Big Small Haus is a licensed Queensland builder, QBCC 15506005, and the authorised installer for Outhaus. We install and build granny flats across Ipswich: the old timber suburbs around East Ipswich, Booval and Woodend, the estates at Redbank Plains and Bellbird Park, and the acreage out towards Karalee, Marburg and Grandchester. Big lots, big sky, and the odd cow watching the crane.
Ipswich is generous: the size cap grows with your block, and council doesn't charge infrastructure on a granny flat. These are the rules under City Plan 2025.
| Rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| Maximum size | 60 m² GFA on lots over 450 to 600 m²; 90 m² over 600 to 800 m²; 120 m² over 800 m² |
| Minimum lot | Effectively over 450 m² |
| Height | 9.5 m, or the overlay limit |
| Site cover | 60% |
| Setbacks | Queensland Development Code; 10 m front and 20 m side in the Rural zone |
| Parking | One extra on-site space |
| Infrastructure charges | None for a secondary dwelling |
| Approval | Accepted development in residential and rural zones if it meets the code |
When you need a planning application
Always in the Character Residential zone and in centre, industry and environment zones. Bushfire, flood, landslide, mining and heritage overlays can also change the approval path.
Ripley and Springfield
The Ripley Valley priority development area and Springfield run under their own instruments, so the City Plan rules above don't apply there.
Rules that apply across Queensland
- You can rent a granny flat to anyone, not only family. The state removed the family-only test in September 2022. It still has to be secondary to the main house and can't be sold separately.
- You always need a building approval from a licensed certifier, and a plumbing approval from council.
- Queensland's new Housing Code started on 1 September 2026 with new setbacks. Each council keeps its current rules until it adopts the new code, by 1 September 2029 at the latest.
What we'd check on your block
The zone and the size cap, lot size and frontage, every overlay, where the sewer runs, the slope, and whether a truck and crane can get in. Send us the address and we'll tell you straight.
Getting a granny flat in on an Ipswich block
Water and sewer: Urban Utilities
Ipswich's water and sewer belong to Urban Utilities. Council's own fact sheet is upfront about it: whether your granny flat can have a separate meter or connection is outside council's authority, so ask Urban Utilities, and Energex for the power. By default the Queensland Government says a granny flat shares the house's water, power and sewer connections with one bill, and an owner can split them at a connection charge.
If a sewer or water main runs through the yard, Urban Utilities needs no referral when every footing load sits at least 300 mm below the pipe and the whole building ends up at least 3 m clear of its centreline, or 5 m for driven piles. Closer than that, the certifier lodges a Build Over Asset referral with certified structural drawings and the engineer's Form 15.
Two small things council asks for that people miss: a separate storage area for three bins for the house and another for the granny flat, and a unit number. Council doesn't allocate unit numbers unless the property is strata titled, so you pick one yourself for mail and emergency services.
Flood, slope and old mines
Ipswich floods, and City Plan 2025 maps it in the flood risk and overland flow overlay. Council also maps difficult topography and landslide, bushfire prone areas and human-made hazards such as mining, and any of them can change the approval path. Council's historical flood maps show notable past floods and an approximate maximum historical flood level within each property. Check all of it before you pick a spot.
Rural lots and the setbacks
On Rural zoned land Ipswich swaps the Queensland Development Code setbacks for its own: 10 m to the front and 20 m to the side. On a wide paddock that's no trouble. On a long, narrow rural lot, a 20 m side setback each way can leave a thin strip down the middle, and the house is usually already in it. Measure the strip before you choose the home, not after.
Crane access in Ipswich
The older suburbs have the usual Queensland mix of narrow streets, power along the verge and high-set houses on sloping lots. Out on acreage the crane has room, but the truck still has to get there: a long gravel track, a soft paddock after rain or a creek crossing can mean a smaller truck, a longer crane reach or a day's wait for the ground to firm up. We walk the route before we book anything.
What an install costs in Ipswich
Most installs run $70,000 to $140,000 inc GST, on top of the price of the home. In Ipswich the big swings are distance and services. On acreage the run back to the sewer and the switchboard can be long, and if there's no sewer at all the plumbing line roughly doubles for an on-site wastewater system. Long or soft access tracks add to delivery and crane. On a suburban lot with sewer nearby it lands at the lower end. Council's part helps: no infrastructure charge on a granny flat.
Questions about granny flats in Ipswich
Does Ipswich charge infrastructure charges on a granny flat?
No. Council doesn't charge infrastructure charges on a secondary dwelling under City Plan 2025.
Is there a limit on bedrooms or who lives there?
No. Council's fact sheet says City Plan 2025 doesn't limit the number of bedrooms in a secondary dwelling or who can live in it. The size cap still applies, set by your lot size.
Can the granny flat have its own water meter?
That's Urban Utilities' call, not council's. The default is shared connections and one bill; the Queensland Government says an owner can separate them, and the utility may charge to connect.
How big can my granny flat be?
It depends on the lot: 60 m² on lots over 450 up to 600 m², 90 m² over 600 up to 800 m², and 120 m² over 800 m². At 450 m² or under, a granny flat doesn't fit the code.
Do the same rules apply in Ripley and Springfield?
No. Ripley Valley runs under its own development scheme and Springfield under its own structure plan, so the City Plan 2025 rules on this page don't apply there.
When do I need a planning application?
Always in the Character Residential zone and in centre, industry and environment zones, and whenever the design misses a required outcome of the dwelling house code. Overlays such as flood, landslide or mining can change it too.
Read next
- Queensland granny flat rules, explained
- Owner builder or licensed builder on a modular home
- Renting out a granny flat
- What a granny flat costs in SEQ
- Free block check
- Granny flats in Brisbane
- Granny flats in Logan
- Our jobs, on the tools
- Ipswich City Plan 2025, code 9.3.7
- Ipswich, secondary dwelling fact sheet
- Ipswich, housing in Ipswich
- Queensland Government, secondary dwelling changes
- Ministerial statement, Queensland Housing Code
- Business Queensland, SEQ water and sewerage service providers
- Urban Utilities, build or construct over or near pipes or easements
- Urban Utilities, Build or Construct Over Asset referral checklist
- Queensland Parliament, Question on Notice 1574 (2023), secondary dwelling utilities and charges
- Ipswich, planning scheme supporting documents and overlay fact sheets
- Ipswich, flood mapping