How Infrastructure Charges Work In Queensland

If you own a site with development potential in Queensland, infrastructure charges are one of the largest costs you will face before you can build or subdivide. Most owners find out what the charge is only after they receive their infrastructure charges notice, when the options to plan around it have already narrowed. A project consultant (someone who works for you, the owner, across the whole project) maps these costs before you commit, so you know what the site can actually deliver.

Understanding how the charge framework works, council by council, changes how you assess a site. Whether you are planning in our project consulting territory across Logan, Brisbane or Moreton Bay, the difference between a combined charge that includes water and sewer and a charge that does not can reshape your entire feasibility.

Purpose Property helps property owners and small-scale developers across Queensland work out what their site can deliver, and whether the numbers stack up, before they commit.

Below, we cover how infrastructure charges work, what the State framework sets, and what each council's resolution means for your project.

Why infrastructure charges catch small developers off guard

Infrastructure charges exist because new development uses shared networks: roads, parks, stormwater drainage, water supply and sewerage. Councils fund the construction and expansion of those networks partly by levying charges on development. That is a reasonable system, but the amounts involved are significant enough to affect whether a project is worth pursuing, and the structure varies enough between councils that what applies in Logan is different from what applies in Brisbane or Moreton Bay.

The most common surprise for owners planning their first duplex or one-into-two subdivision is discovering that infrastructure charges are levied per dwelling or per lot, not as a single site charge. A project that creates two dwellings or two lots attracts a charge for each one. For a project that creates three bedrooms or more per dwelling, the charge is higher than for a two-bedroom or smaller dwelling. Understanding these variables before you draw up plans is part of what a Phase 1 feasibility and logistics report is designed to do.

How do infrastructure charges work in Queensland, and who sets them?

Infrastructure charges in Queensland are set within a two-level framework: the State prescribes the maximum adopted charge (the cap), and each council adopts its own charge up to that maximum in a charges resolution. Where a council's area is also served by a water distributor-retailer such as Urban Utilities or Unitywater, that utility levies its own infrastructure charge separately, or shares the charge with the council depending on the council. The charge you face is the council's adopted amount, plus any utility share that applies to your site.

What does the State framework actually set?

Under the Planning Act 2016, a council can levy infrastructure charges only if it has a local government infrastructure plan (LGIP) that identifies the trunk infrastructure the charge will fund. The State then sets a maximum adopted charge, indexed each year using the ABS Producer Price Index for Road and Bridge Construction in Queensland. From 1 July 2026, the State maximum adopted charge for residential uses (including dwelling houses, dual occupancies and multiple dwellings) is $27,163.80 per dwelling with two or fewer bedrooms and $38,029.25 per dwelling with three or more bedrooms, under the Planning (Prescribed Amounts) Amendment Regulation 2026. These amounts are the cap on what any Queensland council can levy. They are not what any reader's site will be charged: each council sets its own adopted charge up to the maximum.

Levied charges are also indexed from when the infrastructure charges notice is issued to when the charge is actually paid, using the same Producer Price Index. The result is that a charge levied early in a long project may be higher by the time settlement is due. The State also allows offsets and refunds where a developer provides trunk infrastructure, such as land or works identified in the council's LGIP, as a condition of their approval.

How does a buyers agent help owners understand infrastructure charges in Queensland?

A project consultant working for you, the owner, identifies which council's resolution applies to your site, what that resolution's per-dwelling or per-lot charge is, whether a water utility levies an additional charge, and when the charge is generally payable. That information belongs in your feasibility check before you instruct a surveyor or a town planner. Getting it in sequence, rather than after the development application is lodged, avoids the situation where a charge amount changes the viability of a project you have already paid consultants to design.

