Rule library

58 atomic controls — 50 planning, 8 building-code, 13 qualitative rules codified into testable form, 17 carrying verified presets. The core catalog is council-agnostic; council-cited figures ship in jurisdiction packs (SEQ councils). Every atom carries an editable risk profile — click a card to score it your way.

Active frontage

street.active-frontage

Ground storeys on main streets stay open, glazed and occupied.

Character & designQUAL3 SOLUTIONSDESIGN HIGH

Balcony (above-ground POS)

pos.balcony

Private balcony per above-ground dwelling, with a usable depth.

AmenityQUANTmultiple dwelling · dual occupancyHEALTH HIGH

Bicycle parking

parking.bicycle

Secure resident bike spaces per dwelling plus visitor rails.

Access & parkingQUANTmultiple dwelling

Boundary fire separation

bldg.fire-separation

Within a clearance of the boundary, external walls need fire-resisting construction and lose their openings.

BUILDING CODEStructure & fire (building code)QUANTLIFE SAFETY HIGHPROPERTY HIGH

Boundary plane control

plane.side-boundary

A wall height at the setback line, then an angled plane the building must stay under.

Bulk & scaleQUANTVERIFIED PRESETSCOMMUNITY HIGH

Build-to line

line.build-to

A minimum share of the facade must stand AT the street alignment.

SitingQUAL2 SOLUTIONSDESIGN HIGH

Building height (metres)

height.metres

Absolute height cap in metres above ground.

Bulk & scaleQUANTVERIFIED PRESETSCOMMUNITY EXTREME

Building height (storeys)

height.storeys

Height cap counted in storeys, with a declared floor-to-floor assumption.

Bulk & scaleQUANTVERIFIED PRESETSCOMMUNITY EXTREME

Building length

building.length

Maximum unbroken building length — beyond it, the building must break.

Bulk & scaleQUANTVERIFIED PRESETSDESIGN HIGH

Building separation

building.separation

Minimum gap between buildings on the same site.

Bulk & scaleQUANT

Built-to-boundary wall

boundary.wall

Permission for a wall ON a side boundary — height and length capped.

SitingQUANTVERIFIED PRESETS

Bushfire resilience

bushfire.resilience

BAL-rated construction plus an asset protection zone on the hazard side.

Environment & hazardQUAL3 SOLUTIONSLIFE SAFETY EXTREMEPROPERTY EXTREME

Car space geometry

bldg.car-space

The physical dimensions a car space and its driveway actually need.

BUILDING CODEAccess & parkingQUANT

Ceiling height

bldg.ceiling-height

Minimum floor-to-ceiling heights for habitable and utility rooms.

BUILDING CODEHabitability (building code)QUANT

Communal open space

pos.communal

Shared outdoor space as a share of the site.

AmenityQUANTmultiple dwelling

Deep planting

planting.deep

A share of the site kept structure-free for large trees — real soil, real roots.

LandscapeQUANTVERIFIED PRESETS

Doors & corridors (livable access)

bldg.access-width

Clear door openings, corridor widths and a step-free entry — the livable housing floor.

BUILDING CODEAccess & parkingQUANT

Driveway crossover

driveway.crossover

Width and count of vehicle crossings over the verge.

Access & parkingQUANT

Earthworks (cut & fill)

earthworks.cut-fill

Depth caps on cutting and filling the natural ground.

Environment & hazardQUANTPROPERTY HIGH

Facade articulation

character.articulation

No blank runs: walls must step, recess or change within a maximum length.

Character & designQUAL4 SOLUTIONSDESIGN EXTREME

Flood floor level

flood.floor-level

Habitable floors sit above the defined flood event plus freeboard.

Environment & hazardQUANTLIFE SAFETY EXTREMEPROPERTY EXTREMEHEALTH HIGHCOMMUNITY HIGH

Floor area cap (absolute)

gfa.absolute

A fixed m² ceiling on gross floor area — the secondary-dwelling control.

Bulk & scaleQUANTsecondary dwellingVERIFIED PRESETS

Front fence

fence.front

Height and transparency limits for fencing on the street boundary.

Character & designQUANT

Front setback

setback.front

Minimum distance from the primary street frontage to any wall.

SitingQUANTVERIFIED PRESETSCOMMUNITY HIGH

Garage dominance

garage.frontage

Garage doors capped as a share of the facade — houses lead, cars follow.

Character & designQUAL3 SOLUTIONSDESIGN HIGH

Habitable room module

bldg.room-module

Minimum clear dimension and living-area floor for a habitable room.

BUILDING CODEHabitability (building code)QUANT

Impervious area cap

water.impervious

Maximum sealed share of the lot — the stormwater dial.

Environment & hazardQUANTPROPERTY HIGH

Landscaped area

landscape.softscape

Minimum share of the site kept as soft, planted ground.

