Queensland Building Rules Just Changed: What Homeowners, Builders and Designers Need to Know in 2026

Queensland has introduced some important changes to its housing and building requirements — and for anyone planning a new home, renovation, granny flat or raised-floor home, the changes could make complying with the rules easier and potentially less expensive

On 17 August 2026, the Queensland Government released Building and Plumbing Newsflash 640 outlining the new Queensland Housing Code (QHC) and amendments to the Modern Homes Standards.

The aim is straightforward: make Queensland's housing rules more practical and consistent, reduce unnecessary regulatory costs and make it easier to get new homes built — while maintaining accessibility and energy-efficiency requirements.

Here are the main changes homeowners, builders and designers should know about.

A New Queensland Housing Code

One of the biggest changes is the introduction of the Queensland Housing Code (QHC).

The new code provides a more consistent statewide approach to the design and siting of new houses and replaces Queensland Development Code Parts 1.1 and 1.2.

It applies to the design and siting of detached houses and secondary dwellings, including many granny-flat developments.

The intention is to:

• Simplify building approvals

• Reduce regulatory red tape

• Improve consistency between Queensland councils

• Support faster housing delivery

• Provide clearer design and siting requirements

Local governments will still retain some ability to vary requirements relating to streetscape, gentle density and local character.

When Does the New Queensland Housing Code Start?

There is an important transition period.

The QHC transition begins on 1 September 2026 and runs until 1 September 2029.

During this three-year period, adoption by individual local governments is voluntary and the QHC will apply where the relevant planning scheme specifies how it is to operate.

If a local government has not transitioned by 1 September 2029, the QHC will apply at the end of the transition period.

What This Means When Designing a House

Don't assume that every Queensland council will immediately be working under exactly the same provisions from September 2026.

During the transition period, designers, builders and certifiers will still need to establish which siting provisions apply to the particular property before finalising the design.

This is particularly important when checking setbacks, site coverage, building height and other siting requirements.

Major Changes to Queensland's 7-Star Energy Requirements

This is potentially one of the most useful changes for builders and homeowners.

Queensland's Modern Homes Standards introduced higher residential energy-efficiency requirements, but achieving the required rating has been particularly difficult and costly for some small homes and traditional raised-floor Queensland homes.

The Government has now introduced alternative requirements under QDC 4.1 – Sustainable Buildings.

The updated QDC provisions commenced on 14 August 2026.

Small Homes Under 50m² – Minimum 5 Stars

For a small home with a floor area of less than 50m², the minimum building-shell requirement has been reduced to: 5 Stars rather than requiring the building shell to achieve 7 stars.

There is another useful provision.

The existing outdoor-living-area credit of up to 1 star can continue to be used. This means a qualifying small home could potentially have a 4-star building shell plus the applicable 1-star outdoor living credit to reach its required rating.

The Government says this recognises how technically difficult and costly achieving the 7-star building-shell standard can be for very small homes.

Importantly, the Whole of Home energy budget score remains 60 out of 100.

This Could Be Good News for Tiny Homes and Granny Flats

For people building genuinely small homes, this is an important practical change.

Small buildings can sometimes be surprisingly difficult to achieve high energy ratings on because their external wall, roof and floor areas are large relative to their internal floor area.

Reducing the building-shell requirement for homes under 50m² should provide designers with greater flexibility and may reduce the need for expensive changes purely to achieve the energy rating.

Raised-Floor Queensland Homes Can Now Be 6 Stars

Another significant change applies to homes constructed on raised floors.

Traditional Queenslander-style houses and homes built on stumps can have difficulty achieving 7 stars because the floor is exposed to outside temperatures.

Under the amended QDC 4.1, qualifying raised-floor houses now require a minimum 6-star building-shell rating.

The outdoor-living credit of up to one star also remains available.

This means a raised-floor home incorporating a compliant outdoor living area with a ceiling fan may potentially have a 5-star building shell plus the applicable outdoor-living credit.

Again, the Whole of Home score remains unchanged at 60 out of 100.

Why This Matters for Queensland Home Design

This is a particularly relevant change for Queensland.

Raised timber floors have been used successfully in Queensland homes for generations. They can suit sloping blocks, improve airflow, simplify construction on difficult sites and reduce the amount of excavation and retaining required.

The revised rules recognise the practical value of this type of construction while still requiring a significant level of energy efficiency.

New Option for Homes Over Unenclosed Areas

There is also a new pathway for certain houses in NCC Climate Zone 5 where the floor sits above an unenclosed area.

The new elemental Deemed-to-Satisfy pathway allows compliance with the 7-star standard by using a prescribed minimum floor insulation level of:R2.5

This can be used with the other applicable NCC elemental Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions.

Major Changes to Livable Housing Design

The other major area of reform concerns QDC 4.5 – Livable dwellings and grading to floor wastes.

This is important because the introduction of the Modern Homes accessibility requirements has created some challenges when designing homes — particularly elevated houses.

The Government has now introduced additional compliance options intended to make the requirements more practical and flexible while maintaining accessible housing outcomes.

Elevated Homes Can Now Be "Ramp-Ready"

This could be one of the most useful changes for raised homes.