• Identifying the applicable resolution: the charge that applies is the one in force when the development approval is decided, not when you first enquire.
• Understanding what the charge covers: in Logan, one combined charge covers water and sewer; in Brisbane, the Council charge excludes Urban Utilities, which levies water and sewer separately; in Moreton Bay, the split is 60% council and 40% Unitywater.
• Checking when the charge is payable: generally, for reconfiguring a lot it is payable when council approves the plan of subdivision; for a material change of use, when the change of use happens; for building work, when the final inspection certificate or certificate of occupancy is issued. Check your infrastructure charges notice.
• Checking for offsets and refunds: where your approval requires you to provide trunk infrastructure, you may be entitled to an offset or refund against the charge.
• Noting the indexation between levy and payment: a long construction program means the charge paid may be higher than the charge levied.
• Using council tools to estimate early: Logan's PD Hub infrastructure charges estimator, Brisbane's Resolution No. 15 published schedule, and Moreton Bay's infrastructure charges calculator give early-stage estimates before the notice is issued.

How Does Purpose Property's Project Consulting Help You Understand Infrastructure Charges in Queensland?

The Phase 1 feasibility and logistics report works through the costs and hurdles that apply to your site before you spend money on plans. Infrastructure charges are one of the first inputs we check, because the charge applies per dwelling or per lot and compounds with the number of approvals your project needs. Knowing the charge early lets you model whether the project stacks up, or whether a different pathway (fewer lots, smaller dwellings, or a hold or sell decision) changes the picture.

Step 1: Book a free strategy call

Get in touch with Purpose Property and we will work through your site, your goals and your budget to work out whether a feasibility report is the right next step.

Step 2: Phase 1 feasibility and logistics report

We prepare a report through our project consulting services covering the development pathways your site could support, the infrastructure charge framework that applies, and the other hurdles to work through before you commit.

Step 3: Walk through the findings in a 45-minute consult

We walk through the report with you in a 45-minute consult, covering each finding and the next steps that make sense for your site and your timeline.

Step 4: Choose your pathway

With the feasibility findings in hand, you decide whether to develop, hold or sell, knowing the infrastructure charge and the other cost inputs before you instruct anyone to draw plans.

Step 5: Build the team

We source and review the surveyors, town planners, RPEQ engineers and builders your chosen pathway needs, so you are not assembling a team from scratch under time pressure.

Step 6: Coordinate through to completion

We track progress across all parties, review key documents from an investor's perspective and keep communication moving so the project stays on track and the numbers continue to stack up.

What happens when owners start a project without checking infrastructure charges first?

The most common outcome is a project that looks viable on the purchase price and estimated build cost, but becomes marginal or unviable once the infrastructure charges notice arrives. A duplex on a Logan City site creating two dwellings with three or more bedrooms each attracts a charge under Logan Charges Resolution (No. 12) 2025 of $36,670.70 per dwelling from 1 September 2025. That is one of the cost inputs that sits alongside the application fee, the surveyor, the certifier and the builder. Council fees change each financial year, so check Logan City Council's current fee register before you budget. Missing it at the feasibility stage does not make it go away; it just means you find out later, when the project is harder to change.

Starting a project without a feasibility check is a bit like signing a building contract before seeing the plans. You might get what you expected. The surprises tend to be expensive. Infrastructure charges sit alongside consultant fees, civil works and holding costs as the inputs that are often underestimated or missed altogether in early-stage thinking, because they are not visible on the face of the site or the planning scheme.

"Most of the expensive surprises in a project can be found before you spend anything on plans. Check what the site can deliver and where the hurdles are, then decide whether to develop, hold or sell."

Luke Wiles, Director and Principal Buyers Agent, Purpose Property

How infrastructure charges compare across Brisbane, Logan and Moreton Bay

The three councils most relevant to small-scale residential development in South East Queensland handle infrastructure charges differently. Understanding the structure of each helps you see why a project's viability can look different in one council area than in another, even for the same number of lots or dwellings.

Council	Resolution	What it covers	Residential charge (3+ bed dwelling)
Brisbane City Council	Resolution No. 15, 2026 (from 1 July 2026)	Transport, parks, community facilities, stormwater. Urban Utilities levies water and sewer separately.	$18,793.33 (Council share only, excludes Urban Utilities)
Logan City Council	Charges Resolution (No. 12) 2025 (from 1 September 2025)	Transport, parks, community facilities, stormwater, water supply and sewerage. Logan Water is part of Council: one combined charge.	$36,670.70 (combined, includes water and sewer)
City of Moreton Bay	Charges Resolution No. 10 (from 5 October 2022)	Council levies 60% of the adopted charge; Unitywater levies 40% where water and sewerage networks apply. Check current dollar amounts with council.	Check council's infrastructure charges calculator for an estimate

Council fees and infrastructure charges change each financial year and are indexed. Check each council's current charges resolution and fee register before you budget for any project.

