Council approval for deck

Hi all.
Just wondering whether anyone knows if I have to get council approval to build a deck in Ipswich, Queensland? It will be quite large (approx. 10m x 4m) but less than 0.5m off the ground. No balustrading wanted.
Thanks.
-mrsxtro.

After making enquiries down here on the regulations and having had more trouble than Noah trying to build a garage, i'm doing a new deck out the back at the moment. No permits - stuff the idiots. It's not worth the hassle. I have great neighbours and they are fine with what i'm doing so i couldn't care less about the stupid council and thier stupid regulations. There's no common sense department there. :rolleyes:

No need for the balustrade due to the height above natural ground line.
As for the permit is there a local council website. In Victoria each council has its own website which generally has the answers to 99% of the questions asked on these forums about permits.

I dont know if other states have the same setup. We are currently doing a project in Canberra and their planning department seems very odd and not very helpful.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sir Stinkalot

We are currently doing a project in Canberra and their planning department seems very odd and not very helpful.

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aint that the truth ...lol

I would more than likely contact the council just to get there thoughts on the deal. I live here in Ipswich and council wanted me to put in a DA to move out hot water system from underneathe the house. it had burst and during my search for a new one i was told by the sales man that I would need to contact the council as I was moving a fixed part of the existing house. I asked the council and was told that DA would cost us $220. After speaking to our plumber he thought it to be incorrect and then chased it up for me. I wasn't asked to submit the DA and it was job done.:) :)

I think you do need to seek approval. If you dont get approval the chances of council catching you out would be very slim unless you decided to sell and a potential purchaser did their homework, in which case you may loose a sale. The only other issue I can see is if you decide to get a pool, You will need the fence certified before any water can be put in it, even still the likelyhood of the inspector knowing your deck isnt approved would be slim at the best.

As Dan76 said, it may come back and bite you if you try to sell the house.

I live in a really hilly area, and the first thing people do around here is go to the Shire to see if the retaining walls have been doen to spec. It is a very costly exercise to replace a retaining wall.

Also, I think there might be some insurance issues with not getting shire approval. Remember, it's not about whether the shire/council wants you to go ahead or not, their job is to ensure that the construction complies with building codes (ie is safe and sturdy) and to ensure your neighbour is not looked into or disadvantaged in any way.

The amount of times I have heard people whinge about the Shire not letting them put up a shed the size of a two-story building, then scream like a banshee the minute their neighbour put's a 4 x 4 garden shed along the fence-line....

Almost a year since the question was asked. I know things move slowly in QLD but really :wink: