Do you need approval
to renovate a kitchen?
Usually less than people fear, and never nothing. The cabinetry is rarely the issue. What you do to services, walls and ventilation is.
The short answer
Replacing cabinetry and a benchtop in the same footprint, with services staying where they are, is generally the least involved case. It changes the moment you move a wall, a drain or a circuit. Four questions decide which side of the line you are on, and a building certifier will answer them in one phone call that usually costs nothing.
The short version
Replacing cabinetry and a benchtop in the same footprint, with services staying where they are, is generally the least involved case. It starts needing more the moment you move a wall, alter a window, change where the plumbing or wiring runs, or convert the space into something it was not before. The cabinets are almost never what triggers an approval — the building work around them is.
The four questions that decide it
Are you removing or altering any wall? Are you moving the sink, dishwasher or any drain? Are you adding circuits, a new oven point or an island power supply? Are you changing the room’s use or its ventilation? A yes to any of those moves you out of "like for like" and into a conversation with a building certifier. A no to all four usually means the work is straightforward — but confirm it rather than assume it.
Council or private certifier
In Queensland most residential building approvals are handled by a private building certifier rather than the council counter. The certifier assesses the work, and the council still holds the planning side — what you are allowed to do on that block at all. For anything beyond a straight replacement, ring a certifier first: they will tell you in one call whether you need them, and that call is usually free. Rockhampton Regional Council can tell you which planning rules apply to your address.
Plumbing and electrical are separate, and not optional
Whatever the building approval position, the licensed work is regulated in its own right. A licensed plumber and a licensed electrician must carry out and certify their parts, and you should receive documentation for both. This matters later — when you sell, and if you ever claim on insurance. Unlicensed plumbing or wiring in a kitchen is the single most common thing that turns up in a building and pest inspection and costs a sale.
Where owner-builders sit
If you are managing the job yourself under an owner-builder permit, the responsibilities move to you, including making sure every licensed trade on the job is actually licensed and that you hold the paperwork. The QBCC sets out what an owner-builder can and cannot do, and there are limits on selling the property afterwards. We supply owner-builders regularly — see owner-builder kitchen supply.
What we do and do not do
We design, supply and install the cabinetry, and we provide service drawings so your plumber and electrician know exactly where everything lands. We are not building certifiers and we do not lodge approvals for you. If your job needs certification we will say so early rather than let you find out mid-build, and we work to your certifier’s programme.
Last checked: September 2026. This is general information, not building, legal, financial or insurance advice. Rules, funding and figures differ by council, insurer and individual circumstance and change without notice — confirm with the authority linked above before you commit to anything.
Frequently asked
Common questions
If your question is not here, call the studio. We would rather talk it through than have you guess.
Ask us directly →Do I need council approval to replace a kitchen in Queensland?
For a like-for-like replacement in the same footprint, with services staying put, generally the cabinetry itself is not what triggers an approval. It changes as soon as walls, services, ventilation or the use of the room change. Confirm your specific case with a building certifier or your council before you start.
Who signs off the plumbing and electrical?
A licensed plumber and a licensed electrician, each certifying their own work, and you should be given the paperwork. Keep it. It is asked for at sale and can matter to an insurance claim.
Does moving the sink change things?
It can. Moving a sink means altering drainage, which is regulated plumbing work and may change the approval position depending on what is involved. It is one of the four questions worth answering before you finalise a layout.
What if I am an owner-builder?
The obligations sit with you rather than a head contractor, including verifying that every licensed trade is licensed and keeping the documentation. Check the QBCC guidance on owner-builder permits, and note there are restrictions on selling within a set period afterwards.
Delivered assembled
The assembly is done
before it arrives.
Carcasses built square on a bench, Blum hardware fitted, doors hung and adjusted to even gaps. On site you are fixing finished cabinets to a wall, not building them on the floor. Our own team fits it in Central Queensland; your installer fits it anywhere else in Australia. Prefer to build it yourself? The same kitchen ships flat pack.
Mitred stone edge over assembled carcasses
American oak and stone
Full-height joinery, fitted in days
Before you commit
Find out what your job needs
before you pay for any of it.
Send us your dimensions and photographs. You get a fixed, itemised quote and an honest read on whether certification is involved. Free, and yours to keep whatever you decide.