For Brisbane, the Urban Utilities share is levied separately, so check it with Urban Utilities. The total charge for a Brisbane site is the Council share plus the Urban Utilities charge: those are two separate notices. For Logan, one notice covers both the council and water utility components, which simplifies the paperwork but means the combined figure is higher than Brisbane's Council-only figure. Your accountant confirms how these charges interact with the tax treatment of your project.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are infrastructure charges and what do they fund?

Infrastructure charges are levies councils impose on development to help fund the trunk infrastructure that serves new homes and lots, including roads, parks, stormwater drainage, and in some councils water supply and sewerage. A council can only levy them if it has a local government infrastructure plan identifying the trunk networks the charge will fund.

What is the State maximum infrastructure charge in Queensland for 2026-27?

From 1 July 2026, the State maximum adopted charge for residential uses is $27,163.80 per dwelling with two or fewer bedrooms and $38,029.25 per dwelling with three or more bedrooms, under the Planning (Prescribed Amounts) Amendment Regulation 2026. This is the cap on what any council can levy, not the amount any reader will pay. Each council sets its own adopted charge up to the maximum in its charges resolution.

Does the infrastructure charge include water and sewer costs?

It depends on the council. In Logan City, Logan Water is part of the council, so the Logan Charges Resolution (No. 12) 2025 covers one combined charge that includes water supply and sewerage. In Brisbane, Urban Utilities levies water and sewer separately under its own infrastructure charges notice. In Moreton Bay, Unitywater levies 40% of the adopted charge and Council levies 60%.

When do I have to pay infrastructure charges in Queensland?

Generally, for reconfiguring a lot, the charge is payable when council approves the plan of subdivision; for a material change of use, when the change of use happens; and for building work, when the final inspection certificate or certificate of occupancy is issued. Check the timing on your infrastructure charges notice, as conditions can vary.

Can infrastructure charges be offset or refunded?

Yes. Where a development approval requires you to provide trunk infrastructure, such as land or works identified in the council's local government infrastructure plan, you may be entitled to an offset or refund against the infrastructure charge. The offset or refund is against the specific trunk item your approval conditions require you to provide.

What does a project consultant do that a builder or town planner doesn't?

A project consultant works for you, the owner, across the whole project. A builder manages construction; a town planner prepares and manages the development application; a project consultant coordinates all of them, reviews key documents from an investor's perspective, and checks whether the numbers, including infrastructure charges, still stack up at each stage.

Do infrastructure charges apply to granny flats and secondary dwellings?

Yes, in some councils. Under Logan Charges Resolution (No. 12) 2025, a house with a secondary dwelling attracts the infrastructure charge for each dwelling. In other councils the position varies; check with the relevant council or through the development and renovation section of our website to understand what applies to your project.

Your Next Steps

Getting the infrastructure charge picture right before you commit to a development pathway is not a detail you can pick up after the fact. The charge applies per dwelling or per lot, it compounds across a multi-lot or multi-dwelling project, and whether it includes water and sewer depends entirely on which council your site sits in. Knowing that before you instruct a surveyor or a town planner is the difference between a project that stacks up and one that doesn't.

Ready to find out what your site's infrastructure charge framework looks like before you spend on plans? Contact Luke Wiles for a free strategy call or call 0414 663 531. We will map your site's development pathways and hurdles, and show whether the numbers stack up before you commit.

Purpose Property · Greenslopes, QLD · General information only: this article does not constitute financial, legal, planning, engineering or investment advice. Purpose Property does not provide legal, financial, taxation, town planning, engineering or other professional advice. Please consider your own circumstances and seek independent advice from qualified professionals before making any property, development or investment decisions.