brisbane City Council lists: the site is on the Queensland Heritage Register or is a local heritage place, it is in the pre-1911 building overlay, it is in the traditional building character overlay and the whole building was built before 1946, it is a commercial character building or registered boarding house, demolition is assessable under a neighbourhood plan, or the site is in a principal or major centre zone. Every demolition still needs building approval from a licensed building certifier.
What is the pre-1947 rule for demolition in Brisbane?
It is shorthand for the traditional building character overlay rule: if the block is in that overlay and the entire house was built before 1946 (council's page also says during or before 1946), demolition needs a development application assessed against the traditional building character (demolition) overlay code. Check the address on City Plan online and, if the date is close, get the construction date confirmed.
Can I demolish a shed or a back extension without council approval?
Usually. Council says a free-standing outbuilding built after 1946 does not need planning approval, and inside the character overlays post-1946 additions, extensions and outbuildings, internal walls and stairs are listed as accepted work. You still need building approval from a certifier, and a plumbing approval if the sanitary drain is capped.
How long does a southside house demolition take?
The paperwork is the long part: a certifier-only job can be ready in weeks, a council development application can take months. Once services are disconnected and asbestos is cleared, knocking down a standard post-war house is about a day, with another day or two to sort and load the material and pull the slab or footings.
What has to be done before the demolition contractor arrives?
Power, gas, water and sewer disconnected and capped by the right trades, an asbestos inspection and licensed removal for anything found, protected trees dealt with under council rules, the certifier's building approval in hand, any council planning approval granted, and a footpath permit if trucks will cross the footpath.
What areas does Dynamic Earth Solutions cover for demolition?
Brisbane's south and south-west including Annerley, Yeronga, Holland Park, Coopers Plains, Mount Gravatt, Sunnybank, Acacia Ridge and Forest Lake, plus Logan and Ipswich. Commercial demolition further out is by quote.
