Building Application Registers

Building Application Records

This collection includes copies of surviving pre-November 1945 Building approval records held by the Brisbane City Council Archives. These applications include both new dwellings and additions.

Formal recording of Building Applications started in 1904 when Mayor Corrie of the original Brisbane City Council ordered that Council formally record all building applications. The registers covering the period 1904 to September 1925 only record applications for buildings within the original Brisbane City Council area.  After October 1925 the registers extend to include the greater Brisbane Council area. 

A small volume exists for the original Wynnum Town Council area for 1919 - 1923. Transcript can be viewed here

This system of recording building applications ceased in October 1945 and from November 1945 was replaced by a card system – please contact City Archives for further advice.

The Records include:

• Building Application Registers. These are chronological registers which record application by date and owner or applicant name. Information recorded includes street, suburb name, brief description of building, cost of building, date approved, building contractor and architect. The Real Property Description (RPD) is sometimes recorded.  Individual register changes will be noted in the descriptive record.   

• Building Application Register Indexes. These should be used as the first step in searching building application records. The existence of an index will be noted on the corresponding building register record. Entries are arranged by street can provide a number which cross references to the building registers. Not every volume has an index.
• Entries do not include street numbers so it advisable to obtain landowners name first via Historic Lands titles search as outlined in our House history page.

Note: These records are incomplete. For the years September 1934 – Jan 1936 and April - Dec 1937 there are no extant records.  For 1939 and 1941 only the index survives.

As the registers have irregular time periods, and some have an index, and some do not, please find below a directory for ease of reference.

List of building registers:

• 1904 March to 1909 July
  
  • No index
• 1909 August to 1914 March
  
  • Index
• 1914 April to 1920 July
  
  • Index
• 1920 August - 1925 September
  
  • No index
• 1926-1927
  
  • Index
• October 1925 – May 1926
  
  • No index
• February - October 1927
  
  • Index
• November 1927- October 1928
  
  • Index
• October 1928 – December 1929
  
  • No index
• 1930-1932
  
  • Index
• 1932-1934
  
  • Index
• March 1936 – March 1937
  
  • No index
• 1938
  
  • has supplementary volume for June and August
  • Index
• 1939 - only index survives
• 1940
  • Index
• 1941 - only index survives
• 1942
  • Index
• 1943
  • Index
• 1944
  • No index
• January 1945 – October 1945
  • No index