Do farm sheds need building approval in Queensland?
Farm sheds · Updated · 7 min read · BWG Sheds
Short answer
Not always. Under the Building Regulation 2021, Schedule 2 section 4, a Class 10 building on land used for agricultural, floricultural, horticultural or pastoral purposes is exempt where no part of it is within 200 m of a road or a property boundary. Closer than that, or where the shed is classified as a Class 7 or 8 farm building, building approval from a certifier applies, and Queensland's own farm building code, QDC MP 3.7, sets the concessions.
- Rural exemption: Class 10 building on agricultural or pastoral land, no part within 200 m of a road or boundary.
- A shed may be Class 10a, 7 or 8 depending on its size and use; three or more farm vehicles points to Class 7.
- In Queensland, QDC MP 3.7 replaces the NCC's Part I3 farm building concessions.
- Farm buildings valued up to $27,500 are not QBCC building work; above that a licensed contractor is required.
- Owner-builder permits cannot be used for farm buildings.
The 200 metre rule for rural sheds
Schedule 2, section 4 of the Building Regulation 2021 makes building work for a Class 10 building accepted development, exempt from the building assessment provisions, where the land is used for agricultural, floricultural, horticultural or pastoral purposes and no part of the building is within 200 m of a road or a boundary of the property. There is no floor-area limit in that section. It is the reason a large hay shed in the middle of a big paddock can go up without a building approval.
Toowoomba Regional Council explains the same rule in practical terms: the shed must be more than 200 m from each allotment boundary, be used with an on-site rural use such as storing machinery, hay or produce grown on the property, and not form part of a pool or pool fence. Western Downs Regional Council's fact sheet gives the same 200 m test.
On many Darling Downs, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim properties the best shed site is close to the house, the road or an existing yard, which puts it inside 200 m. At that point the rural exemption no longer applies and the shed needs building approval like any other.
Is my farm shed Class 10a, 7 or 8?
Classification decides which rules the design must meet, and it depends on use and size rather than the word on the quote. The Australian Building Codes Board gives the example that a shed parking a single tractor may be Class 10a, while a shed housing several tractors and machinery points to Class 7, and Class 8 if mechanics regularly work in it. NCC explanatory information adds that authorities may classify a farm building as Class 10a only where Class 7 or 8 would not be more appropriate, considering its size, purpose, operations and how many people work in it.
| Typical use | Likely class | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single vehicle, small storage shed | Class 10a | Non-habitable outbuilding |
| Housing three or more farm vehicles | Class 7 (farm building) | Named in QDC MP 3.7 |
| Hay, produce or equipment storage at scale | Class 7b | NCC: storage building |
| Workshop where people regularly repair machinery | Class 8 | NCC: process-type building |
Queensland uses its own farm building code
Elsewhere in Australia, Part I3 of the NCC gives concessions for Class 7 and 8 farm buildings and farm sheds. In Queensland those NCC provisions and definitions do not apply. They are replaced by QDC MP 3.7, Farm buildings and vehicle storage farm sheds, version 2 of which commenced on 8 December 2023. MP 3.7 defines farm buildings and vehicle storage farm sheds for Queensland and provides concessions on matters such as egress, fire hose reels, water supply, emergency lighting and exit signs.
MP 3.7 separates high-occupancy farm buildings from the rest. A high-occupancy farm building is one designed for more than six people where the floor area is 1,200 m² or less, or more than one person per 200 m² above that. If a farm building uses a performance solution for access and egress, or does not meet the water-supply acceptable solutions, the certifier refers it to Queensland Fire Department for advice.
Planning a machinery or hay shed? We design the bays, spans and doors around the gear you actually run.
Explore farm shedsLicensing and owner-builder rules for farm buildings
Under the QBCC Regulation 2018, work on a farm building is not building work if the value of the finished farm building is not more than $27,500. Above that value it is building work and a licensed contractor is required. The value is the reasonable cost of having the whole job done by a licensed contractor supplying all materials, so the kit price counts.
An owner-builder permit does not help here. QBCC states that owner-builders can build a garage, carport or residential shed, but cannot build commercial or industrial buildings, and it lists farm buildings among the buildings excluded.
Planning schemes still apply
The building exemption does not switch off the planning scheme. Toowoomba's scheme, for instance, applies specific requirements in the Rural Residential Zone when the total floor area of all sheds exceeds 10% of the land area, and the council notes that bushfire, flood and landslide overlays can add requirements such as a bushfire management plan. Wind also matters: the NCC gives farm buildings and farm sheds as examples of Importance Level 1 structures, which the engineer takes into account when setting design wind speeds, but the site's wind region and terrain still govern the steel.
Requirements depend on your property, proposed structure and local planning/building controls.
Send us your property location and how the shed will be used. We will tell you what applies and quote the right structure.
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