Infrastructure charges

Infrastructure charges help fund essential infrastructure such as local roads, parks, stormwater, water supply and sewerage for new and growing communities.

Infrastructure charges are levied on approved developments. Infrastructure charges and development approvals attach to the land. They are binding on the owner and subsequent owners of land title.

The amount is determined by the relevant charging instrument in place at the date the approval is granted. Information on current and historical charging instruments is included in the following links:

Council of the City of Gold Coast Charges Resolution (effective from 28 September 2023)
Historical infrastructure charging regimes (before 28 September 2023 )

Infrastructure Charges Notice

Issuing an Infrastructure Charges Notice may be triggered by:

• accepted development
• assessable development
• approval for a change application
• an approval for an extension application.

An Infrastructure Charge Notice may be issued for the following types of development:

• reconfiguring of a lot
• material change of use
• carrying out building work.

Before your application

You can request an estimate of the Infrastructure Charges applicable to your proposed development, or further information regarding charges and or credits currently applicable to your property. To apply, visit our Infrastructure charge request page.

With your application

You'll need to complete and submit the following form with your Development Application.
Infrastructure charge proposal summary form(PDF, 407KB)

It will provide the latest charging rates for each development type and scope. For more information, refer to How to lodge a development application.

After your application

• You can apply to enter into an infrastructure agreement with us to provide offsets for trunk infrastructure, defer the payment of infrastructure charges, or receive a Not-for-Profit rebate. To apply, visit our Offset agreements, payment deferrals and not-for-profit rebate requests page.
• Negotiated Infrastructure Charge Notice – this request must be lodged within 20 business days of suspending the appeal period. To lodge this request, visit our Negotiated Infrastructure Charge Notices page.

Trunk infrastructure information

The Planning (Infrastructure Charges Register and Other Matters) Amendment Regulation 2019 (Amendment Regulation) contained amendments to the Planning Regulation 2017 relating to document availability that commenced on 1 January 2020.

In response to community and stakeholder feedback, the Queensland Government introduced the Amendment Regulation to help improve the transparency of the infrastructure charging and planning framework.

The Amendment Regulation introduced additional obligations to provide public access to information about the City's Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP), infrastructure charges and trunk infrastructure delivery.

In addition to the City's Annual Report and Budget, this Trunk Infrastructure Information (TII) Register will be published periodically. This is in accordance with Schedule 22 Section 3A of the Planning Regulation 2017.

The TII Register is intended to provide the community and development industry with greater transparency and certainty regarding our commitment to plan, fund and deliver trunk infrastructure. This commitment is set out in Part 4 of the LGIP included in the City Plan. The LGIP outlines the City's vision for trunk infrastructure services. It helps provide trunk infrastructure in an efficient, coordinated and financially sustainable way.

To access the current charges go to the Council of the City of Gold Coast Charges Resolution page.

Infrastructure charges register

The Infrastructure Charges Register contains all levied infrastructure charges from 27 December 2019. This register is updated monthly.

Infrastructure Charges Register(PDF, 3MB)

To verify information or data provided in the register, contact our Developer Contributions Team on 07 5582 9030 or by email: dcg@goldcoast.qld.gov.au.

Annual infrastructure charges revenue & expenditure summary

These summaries are published in accordance with Schedule 22 Section 3A of the Planning Regulation 2017.

Financial Year Infrastructure Charges Revenue and Expenditure Summary 2021-2022(PDF, 268KB)

Financial Year Infrastructure Charges Revenue and Expenditure Summary 2020-2021(PDF, 264KB)

Unpaid infrastructure charges

Payment of infrastructure charges is due when triggered by one or more of the following:

• the lawful use of a premises commences
• a Certificate of Occupancy or building final is issued
• sealing of survey plans is complete
• a condition stated in an Infrastructure charge notice which has been outlined in a decision notice condition
• an overdue infrastructure change remains unpaid.

Regular audits area undertaken of our infrastructure charging system which identifies unpaid infrastructure charges.

If the charges were levied in accordance with Council's Priority Infrastructure Plan, Adopted Infrastructure Charges Resolution or Charges Resolution, we will send you correspondence to pay. If full payment is not made within the timeframe set out in the correspondence, the unpaid infrastructure charges may be transferred to the rates account of your property.

If the charges were levied as conditions of an approval in accordance with Council's earlier Planning Scheme policies, then you may receive a Show Cause Notice which will request you to show cause to Council as to why an Enforcement Notice should not be issued to you. If the response to the Show Cause Notice is unsatisfactory, we may then issue you with an Enforcement Notice. This notice requires you to comply with the conditions of the approval by making payment of the unpaid infrastructure charges. If payment is not made in response to an Enforcement Notice, we may begin legal proceedings to recover the unpaid infrastructure charges.

Infrastructure charges payment liability

Infrastructure charges and development approvals attach to the land. They are binding on the owner and subsequent owners of land title.

If the charges were levied in accordance with Council's Priority Infrastructure Plan, Adopted Infrastructure Charges Resolution or Charges Resolution, then the charges are the responsibility of the property owner. Payment of any unpaid charges can be claimed as a rate against the property.

If the charges were levied as conditions on the development approval under Council's earlier Planning Scheme Policies, then the current owner may still be responsible for the payment of the charges.

Infrastructure charges transferred to rate notice

Unpaid infrastructure changes may be transferred to a property's rate notice. Comply with any rates notice issued to you which includes an unpaid infrastructure charges amount. These charges are referred to as Outstanding Infrastructure Charges on a rate notice. You can either:

• pay the full amount of the charge by the due date stated on the rates notice, or
• apply to us to enter a payment arrangement.

Rates that are overdue currently attract penalty interest. This penalty interest also applies to unpaid infrastructure charges which have been transferred to the rates notice of the property.

Appealing an infrastructure charge notice

Appeals against infrastructure charge notices are dealt with by either a tribunal or the Planning and Environment Court.

For information on the appeal process and to download forms, go to the Planning and Environment Court's webpage.

Contact us

Please contact us on 07 5582 9030 or by email: dcg@goldcoast.qld.gov.au