QLD planning resource · Free plan check

Can I open a café, shop or office in Brisbane?

Starting most businesses in a premises is a 'material change of use' in Queensland — and whether you need a development application depends entirely on the zone. Get this wrong before signing a lease and it's the most expensive mistake in commercial leasing. Here's how it works, and a free way to check.

Hospitality and retail operators, fitout companies, small-business owners and commercial tenants checking whether a premises can take their use before signing a lease or starting a fitout.

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Most new businesses = a material change of use

Starting a new use in a premises — or changing it from one defined use to another, like an office becoming a café — is a 'material change of use' (MCU) under the Queensland Planning Act 2016. Whether you need a development application depends on how the council planning scheme's Land Use Table treats that use in that zone: accepted (no DA), code-assessable (DA, against the code), impact-assessable (DA, public notification) or prohibited.

In a centre zone — Principal, Major, District or Neighbourhood centre, or Mixed use — a shop, food and drink outlet or office is often accepted or code-assessable, because that's exactly what the zone is for. In a residential zone the same use is usually impact-assessable or prohibited. The zone is the whole game.

Starting or changing a business use is usually a material change of use
The Land Use Table sets the category: accepted / code / impact / prohibited
Centre and Mixed use zones — shop, food and drink, office often accepted or code-assessable
Residential zones — commercial uses are usually impact-assessable or prohibited
Commercial uses in centres are assessed under the Centre or Mixed Use Code (9.3.3)
A fitout or signage may need its own approval on top of the use

Check before you sign the lease

The single most expensive mistake in Queensland commercial leasing is signing a multi-year lease for a fitout where the planning scheme makes the new use prohibited or impact-assessable. The lease is enforceable, the landlord won't refund, the council won't approve a prohibited use, and the tenant can burn months of dead rent before they get out. A quick planning check before signing is the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy.

Even where the use is allowed, watch the licence stack — a café may also need food-business registration, a bar a liquor licence, and signage its own approval. These run alongside the planning approval, not instead of it.

Check your premises against the rules — free

Considering a premises? Our free Brisbane plan compliance check reads the use and zone and tells you how the proposal sits against the Centre or Mixed Use Code — the assessment category and the key Acceptable Outcomes. No login, no charge.

For the full picture on how Material Change of Use works — the four categories, council vs SARA, timelines and the licence stack — see our QLD Material Change of Use guide.

Real example

Worked example

Turning a vacant shopfront in a District centre zone into a café is typically accepted or code-assessable — quick and low-risk. Trying to put the same café into a converted house in a Low density residential zone is impact-assessable at best, and may be prohibited.

The statutory basis

A material change of use is one of the development types under section 44 of the Planning Act 2016; section 43 sets the assessment categories, which the Brisbane City Plan 2014 Land Use Table assigns per use, per zone. Commercial uses in centre and mixed-use zones are assessed under the Centre or Mixed Use Code (section 9.3.3). 'Shop', 'food and drink outlet' and 'office' are defined uses in the Planning Regulation 2017. Always confirm the category and code for your specific premises and zone.

Planning Act 2016 (Qld)

ss 43–44 — material change of use & categories

Brisbane City Plan 2014 — Centre or Mixed Use Code

Section 9.3.3 + zone Land Use Table

Planning Regulation 2017 (Qld)

Definitions — shop, food and drink outlet, office

Frequently asked questions

Do I need council approval to open a café in Brisbane?

It depends on the zone. In a centre or mixed-use zone a food and drink outlet is often accepted or code-assessable; in a residential zone it's usually impact-assessable or prohibited. Starting the use is a material change of use, so check the Land Use Table for your premises before you commit.

What is a 'material change of use'?

It's the Queensland term for starting a new use on a premises, materially intensifying an existing one, or changing between use definitions in the planning scheme. Most non-trivial business changes trigger it, and most require a development application.

Can I open a shop in a residential zone?

Usually not without an impact-assessable DA, and often it's prohibited. Shops belong in centre and mixed-use zones under the planning scheme. Always check the Land Use Table for the specific zone before signing anything.

Why check planning before signing a lease?

Because the lease is enforceable even if the council won't approve your use. Signing a fitout lease for a prohibited or impact-assessable use is the most expensive mistake in commercial leasing — tenants can lose months of dead rent. A planning check first is cheap insurance.

Does my fitout or signage need separate approval?

Often yes. The change of use is one approval; building work for the fitout and any new signage can each need their own. And the licence stack (food registration, liquor licence) runs alongside the planning approval.

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