A shade sail is a structure with a fabric roofing material that is usually waterproof. The sail can have any number of posts or be affixed to a structure and is usually used to create shade.
You can find information below on approvals required for shade sails.
Note: waterproof sails may need engineering certification to verify the tie-down and attachment of the sail, including footing, wind loading and material stability. You should obtain this certification before lodging your application with Council. Contact your consulting engineer for more information.
Planning approval
If your shade sail is co-located with an existing dwelling house on a residential zoned lot, it will usually be classified as a domestic outbuilding and planning approval will likely not be required. However you will need to determine if any overlays impact your property and whether any of these overlays mean that a planning application is required. For example, properties affected by the Coastal Protection (erosion prone areas) overlay, Heritage overlay and Flood and Storm Tide Hazard overlay may require a planning approval for a domestic outbuilding (including a shade sail).
To find this information, see:
Building approval
Building work requiring assessment against the Building Act 1975 may be required. Refer to our information on other minor building projects for clarification.
Other approvals
If no planning approval is necessary, you may still need to lodge with Council a concurrence agency referral application for design and siting. A concurrence agency referral application is required if your proposal does not meet the design and siting requirements of the Queensland Development Code or an alternative provision of the Redland City Plan.