Detail Plans

• The Detail Plans records provide a dated record of Brisbane’s built environment in addition to contour levels.
• Initially created to plan for installation of sewerage pipes across the city, the maps became known as the "Brisbane datum levels" and continue to provide definition of natural ground levels to determine building heights for the city.
• For more information about the history of the plans see this contemporary 1915 article
• The dates for the individual detail plans range from 1912 to 1973, depending on proximity to the inner city. Detail plans were phased out around 1973.

Please be aware that the amount of information recorded on the plans reduces post 1945, this is due to the surveying process becoming quicker, from the late 1960s the plans were drawn from aerial photographs, and as a result they contain less detail than the earlier plans. You can view the aerial photos directly via QImagery.

• If you are using these plans to try and date a dwelling please note that the detail plans were manually updated AFTER the publication date on the plans. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that everything shown on the published plan was there at the date printed on the plan.
• If in doubt about the exact date for a building consult the Index Registers - please scroll down and select the index that contains the detail plan number you desire. For Wynnum and Sandgate areas they are in a single volume. These indexes contain all the relevant date information for each plan. Otherwise please contact City Archives.
• You may need to view the original survey field books to determine what the updates were. These can only be viewed at the City Archives.

List of Index Registers to detail plan numbers:

• 1-298
• 299-595
• 596-893
• 894-1266
• 1267-1621
• 1622-1975
• 1976-2329
• 2781-3123

Find your detail plan

The map below is still under construction and some holes exist.

If you know the exact Detail Plan number, use the Search button, open the drop down Search For menu, tick Exact Phrase Match, then type in the exact plan title (e.g. "Detail Plan 87" in the Search box.

To use the map to find your plan, go to the nearest available plan on the map and use the plan numbers on the side to navigate towards your desired area, then search that number. 

• Please note the compass rose, as not all plans are oriented with north as up.
• Not all of Brisbane is covered by a detail plan, as the plans were phased out in 1973 and suburban areas developed after that date will not have a plan. 

For Building Application Registers, please see here.