Building approvals by Local Government Area, monthly, 2025-26, Australia
liveThe ABS Data Explorer table BA_LGA2025, building approvals by Local Government Area (LGA 2025), read for the total of both sectors, Local Government Areas only, and the residential types with the non-residential totals. Each row is one month, council area, measure, type of work and type of building, with its value, unit and the ABS observation status. The ABS codes are kept beside the names it gives them.
Also called: Dwelling approvals by LGA, New houses approved by council area, Building approvals by Local Government Area ABS, Residential building approvals by council.
- What is in each row?
- One measure for one council area, one month from July 2025 to June 2026, one type of work and one type of building. The measures are the number of dwelling units approved, the number of building jobs valued at $50,000 or more, and the value of building jobs in thousands of dollars. All rows are for the private and public sectors together.
- Why are some values blank?
- The ABS marks a figure it does not publish for a council area, usually to protect confidentiality, with observation status n. The value is blank and the status column carries the ABS's code and meaning. Those figures are still counted in the ABS's state and national totals.
- Which council boundaries are used?
- The Local Government Areas of the ABS's 2025 edition, the same edition as the council boundaries dataset here. The ABS publishes each financial year as its own table on that year's boundaries, so earlier and later years are separate tables.
- Which building types are included?
- Total residential and its parts (houses, townhouses and other semi-detached dwellings, apartments and other residential), the commercial, industrial and other non-residential totals, total non-residential and the total of all building. The finer non-residential types the ABS publishes are left out of this table.
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Connect your AI agent
Any agent that connects to publicdata.au/mcp can find this dataset, read its 14 fields, count and filter across all 300,240 rows and diff its versions. Every answer names the version and carries ABS's attribution. No key.
Then ask it: What does Building approvals by Local Government Area, monthly, 2025-26, Australia hold, and what changed in the newest version?
claude mcp add --transport http publicdata https://publicdata.au/mcpOne command. No key, no account, no sign-up.
Settings, then Connectors, then Add custom connector, and paste https://publicdata.au/mcp.
On the web and in the desktop app.
https://publicdata.au/mcpStreamable HTTP. Cursor, VS Code or any client that connects to a remote MCP server.
Using https://publicdata.au/llms.txt, how many people died on Queensland roads in 2025, by month?For an assistant that reads the web and has no connector.
A dashboard over every row. Click to filter, add panels, share a link or embed a frame.
Query APIFilter and count from a URLaggregate?group=lga_name&metric=sum.value&month=eq.2026-06-01&measure_code=eq.1&work_type_code=eq.TOT&building_type_code=eq.TOT
Dwelling units approved in the newest month: 1,421 Brisbane, 1,171 Gold Coast, 596 Moreton Bay, 428 Ku-ring-gai.
Download it as Excel, CSV, JSON and 6 more formats
Pick a format and a version. Excel is picked first because it opens in the tools most offices have. The URL is yours to keep. A dated version never changes.
In your own tools
Use it in Excel, R, Python and more
Excel and Power BI read the CSV from its address and refresh from it. The R and Python packages take any dataset on this site by its slug, so a new dataset needs no new release. The DuckDB file attaches read-only over HTTPS, and a query reads only the blocks it touches.
The dated URL in the code never changes. https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/latest/ redirects to the newest version.
https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/latest/data.csvIn Excel choose Data, then From Web, and paste this address. Excel keeps it, so Refresh All reads the newest version. A sheet holds about a million rows; past that, load the query to the Data Model.
https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/latest/data.csvIn Power BI Desktop choose Get data, then Web, paste this address and choose Anonymous when asked how to sign in. A scheduled refresh reads the same address, so the report follows each new version.
library(publicdataau)
df <- pd_read("au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26")
pd_attribution(df)install.packages("publicdataau"). pd_read() fetches the version's Parquet file; pd_rows() and pd_aggregate() ask the query API instead, and pd_connect() attaches the DuckDB file.
import publicdata_au as pd_au
df = pd_au.read("au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26")
df.attrs["publicdata"]["attribution"]pip install "publicdata-au[pandas]". read() fetches the version's Parquet file; rows() and aggregate() ask the query API, and connect() attaches the DuckDB file.
INSTALL httpfs; LOAD httpfs;
ATTACH 'https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/v/2026-10-03/data.duckdb' AS au_building_approvals_by_lga_2025_26 (READ_ONLY);
SELECT measure, count(*) FROM au_building_approvals_by_lga_2025_26.records GROUP BY 1 ORDER BY 2 DESC;The DuckDB file attaches read-only over HTTPS and only the blocks a query touches are read. Parquet works the same way: FROM read_parquet(url).
const res = await fetch("https://publicdata.au/api/v1/datasets/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/aggregate?group=lga_name&metric=sum.value&month=eq.2026-06-01&measure_code=eq.1&work_type_code=eq.TOT&building_type_code=eq.TOT");
const { rows, publicdata } = await res.json();
console.log(rows, publicdata.attribution);The query API answers a page on any site as well as Node, with no key. It returns the rows and the attribution the licence asks for.
