Brisbane City Council publishes its own driveway requirements, and they are not simply the Queensland Development Code restated. There are two different maximum gradients depending on which side of your property boundary you are on, plus a rate-of-change rule.
The figures below are from the council's own driveway technical standards page, checked 15 August 2026.
The three numbers
| Requirement | Limit | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum gradient | 1:4 (25%) | Inside your property boundary |
| Maximum gradient | 1:6 (16.7%) | Outside the boundary — the crossover |
| Rate of change | 1:12 over at least 1 m | Wherever the gradient changes |
Source: Brisbane City Council, Driveway technical standards. Checked 15 August 2026 — councils revise these, so confirm before relying on them.
A driveway permit is required before you build, modify or repair a driveway.
The crossover is the tighter constraint
The 1:6 limit outside the boundary is the one that catches people. It applies to the vehicle crossing — the strip between the kerb and your property — and it is considerably flatter than the 1:4 you are allowed behind the boundary.
On a steep block that means the flattest part of your driveway is the part on council land, and the steep work has to happen inside your boundary, over a shorter distance than the total frontage suggests.
The rate-of-change rule is stricter than the state code
Brisbane limits the rate of change in gradient to 1:12 over a minimum length of one metre. That is a different idea from a maximum gradient, and it is stricter than the 1:8 transition figure in QDC NMP 1.1.
The standard drawings
Brisbane publishes numbered standard drawings that show the required geometry rather than describing it. The council's technical standards page references BSD-2001, BSD-2021, BSD-2022, BSD-2023, BSD-2024 and BSD-2025 for vehicle crossings and driveway gradients.
Ask which drawing applies to your frontage before designing anything. Verge width, kerb type and whether there is a swale all change which one governs.
How this sits against the state code
QDC NMP 1.1 is the state-level reference and is non-mandatory. Where a council publishes its own requirement, as Brisbane does, that is the document your approval will be assessed against.
For the state-level position and how the two relate, see driveway gradients in Queensland and what the QDC actually says.
Disclaimer
General information, not advice. Figures are summarised from Brisbane City Council's published driveway technical standards as at 15 August 2026 and are not reproduced from the standard drawings themselves. Councils revise these requirements, and conditions on an individual approval may differ. Confirm the current requirements with Brisbane City Council, and obtain the applicable standard drawing, before designing or building.
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