Plan sealing and title registration for multi-unit industrial developments in Queensland
By Brenscot Builders | Last reviewed September 2026
A row of warehouse units sharing a driveway, car parks and services usually needs to be sold, financed or valued unit by unit. For that, each unit needs its own title. In Queensland this is done by creating a community titles scheme, which most people still call "strata".
Titling is often treated as paperwork for the end of the job. It shouldn't be. The unit boundaries, fire walls, services, meters and yards all have to match the survey plan and the scheme documents, so the titling structure needs to be decided while the building is being designed.
The short answer
Multi-unit industrial buildings in Queensland are titled as a community titles scheme under the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997. A surveyor prepares the plan, a solicitor prepares the community management statement, the council approves ("seals") the plan once the development approval conditions are met, and the plan is then registered with Titles Queensland, which creates a title for each lot and establishes the body corporate. The plan must be lodged within six months of council approval.
What is a community titles scheme?
Under section 10 of the Act, a scheme needs:
- At least two lots
- Common property, such as driveways, shared parking, landscaping and shared services
- A single body corporate, made up of all lot owners
- A single community management statement
The community management statement (CMS) is the scheme's governing document. It identifies the scheme, names the regulation module that applies, sets out the lot entitlements, contains the by-laws and records any exclusive use areas.
Regulation modules. The module sets the rules for how the body corporate operates. The Commercial Module applies where the lots are predominantly commercial lots, which includes lots used for industrial purposes, and it has less prescriptive procedures than the residential modules. The Small Schemes Module is an option for schemes of six lots or fewer. The Standard Module is the default.
Lot entitlements. Each lot has a contribution schedule entitlement, which determines its share of body corporate costs, and an interest schedule entitlement, which determines its share of common property and generally reflects market value. Contribution entitlements are set on one of two principles. Under the equality principle they are equal, except where it is just and equitable for them to differ. Under the relativity principle they reflect factors such as each lot's structure, nature, purpose and impact on common property costs. Setting them fairly at the start avoids disputes later.
Building format or standard format: an important choice
The Land Title Act 1994 provides for different plan formats, and the choice determines where a lot's boundaries are and who maintains and insures the building.
| Building format plan | Standard format plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Lot boundaries defined by | The building's structural elements: generally the centre of walls, floors and ceilings | Surveyed marks on the ground |
| What the lot owner owns | The inside of the unit, to the centre of the boundary walls | The land within the lot and the building on it |
| Who maintains the roof, outside walls and foundations | The body corporate | The lot owner |
| Who insures the building | The body corporate | The body corporate for buildings that share a common wall; otherwise the lot owner |
| Yards and car parks | Usually common property, allocated by exclusive use by-law, or included in the lot if defined on the plan | Usually within the lot |
Multi-unit industrial buildings with shared walls are commonly titled under a building format plan. The consequences flow into body corporate levies, insurance, and who pays when a roof needs replacing, so buyers should understand which format applies. Your surveyor and solicitor will advise which suits the project.
The pathway, step by step
1. Development approval that provides for the subdivision
Subdividing land is "reconfiguring a lot" under the Planning Act 2016 and needs a development permit. There is an exemption for building format plans that don't subdivide land on or below the surface, but a ground-level industrial unit development does divide the land at the surface, so approval is required. It is normally applied for together with the approval for the building, so one set of conditions covers both.
2. Design the building for its titles
- Put fire walls on the lot boundaries. See fire walls and fire compartments
- Give each unit its own services and meters where possible, and work out how shared services such as fire systems, stormwater devices and site lighting will be owned, accessed and paid for
- Decide what is lot, what is exclusive use and what is common property for yards, car parks, awnings, signage and bin areas
- Allow for easements for services and access
- Think about future flexibility, such as amalgamating two units
3. Survey plan
A registered cadastral surveyor prepares the plan of subdivision. For a building format plan the final survey is done once the building structure is complete, because the boundaries are measured from the walls as built.
4. First community management statement
A solicitor drafts the CMS, including the module, by-laws, lot entitlements and exclusive use allocations. By-laws for an industrial scheme typically deal with hours of operation, outdoor storage, vehicle parking and movement, signage, noise, waste and dangerous goods. The CMS must be consistent with the development approval, and the council endorses it.
5. Plan sealing by the council
"Plan sealing" is the council's approval of the survey plan. Under Schedule 18 of the Planning Regulation 2017, the council must approve the plan if:
- The development conditions about the reconfiguration have been complied with, or satisfactory security has been given to ensure compliance
- Where the reconfiguration requires operational work, the development conditions about the operational work have been complied with, or satisfactory security has been given
- There are no outstanding rates or charges levied by the council, or expenses that are a charge over the land under any Act
- The plan has been prepared in accordance with the development permit
- The conditions of a water approval under the South East Queensland Water Act have been complied with, and there are no outstanding fees or charges levied by the distributor-retailer (Urban Utilities or Unitywater)
Separately, under section 122 of the Planning Act 2016, infrastructure charges levied on the subdivision fall due when the council approves the plan, unless an infrastructure agreement says otherwise. Expect to pay them at this point.
