Can I build a granny flat in Tasmania?
The Tasmanian Planning Scheme doesn't use the term 'granny flat'. What matters is whether your proposal meets the definition of a 'secondary residence' — and if it does, and meets every applicable Acceptable Solution, it may need no planning permit. Here's how the definitions work, and how to check your block.
Tasmanian homeowners weighing up a granny flat for family, rental income or a home office — who want to know what's allowed before paying for design.
What the Tasmanian Planning Scheme calls a granny flat
Tasmania's planning is run through the Tasmanian Planning Scheme — state-wide State Planning Provisions (SPP) plus each council's Local Provisions Schedule — under the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993. The scheme doesn't use the term 'granny flat'. Clause 3.1 of the SPP defines a 'secondary residence' as "an additional residence which is self-contained and: (a) has a gross floor area not more than 60m²; (b) is appurtenant to a single dwelling; (c) shares with the single dwelling access and parking, and water, sewerage, gas, electricity and telecommunications connections and meters; and (d) may include laundry facilities."
The State Planning Office's guidance calls these "Ancillary dwellings (referred to as secondary residences in the Tasmanian Planning Scheme)". 'Ancillary dwelling' is also the defined term in the Kingborough Interim Planning Scheme 2015 (clause 4.1): "an additional dwelling: (a) with a floor area not greater than 60m²; (b) that is appurtenant to a single dwelling; and (c) that shares with that single dwelling access and parking, and water, sewerage, gas, electricity and telecommunications connections and meters."
- SPP term: 'secondary residence' (clause 3.1). Kingborough Interim Planning Scheme 2015 term: 'ancillary dwelling' (clause 4.1)
- SPP: "a gross floor area not more than 60m²"
- "appurtenant to a single dwelling"
- Shares "access and parking, and water, sewerage, gas, electricity and telecommunications connections and meters"
- A proposal that doesn't meet every part of the definition isn't a secondary residence
Why being ancillary to the main dwelling matters
A secondary residence exists only in relation to the single dwelling it is appurtenant to. The SPP defines 'single dwelling' as "a dwelling on a lot on which no other dwelling, other than a secondary residence, is situated", and the Residential Use Class in Table 6.2 lists "a secondary residence" among its examples.
That is why a secondary residence can be possible where a second, independent dwelling is not. In its 12 July 2024 decision on the Huon Valley Local Provisions Schedule, the Tasmanian Planning Commission recorded that "the planning authority stated multiple dwellings were prohibited in the Landscape Conservation Zone but noted a secondary residence (one that was ancillary to the main dwelling) could be considered" (para 343).
More generally, clause 6.2.2 of the SPP provides: "A use or development that is directly associated with and a subservient part of another use on the same site must be categorised into the same Use Class as that other use." The Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has described such a use as "an ancillary use which is connected with and serves, contributes to or promotes" the primary use (S Cai v Launceston City Council and TRC Multi Property Pty Ltd [2023] TASCAT 27 at [34]; Gray & Pratt v Bartlett [2023] TASCAT 185 at [66]), while noting that "a use which can be said to be ancillary to another use is not automatically precluded from being an independent use of land" (Gray & Pratt v Bartlett at [65]).
Local Provisions Schedules can also set their own controls. The Huon Valley Eggs and Bacon Bay Specific Area Plan (HUO-S2.5), the Dorset Particular Purpose Zone – Tomahawk and Musselroe Bay / Poole (DOR-P1.4) and the Northern Midlands Devon Hills Specific Area Plan each list 'ancillary dwelling' in their own Use Table, and the Devon Hills Use Table also lists 'caretakers dwelling'.
Do I need a planning permit?
In the General Residential, Inner Residential, Low Density Residential and Rural Living Zones, the Use Table lists Residential "If for a single dwelling" as No Permit Required; in the Village Zone the qualification is "If for a single dwelling or home-based business". Under clause 6.6.1, a permit is not required only if the use is No Permit Required in the Use Table, the use or development "complies with each applicable standard and does not rely on any Performance Criteria to comply with each applicable standard", it is not Discretionary or Prohibited under any other provision, and a permit is not required by a code.
The State Planning Office puts it this way: "You may not need planning approval if your project meets the requirements for a secondary dwelling and all of the development standards for your planning zone." Its guidance also notes: "Building and plumbing approval will be required."
A proposal that doesn't meet the definition — for example, one over 60m² or with its own meters — is not a secondary residence. If it is a 'dwelling', the site has 'multiple dwellings' ("2 or more dwellings on a site"), which is assessed on its own terms: in the General Residential Zone, Residential use "If not listed as No Permit Required" is Permitted, and the multiple-dwelling standards apply, including a site area per dwelling of not less than 325m².
Draft SPP Amendment 01/2026 proposes to increase the allowable gross floor area for a secondary residence from 60m² to 90m². As at September 2026 the Tasmanian Planning Commission's consultation is current and no decision has been made, so the 60m² definition applies.
Check your property before you design
Whether your granny flat needs a permit turns on your zone, the standards and any codes mapped on your land. Our $39 Tasmanian planning report identifies your zone, the relevant standards and overlays and gives a plain-English read on what's allowed and which pathway applies.
Worked example
A 55m² secondary residence behind an existing house in the General Residential Zone, sharing the house's access, parking, connections and meters, that complies with every applicable standard without relying on Performance Criteria, with no code requiring a permit, meets clause 6.6.1 and does not need a planning permit — building and plumbing approval are still required. An 80m² building does not meet the definition of a secondary residence; if it is a dwelling, the site has multiple dwellings, which needs a permit.
The statutory basis
Development in Tasmania is assessed under the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993 and the Tasmanian Planning Scheme — the State Planning Provisions plus each council's Local Provisions Schedule. 'Secondary residence', 'single dwelling', 'dwelling' and 'multiple dwellings' are defined in clause 3.1 of the State Planning Provisions; clause 6.2.2 deals with uses that are directly associated with and subservient to another use; each zone's Use Table sets the use category; and clause 6.6.1 sets when no permit is required. Councils still under an interim planning scheme, such as the Kingborough Interim Planning Scheme 2015, use that scheme's definitions. A Local Provisions Schedule can substitute its own Use Table for part of a zone. Always confirm the provisions that apply to your specific lot.
State Planning Provisions — clause 3.1
Definitions of 'secondary residence', 'single dwelling', 'dwelling', 'multiple dwellings'
State Planning Provisions — clauses 6.2.2 and 6.6.1
Directly associated and subservient use; No Permit Required
Kingborough Interim Planning Scheme 2015
Clause 4.1 — 'ancillary dwelling' and 'single dwelling'
Tasmanian Planning Commission
Decision, Huon Valley Local Provisions Schedule, 12 July 2024, para 343
Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
S Cai v Launceston City Council and TRC Multi Property Pty Ltd [2023] TASCAT 27 at [31]–[34]; Gray & Pratt v Bartlett [2023] TASCAT 185 at [64]–[66]
Frequently asked questions
How big can a granny flat be in Tasmania?
Do I need a permit for a granny flat in Tasmania?
Is a 'secondary residence' the same as an 'ancillary dwelling'?
Can I rent out or sell a granny flat in Tasmania?
Does a code affect my granny flat?
Related TAS resources
$39 planning report — ready when you are
A plain-English read on exactly what your property allows — zone, overlays and the rules that decide your project.