Tiny house regulations in Australia — state by state (September 2026)

Updated 5 September 2026

Australia has no national tiny-house law. Each state sets planning rules, each council applies them, and a tiny house on wheels is treated as a caravan until it stops behaving like one. This is where each state stands after a year of change.

Check locally. This page summarises published rules and guidance as at September 2026. Councils, states and countries interpret them differently and several are mid-change. Get it in writing from your local authority.

Western Australia

The state's R-Codes amendments now override local council rules: 10 April 2026 was the final deadline for every council to adopt them. A fixed tiny home that is 'deemed-to-comply' on size, height and boundary setbacks skips the planning-approval (DA) stage entirely. On the road, a tiny house on wheels is a trailer or caravan under Department of Transport rules; parked, its treatment depends on the council. WA also approved its first permanent tiny-home village — 40 sites at Boyanup in the South West — in January 2026.

Victoria

A fixed second dwelling up to 60 m² is exempt from a planning permit on lots of 300 m² or more (Amendment VC282), and new builds must be all-electric. For homes on wheels, the April 2026 State Building Surveyor directive is the big one: a tiny house lived in long-term outside a registered caravan park falls under building regulations unless it stays a registered, towable vehicle. Unregistered, un-towable or permanently plumbed means a building permit. Surf Coast Shire's long-term placement pilot runs to 13 December 2026 and is being watched as a statewide model.

New South Wales

Clause 77 of the Local Government Regulation 2021 lets a tiny house on wheels sit on your land for a household member without council approval, provided it stays fully mobile and sanitary — because a moveable dwelling is not a 'building' under the planning act. Fixed secondary dwellings are capped at 60 m² (450 m² lot for the fast CDC route). Shellharbour's two-year trial allowing tiny homes on wheels as long-term rentals on private land ends December 2026, and the parliamentary report on rural second dwellings is overdue — both could reshape the rules in 2027.

Queensland

No statewide cap: floor limits vary by council — Brisbane and the Gold Coast allow secondary dwellings to 80 m², Ipswich to 120 m² on large lots without a DA. Since the 2022 rental reform a secondary dwelling can be rented to anyone, not just family. Infrastructure charges vary sharply between councils, so get a written quote before you commit.

South Australia

Uniform state-wide 'deemed-to-satisfy' rules for dwellings under 70 m², assessed through planning consent (setbacks, site cover) and building consent (NCC Class 1a). Tiny homes on wheels used for seasonal farm workers are exempt from development applications until 2 December 2026. If you rent one out, you are a landlord: from 1 January 2026 the prescribed Form A1 rental application is mandatory.

ACT

Permanent tiny homes under 60 m² need no planning permit on lots of 300 m²+ that are free of heritage or environmental controls, and can be rented on the open market. But a self-contained secondary residence cannot be built on any block under 500 m², there is no fast private certification, and rainwater tanks and water targets are mandatory.

Tasmania

The current fixed-dwelling cap is 60 m². Draft amendment SPP 01/2026 would raise it to 90 m², but until it is enacted anything larger needs a discretionary planning application.

Costs to budget alongside the rules

Turnkey builds from established Australian builders commonly land between about $102,000 and $164,000; entry-level builds around $60,000–$85,000; custom from $85,000; off-grid systems add $15,000–$30,000; a purpose-built trailer $13,000–$22,500. A useful rule of thumb is $3,500–$5,500 per square metre professionally built, then add 20–30% for site costs. Bunnings now sells flat-pack studio pods from $26,100. See our costs page for the full breakdown.

Sources

General information only, not legal, financial or building advice. Rules change often — confirm with your local authority before you buy land, sign a contract or start a build. See our disclaimer.