In practice the conditions that hold this step up are the operational works conditions, because the civil works have to be finished, inspected and accepted before the council will treat them as complied with. Where the works become council assets, such as road and drainage works, they go "on maintenance" when the council accepts them as constructed and come "off maintenance" at the end of a maintenance period. Brisbane City Council's maintenance period is usually 12 months, though it can vary and is stated in the on-maintenance letter, and a maintenance bond may be required. Periods and bond requirements differ between councils. Brisbane will also consider an uncompleted works bond to allow a plan to be sealed with work outstanding, but states that it reserves the right not to accept one, so it is not something to rely on in a settlement programme.
The council has 20 business days to decide the request once it has everything it needs. In practice, the time goes in assembling the evidence: as-constructed drawings, engineers' certifications, compliance with landscaping and stormwater conditions, utility clearances and the final CMS. Watch the timing as well. Under Schedule 18, where a condition requires the plan to be given to the council, the request must be made by the date stated in the permit or, if none is stated, within two years after the permit takes effect, unless a longer period is agreed. Separately, under section 85 of the Planning Act 2016 a reconfiguring a lot approval lapses if the plan is not given to the council within the period stated in the approval or, if none is stated, four years after it takes effect. A material change of use approval runs six years by default, and operational work two years. Ask your town planner to confirm the dates for your approval.
In a priority development area, the planning body is the Minister for Economic Development Queensland (in practice Economic Development Queensland, or the council where the function is delegated).
6. Registration with Titles Queensland
Under section 50 of the Land Title Act 1994, the plan must be lodged for registration within six months after the council's approval. It is lodged together with the first CMS and the council's endorsements. On registration, Titles Queensland creates a separate, State-guaranteed (indefeasible) title for each lot and for the common property, and the body corporate comes into existence.
7. After registration
Sales contracts can settle, the body corporate holds its first meetings, sets its budgets and takes out insurance. Each unit still needs its certificate of occupancy before it can be used. See the certification pathway.
Selling units before the titles exist
Units are often sold "off the plan" before registration. The Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 requires the seller to give the buyer a disclosure statement before the contract is signed, including a disclosure plan and the proposed body corporate details. A buyer can terminate if settlement has not occurred by whichever comes first: the sunset date in the contract, or five and a half years after the contract date. If the contract states no sunset date, the period is three and a half years. Those periods can extend where the buyer asks for a later settlement and the seller agrees. Requiring a buyer to pay more than the prescribed percentage before they receive title turns the contract into an instalment contract under the Property Law Act 2023, which restricts the seller's rights. The prescribed percentage is 20% for a proposed lot and 10% for other land (sections 87 and 89), so deposits on proposed lots are kept at or below 20% in practice. Queensland's seller disclosure regime under the Property Law Act 2023, which started on 1 August 2025, applies to sales of existing commercial and industrial property but not to proposed lots. These are legal matters for your solicitor.
Common problems
- Unit walls that don't line up with the intended lot boundaries
- Shared fire services, stormwater treatment devices or detention tanks located inside one lot, with no access rights for the body corporate
- Truck yards left as common property with no agreed allocation or rules
- Development approval conditions left outstanding until plan sealing is lodged, operational works conditions most often of all
- A CMS drafted after the units have been marketed on different terms
- No allowance in the programme for plan sealing and registration, which delays settlements
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between strata title and community title in Queensland?
They refer to the same thing in everyday use. Queensland's legislation uses the term "community titles scheme". "Strata" is the common name carried over from earlier legislation and from other states.
What is plan sealing?
It is the council's formal approval of a survey plan of subdivision, confirming that the conditions of the development approval have been met. The plan can't be registered without it.
How long does plan sealing take in Queensland?
The council has 20 business days to decide a complete request. Preparing a complete request, with all conditions satisfied and documents in hand, usually takes longer than the assessment itself.
Who maintains the roof of a strata industrial unit?
Under a building format plan, the body corporate generally maintains the roof, external walls and foundations. Under a standard format plan, the lot owner generally does. Check the plan format for the particular scheme.
Do industrial units need a body corporate?
Yes. Every community titles scheme has a body corporate made up of the lot owners, which looks after common property, insurance and the by-laws.
Sources
- Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (Qld), sections 10, 46 to 46B, 213 and 217B
- Body Corporate and Community Management (Commercial Module) Regulation 2020 and (Small Schemes Module) Regulation 2020
- Land Title Act 1994 (Qld), sections 48A to 48D, 49C and 50(5)
- Planning Act 2016 (Qld), sections 85 and 122; Planning Regulation 2017 (Qld), Schedule 18 (approving plans of subdivision)
- Property Law Act 2023 (Qld)
- Queensland Government, body corporate guidance on format plans, maintenance and insurance, qld.gov.au
- Brisbane City Council, plan sealing requests and on and off maintenance approvals, brisbane.qld.gov.au
- Titles Queensland, Land Title Practice Manual, Parts 21 and 45
- Economic Development Queensland, development assessment process
General information only
This article is general information, current as at September 2026. It is not legal or surveying advice. Titling, the community management statement and sale contracts must be handled by a registered cadastral surveyor and a solicitor experienced in Queensland community titles.
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