A new ramp-ready compliance option has been introduced for elevated houses.

Instead of necessarily constructing the entire accessibility ramp when the home is built, the house can be designed so that a compliant ramp can be installed later when it is actually required.

This can reduce the initial construction cost while preserving the ability to provide step-free access in the future.

But You Still Need to Show the Future Ramp on the Plans

This is important.

Ramp-ready does not mean simply writing "future ramp" somewhere on the drawing.

The building plans need to identify the proposed location of the future ramp and its associated specifications, including relevant items such as landings and footings, as part of the building application.

For designers, this means the ramp needs to be considered during the initial house design even if the homeowner doesn't intend to construct it immediately.

Better Solutions for Step-Free Entry

Step-free entry has also been one of the more difficult requirements to resolve on some Queensland homes.

The amended QDC introduces practical acceptable solutions that integrate:

• Step-free access

• Weatherproofing

• Termite management

These requirements can conflict with one another when trying to achieve a completely level entrance, particularly with Queensland's termite-management and weatherproofing requirements.

The revised provisions are intended to provide more practical ways of satisfying these requirements together.

AS 1428.1 Can Be Used for Ramp Access

Another compliance option allows relevant ramp provisions from AS 1428.1 – Design for Access and Mobility to be used as an acceptable solution for step-free access.

This gives building practitioners another recognised method for designing compliant access into a home.

Accessible Bathroom Rules Have More Flexibility

Bathrooms have been another area where the Livable Housing Design requirements can significantly influence a floor plan.

Two useful additional compliance options have now been introduced.

Bathroom Door Swing

A bathroom door can potentially swing into and overlap the required circulation space where the relevant AS 1428.1 specifications are used.

This can make it easier to design a practical accessible bathroom without unnecessarily increasing its overall size.

Toilet Position

There is also additional flexibility for positioning the toilet within an accessible bathroom's circulation space.

This should give designers more options when arranging the toilet, shower, vanity and doorway while still providing the required accessible outcome.

Narrow Lot Exemption Extended Until 2029

There is also good news for some narrow residential blocks.

The exemption from the Livable Housing Design requirements for qualifying houses on narrow lots has been extended for another three years.

The provision applies to eligible lots with a frontage of 12.5 metres or less, where the lot was created before 1 October 2023.

The exemption has been extended until: 30 September 2029

Why Queensland Has Changed the Rules

These changes didn't appear out of nowhere.

Queensland's previous residential design and siting rules had become increasingly complicated.

According to the Government's Newsflash, 56 of Queensland's 77 local governments had introduced alternative provisions under the Building Act.

The result was different design and siting requirements between council areas, greater regulatory complexity and additional costs for both the building industry and homeowners.

The Modern Homes Standards were also reviewed after implementation.

Queensland introduced the Livable Housing Design Standards on 1 October 2023, followed by residential energy-efficiency requirements on 1 May 2024.

Industry feedback identified technical confusion and opportunities to make the requirements more practical and cost-effective.

What Does This Mean If You're Planning to Build in Queensland?

Overall, these changes appear to be a positive move towards making Queensland's building requirements more practical.

For homeowners, the reforms may mean:

• More flexibility when designing a new home

• Potentially lower compliance costs for small homes

• More practical energy-rating requirements for raised-floor homes

• Greater flexibility when designing accessible bathrooms

• Better solutions for step-free entrances

• The ability to make an elevated home ramp-ready rather than necessarily constructing the full ramp immediately

• More consistent house siting requirements as councils transition to the Queensland Housing Code

For builders and designers, however, there is an important point to remember:

The rules need to be checked at the start of every project.

The new Queensland Housing Code has a three-year local-government transition period, and the applicable provisions may therefore vary depending on the property and council area.

A Builder's Perspective

Having practical building regulations matters.

There is little benefit in adding thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home simply to satisfy a technical requirement where the same safety, accessibility or energy-efficiency outcome can be achieved in a simpler way.

The changes to small-home energy ratings, raised-floor construction, ramp-ready elevated homes and accessible bathrooms are good examples of regulations being adjusted to better reflect how houses are actually designed and built.

Accessibility and energy efficiency remain important.

But good regulation should also allow designers and builders to achieve those objectives without unnecessarily increasing the size, complexity or cost of the home.

For Queensland homeowners planning to build, the most important advice is to design for these requirements from the beginning.

Trying to add accessibility, energy-efficiency or siting compliance after a floor plan has already been finalised can result in unnecessary redesign and additional expense.

Getting the floor plan, site positioning and compliance requirements right at concept stage remains one of the simplest ways to control building costs.

Key Dates to Remember

• 14 August 2026 – Updated QDC 4.1 and QDC 4.5 Modern Homes provisions commenced.

• 1 September 2026 – Queensland Housing Code transition period begins.

• 30 September 2029 – Current narrow-lot Livable Housing Design exemption extension ends for qualifying lots.

• 1 September 2029 – Queensland Housing Code transition period ends.

This article provides general building and design information only. Building requirements can vary according to the property, local planning scheme, building classification and proposed construction. Always confirm the current requirements with your building certifier, relevant local authority and other qualified professionals before commencing construction.