Sunshine Coast Council Shed Building Rules
If you live on the Sunshine Coast and you're thinking of building a shed, Stockman Sheds has your back! You can’t just crack on and start building a massive shed in your backyard - there are council rules and regulations you need to stick to. It’s definitely worth staying on the right side of the Sunshine Coast Council, as you don’t want an illegal structure put up on your plot.
Below we’ve put together a little Sunny Coast shed builders guide to answer some of the questions about Council shed rules. If you’re DIY’ing your shed, we’d definitely recommend you give council a ring and get detailed specifics on their rules.
If you want a stress-free shed-building experience where all council permits and regulations are taken care of, get in touch with Stockman Sheds. We build sheds from Caloundra to Noosa and everywhere in between, and we would love to help out with yours.
1. Does My Sunny Coast Shed Need Council Approval?
Not all sheds on the coast need approval from Council. Those small garden sheds for housing tools generally don’t, but of course it’s all size dependent. The Sunshine Coast Council has some specific rules in place that determine whether you need approval or not. If any of the following apply, you do:
The area of your shed is larger than 10m2
The overall height is more than 2.4-metres (or has a mean height of more than 2.1-metres)
Any side is longer than 5-metres
It’s not a standalone structure, i.e. it's attached to another building (think garages and carports)
These sizes are quite restrictive, so if you’re building a large shed or commercial size shed, chances are you’ll need building approval.
2. Sunshine Coast Shed Setbacks
A shed is a Class 10 building, meaning its a non-habitable structure. Under Sunshine Coast rules, it’s not allowed to cover a floor area of more than 56m2. It also has to observe certain setbacks. A setback is the minimum distance that a structure can be from the boundary of a property.
The council has set these as:
There’s a 6 metre setback from the road boundary.
For a shed up to 4.5-metres in height, the boundary setback is 1.5 metres.
For a shed up to 7.5 metres high, the boundary setback is 2 metres.
The above are for residential zoned properties. If you’re zoned as rural residential, your front setback needs to be a minimum of 10-metres and your side and rear setbacks at least 3 metres.
Setbacks Summarised:
| Zone | Max Height to Natural Ground | Max Floor Area | Site Cover | Front Setback | Rear/Side Setback |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 3.6m | 56m2 | 50% | 6m | See QDC* |
| Rural Residential | 8.5m | na | 50% | 10m | 3m |
| Rural less than 2ha | 8.5m | na | 50% | 10m | 3m |
| Rural greater than 2ha | 8.5m | na | 50% | 20m or 40m from state controlled road | 10m |
3. Building Codes and Standards
When you invest in a Sunshine Coast Shed, you want to make sure it’s built correctly. Built to a standard that means it’ll still be around for your kids and grandkids to enjoy. There are a set of codes and standards in place that help ensure this.
They include:
The Building Act 1975, chapters three and four
Any local law or local planning instrument the Building Act 1975 allows to apply to the assessment
The Queensland Development Code
The Building Code of Australia.
Stockman Sheds knows these laws inside out, because we always adhere to them and build our sheds to an exacting high standard. So if you have questions about them, get in touch!
4. Important Overlays
Overlays can impact where you can and can’t build your shed. A common overlay on the Sunny Coast is the Biodiversity, Waterways and Wetlands Overlay. It’s designed to protect land identified as having a waterway or wetland. Clearing of native vegetation in these zones requires an application.
Here’s a quick rundown of other important overlays:
Bushfire overlay:
- If the dwelling was built before 2009 the structure will not require bushfire protection
- Dwelling built after 2009: Structure must be located a minimum of 6m from the dwelling OR the shed will
require the same fire protection/BAL rating as dwelling
Flood Overlay
- Structures are constructed at a level that permits the parking area to drain from the site by gravity means.
Filling of areas outside of the plan area of all buildings and driveway areas does not exceed 50m³ and does not
result in net filling on the site
Steep slope/landslide hazard overlay
- Will require photos to be provided for assessment of slope risk (photos will assist in application etc).
Where requested by the certifier, a slope stability report will be required and works must be constructed in
accordance with the mitigation measures discussed in the report.
- Ensure Fire separation is achieved from either boundary and/or dwelling.
Stockman Sheds Sunshine Coast
We’ve built a bunch of quality Aussie sheds up and down the Sunny Coast. All our sheds are manufactured in Toowoomba, and constructed on site by our expert team of shed builders who cover the coast.
We make the process as seamless as possible for you - we want your journey to your dream shed to be an enjoyable one! That’s why we take care of all the Sunshine Coast Council building regulations and requirements for you. You don’t have to do a thing - this is a stress-free Aussie shed building experience! Get in touch for more information.