LandscapeQUANT

Lot rectangle test

lot.rectangle

A minimum clear rectangle must fit inside the lot.

Density & lotsQUANT

Material palette

character.materials

Composition bounds for the street facade's materials.

Character & designQUAL3 SOLUTIONSDESIGN HIGH

Maximum density

density.max

Dwelling count capped per hectare (or per m² of site per dwelling).

Density & lotsQUANTVERIFIED PRESETSCOMMUNITY EXTREME

Maximum dwellings

dwellings.max

A hard cap on dwelling count per lot — what makes a dual occupancy dual.

Density & lotsQUANTVERIFIED PRESETSCOMMUNITY HIGH

Minimum density

density.min

A floor under dwelling yield — anti-underbuild near transit.

Density & lotsQUANTCOMMUNITY HIGH

Minimum dwelling area

bldg.dwelling-area

The smallest total internal area a self-contained dwelling may have.

BUILDING CODEHabitability (building code)QUANT

Minimum frontage

lot.min-frontage

Minimum street-facing width of a lot.

Density & lotsQUANTVERIFIED PRESETS

Minimum lot area

lot.min-area

The smallest lot the use (or a subdivision) may occupy.

Density & lotsQUANTVERIFIED PRESETS

Natural light & ventilation

bldg.light-vent

Window area and openable area as shares of each habitable room's floor.

BUILDING CODEHabitability (building code)QUANTHEALTH HIGH

Plot ratio (GFA : site)

gfa.plot-ratio

Gross floor area capped as a multiple of site area.

Bulk & scaleQUANTCOMMUNITY HIGH

Podium + tower

podium.tower

A street-scale podium with the upper form set back above it.

Bulk & scaleQUANTDESIGN HIGH

Private open space (ground)

pos.private-ground

Ground-level private outdoor space per dwelling, with a usable minimum dimension.

AmenityQUANTHEALTH HIGH

Rear lane access

access.rear-lane

Vehicles enter from a rear lane — the street frontage stays car-free.

Access & parkingQUANT

Rear setback

setback.rear

Clearance from the rear boundary — fixed, matched to sides, or deep/shallow-lot switched.

SitingQUANTVERIFIED PRESETSCOMMUNITY HIGH

Resident parking

parking.resident

Car spaces required per dwelling.

Access & parkingQUANTCOMMUNITY EXTREME

Roof form

character.roof

The permitted roof family — pitch range, eaves, and what the skyline reads as.

Character & designQUAL3 SOLUTIONSCOMMUNITY HIGHDESIGN HIGH

Secondary frontage setback

setback.secondary

Setback to the second street on a corner lot.

SitingQUANTVERIFIED PRESETS

Side setback

setback.side

Clearance from each side boundary — fixed, or stepped with wall height.

SitingQUANTVERIFIED PRESETS

Site cover

cover.site

Maximum share of the lot a building footprint may occupy.

Bulk & scaleQUANTVERIFIED PRESETS

Solar access

solar.north

Dwellings and their open space get winter sun — codified as hours + orientation.

AmenityQUAL3 SOLUTIONSHEALTH HIGH

Stair geometry

bldg.stair

Riser, going, width and headroom bounds — and the plan area a stair therefore needs.

BUILDING CODEAccess & parkingQUANTLIFE SAFETY HIGH

Street fenestration

character.fenestration

Minimum glazing to the street facade, from habitable rooms.

Character & designQUAL3 SOLUTIONSDESIGN HIGH

Street trees

street.tree

Verge trees required per length of frontage.

LandscapeQUANT

Street-addressing entry

character.entry

The front door faces the street, sheltered, with a walked path from the footpath.

Character & designQUAL4 SOLUTIONSDESIGN HIGH

Transport noise construction

acoustic.transport

Noise-corridor category drives the building's acoustic construction standard.

AmenityQUALVERIFIED PRESETS3 SOLUTIONSHEALTH EXTREME

Tree retention

tree.retention

Significant existing trees stay, with their root zones protected.

LandscapeQUAL2 SOLUTIONSCOMMUNITY HIGH

Visitor parking

parking.visitor

Shared visitor spaces per dwelling, usually with a small-project exemption.

Access & parkingQUANTmultiple dwelling · dual occupancyCOMMUNITY HIGH

Visual privacy

privacy.overlooking

Upper-level windows and balconies within a sightline distance of neighbours are screened or offset.

AmenityQUAL4 SOLUTIONSCOMMUNITY EXTREME

Waste storage

waste.storage

Screened bin storage sized to the dwelling count.

ServicesQUANTHEALTH HIGH

Waterway setback

setback.waterway

Extra clearance where a boundary adjoins a waterway or wetland.

SitingQUANTPROPERTY HIGH