Queensland data · Analysis

How Long Do Queensland Councils Take to Decide a DA?

Across Queensland, the median time to decide a development application is about 24 days, but that figure hides a wide spread between councils. Based on PlanEase's analysis of ~8,420 development applications tracked across 20 Queensland councils and Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) between 18 May 2026 and 14 August 2026, the median decision time among the 18 councils with enough decided applications ranged from about 9 days to about 40 days.

For developers, surveyors and planners coordinating a project, that range matters: where you lodge, and what you lodge, shapes how long the assessment stage takes, and that feeds directly into your program through to plan sealing and settlement.

Median DA decision time by council

Median time from lodgement to decision, 18 May 2026 to 14 August 2026, for the 18 Queensland councils with enough decided applications to report a median (PlanEase analysis). The busiest councils are the South East Queensland metros:

• Noosaabout 9 days
• Mackayabout 12 days
• Townsvilleabout 14 days
• Scenic Rimabout 16 days
• Redlandabout 20 days
• Gold Coastabout 21 days
• Sunshine Coastabout 21 days
• Ipswichabout 24 days
• Gladstoneabout 27 days
• Whitsundayabout 27 days
• Fraser Coastabout 28 days
• Cairnsabout 28 days
• Loganabout 30 days
• Brisbaneabout 35 days
• Somersetabout 36 days
• Moreton Bayabout 36 days
• Livingstoneabout 37 days
• Toowoombaabout 40 days

Approximate figures from PlanEase's analysis of public registers, data updated 16 August 2026, subject to revision. Not official statistics.

Figures are point-in-time as at 16 August 2026 and reflect applications with a recorded decision and decision duration. They will move as councils work through their current caseload.

PlanEase now also tracks Economic Development Queensland (EDQ), the state authority that assesses development inside Priority Development Areas. In FY26, EDQ decided about 160 PDA applications, roughly 150 approvals, including subdivision approvals creating 3,300+ new lots. EDQ does not publish decision durations, so it is not included in the decision-time ranking above.

Why decision times vary so much

A median is a useful single number, and it is the figure to plan around. Across the tracked councils the median (typical) decision time is about 24 days, while the average is higher at about 29 days, because a minority of slow, complex assessments pull the mean up. The variation between councils reflects real differences in what is being assessed. Councils handling a high proportion of straightforward, code-assessable applications tend to turn decisions around quickly. Where applications involve referral agencies, impact assessment, or complex infrastructure questions, the assessment naturally takes longer.

The mix of application types in a council's caseload pulls the median up or down. A council seeing many operational works approvals or material change of use applications will report different decision times to one dominated by simpler building work. Decision time is a signal, not a verdict on a council's performance.

Why this matters beyond the approval

A fast decision is good news, but it's only the first stage. Once a development approval is issued, the conditions attached to it have to be satisfied before the project can move through plan sealing to registered titles. That post-approval stage is where most subdivision projects actually lose time, not in the assessment itself.

Knowing a council's typical decision time helps you plan the front of your program. Managing the conditions that follow is what keeps the back of the program on track. See managing DA conditions across a project and why plan sealing breaks down at the end for how the two connect.