Approvals
Building your own shed in Queensland as an owner-builder
By Lockyer Sheds, Crowley Vale QLD ·Ready to quote · 6 min read · Published
Short answer
In Queensland you need a QBCC owner-builder permit to do or supervise building work on your own land valued at more than $11,000, costed as if a licensed contractor did it. Owner-builders can build a garage, carport or residential shed, but not commercial or industrial buildings or farm buildings. The permit must be in hand before work starts, and your certifier needs to see it before signing off the plans.
When you need an owner-builder permit
The QBCC says you need an owner-builder permit to undertake or supervise a building project valued at more than $11,000 on your own land, on company land if you are a director, or on land you lease with the owner's permission. The value is the full cost of the work as if a licensed contractor did it, including materials, even if some of the labour is free.
For a shed, that means the kit price counts. Most garages, workshops and larger sheds are over the threshold once the steel, the slab and the labour are valued.
What an owner-builder can and cannot build
| Can | Cannot |
|---|---|
| Build a garage, carport or residential shed | Build commercial or industrial buildings, such as shops or industrial sheds |
| Build or renovate their own home | Build farm buildings under the permit |
| Build a pergola or entertainment area | Build multiple dwellings, including duplexes and attached granny flats |
| Coordinate their own trades | Do occupational work such as plumbing, drainage or gas fitting without the licence |
Farm buildings are treated separately. The QBCC notes that for farm buildings the value of work can be up to $27,500, and the QBCC Regulation says work on a farm building worth no more than that is not building work. Above it, a licensed contractor is needed. If the shed is a farm building, check with the QBCC how the rules apply to you before you start.
Working out the value of your shed project
The threshold is measured on the whole project, not just the part you do yourself. Add together the kit, the slab and footings, the erection labour valued at trade rates, doors, gutters and downpipes, and any site work such as levelling or drainage. If the total is close to the threshold, assume you need the permit: the QBCC can fine people who work without one, and approving the work after completion costs an extra fee.
Remember that some work is never yours to do under an owner-builder permit. Electrical work, plumbing and drainage need licensed trades, even on your own shed.
The downsides to weigh up
- No Queensland Home Warranty Scheme cover for owner-builder work.
- In most cases, only one owner-builder permit every six years.
- A notice of the owner-builder work goes on the property title, and you must tell buyers in writing if you sell within six years of completion.
- You are responsible for site safety, including work at height, and for coordinating every trade.
The order of steps
- Check the approval path for the shed with the planning scheme and a certifier.
- Complete the owner-builder course if you need it (current QBCC licensees are exempt).
- Apply for the owner-builder permit. The QBCC says the average processing time is within 30 working days, and longer for complex applications.
- Lodge the building application. The certifier cannot sign off the plans until they have sighted the permit.
- Only then start work on site, including excavation.
Note:The QBCC is explicit: you cannot begin any work on the site, including excavation, until you have the owner-builder permit.
What a kit supplier gives you
A Lockyer Sheds kit comes designed for your site with the drawings and engineering for the building approval, assembly drawings and the steel, cladding, flashings and fasteners cut to suit. We can also handle the council approval paperwork. You organise the slab (or ask us to quote it in Queensland), the erection crew or your own labour, and the electrician and plumber.
If partway through you decide you would rather hand the build over, talk to us early. In Queensland we can quote to supply and build the same design under our QBCC licence.
Working safely at height
Standing portal frames and fixing roof sheets is work at height. WorkSafe Queensland requires fall protection where the fall risk is over 3 m in housing construction or over 2 m in other construction. Allow for the right equipment, such as an elevated work platform or scaffold, in your budget and programme.