Maximum 1:4 inside your property boundary, 1:6 outside it, and no more than 1:12 rate of change over at least a metre wherever the grade shifts.
Those three are Brisbane City Council's own figures, not the Queensland Development Code restated, and they come from the council's driveway technical standards page, checked 15 August 2026.
1:4 inside, 1:6 outside, 1:12 through the change
| 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.
You'll need a driveway permit before you build, modify or repair one.
Why 1:12 does more work than 1:4
The rate of change in gradient is capped at 1:12 over at least one metre. That's a different test from a maximum gradient, and tighter than the 1:8 transition in QDC NMP 1.1.
The 1:6 lands on ground you do not own
The 1:6 applies to the vehicle crossing, the strip between kerb and property, and it's far flatter than the 1:4 allowed behind the boundary.
On a steep block the flattest ground sits on council land, pushing the steep work inside your boundary over less distance than the frontage suggests.
Which BSD drawing governs your frontage
The technical standards page references BSD-2001, BSD-2021, BSD-2022, BSD-2023, BSD-2024 and BSD-2025 for vehicle crossings and gradients.
Ask which one applies to your frontage first, because verge width, kerb type and whether there's a swale all change the answer.
Assessed against Brisbane, not the QDC
QDC NMP 1.1 is non-mandatory, so where a council publishes its own figures, as Brisbane does, those govern.
For the state-level position, see driveway gradients in Queensland and what the QDC 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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