What is in it
Column names are made snake_case and the publisher's original header is kept beside each one. Blank cells are null. Nothing is added, removed, ranked or summarised.
| Field | Type | Publisher's header | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| lga_code | string | REGION | |
| lga_name | string | Region | |
| month | date | TIME_PERIOD | First day of the month the approvals were made in. |
| measure_code | string | MEASURE | |
| measure | string | Measure | |
| work_type_code | string | WORK_TYPE | |
| work_type | string | Type of work | |
| building_type_code | string | BUILDING_TYPE | |
| building_type | string | Type of building | |
| value | number | OBS_VALUE | The count, or for the value of building jobs the dollars in thousands, as the unit and multiplier columns state. |
| unit | string | Unit of Measure | |
| unit_multiplier | string | Unit of Multiplier | |
| obs_status | string | OBS_STATUS | |
| obs_status_meaning | string | Observation Status |
Download this table as a data dictionary (Excel), or read it as a Frictionless Table Schema at schema.json. The key is lga_code, month, measure_code, work_type_code, building_type_code.
A sample of 10 rows
The ten council areas with the most dwelling units approved in the newest month, most first. A blank cell is shown as null.
| lga_code | lga_name | month | measure_code | measure | work_type_code | work_type | building_type_code | building_type | value | unit | unit_multiplier | obs_status | obs_status_meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31000 | Brisbane | 2026-06-01 | 1 | Number of dwelling units | TOT | Total Work | TOT | Total | 1421 | Number | Units | null | null |
| 33430 | Gold Coast | 2026-06-01 | 1 | Number of dwelling units | TOT | Total Work | TOT | Total | 1171 | Number | Units | null | null |
| 35010 | Moreton Bay | 2026-06-01 | 1 | Number of dwelling units | TOT | Total Work | TOT | Total | 596 | Number | Units | null | null |
| 14500 | Ku-ring-gai | 2026-06-01 | 1 | Number of dwelling units | TOT | Total Work | TOT | Total | 428 | Number | Units | null | null |
| 24650 | Melton | 2026-06-01 | 1 | Number of dwelling units | TOT | Total Work | TOT | Total | 399 | Number | Units | null | null |
| 34590 | Logan | 2026-06-01 | 1 | Number of dwelling units | TOT | Total Work | TOT | Total | 389 | Number | Units | null | null |
| 89399 | Unincorporated ACT | 2026-06-01 | 1 | Number of dwelling units | TOT | Total Work | TOT | Total | 387 | Number | Units | null | null |
| 27260 | Wyndham | 2026-06-01 | 1 | Number of dwelling units | TOT | Total Work | TOT | Total | 363 | Number | Units | null | null |
| 33960 | Ipswich | 2026-06-01 | 1 | Number of dwelling units | TOT | Total Work | TOT | Total | 329 | Number | Units | null | null |
| 58760 | Wanneroo | 2026-06-01 | 1 | Number of dwelling units | TOT | Total Work | TOT | Total | 328 | Number | Units | null | null |
The first row as JSON
As it appears in data.json.
GET https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/latest/data.json
{
"lga_code": "23430",
"lga_name": "Kingston (Vic.)",
"month": "2025-07-01",
"measure_code": "3",
"measure": "Number of building jobs valued $50,000 or more",
"work_type_code": "TOT",
"work_type": "Total Work",
"building_type_code": "300",
"building_type": "Industrial Buildings - Total",
"value": 3.0,
"unit": "Number",
"unit_multiplier": "Units",
"obs_status": null,
"obs_status_meaning": null
}
Query it without downloading
The query API returns only the rows you ask for, as JSON, NDJSON or CSV, from the same typed rows as the files. It needs no key. Build a query here and run it, then copy the URL or the code into your own work.
How filters work
Each filter is field=operator.value in the query string, and every filter must match. A number or date field compares as a number or date, and a text field compares as text. Values are case-sensitive except with ilike. Prefix not. to negate a filter, as not.eq.value.
| Operator | What it matches |
|---|---|
| eq.value | Equal to the value. |
| neq.value | Not equal to the value. A blank cell does not match. |
| gt.value | Greater than the value. |
| gte.value | Greater than or equal to the value. |
| lt.value | Less than the value. |
| lte.value | Less than or equal to the value. |
| like.*text* | Matches a pattern where * stands for any run of characters. Case-sensitive. |
| ilike.*text* | The same as like, ignoring case. |
| in.(a,b,c) | Equal to any value in the list. A value cannot contain a comma. |
| is.null | Blank in the source, or suppressed by the publisher. |
| Parameter | What it does |
|---|---|
| select | Fields to return, comma-separated. Every field when absent. |
| order | field.asc or field.desc, comma-separated. The publisher's row order when absent. |
| limit | Rows per page, 1 to 10,000. 100 when absent. |
| offset | Rows to skip. The next URL in each answer sets it for you. |
| group | On aggregate, fields to group by, comma-separated. |
| metric | On aggregate, count, sum.field, avg.field, min.field or max.field, comma-separated. count when absent. |
| format | json, ndjson or csv. JSON carries the provenance header, and the others carry it in response headers. |
Without a version the API answers from the newest loaded version, and that answer changes when the publisher releases again. Put versions/<date>/ before rows or aggregate for an answer that never changes. /api/v1/datasets/<slug>/versions lists the loaded versions. The 1 newest version is loaded; versions lists them.
The API allows 60 requests in 10 seconds from one address. Above that it answers 429 for 10 seconds with a Retry-After header, a RateLimit-Policy header and a JSON body that gives the limit. Every API answer carries the same RateLimit-Policy. A client should wait the Retry-After seconds, or read the files, which have no limit. openapi.json describes this dataset's query paths for client generators and agents.
https://publicdata.au/mcp is a remote MCP server over Streamable HTTP with the same tools, defined in the same place, so a tool added to the pages is added here too. It needs no key and no account. The row tools are held to the query API's limit of 60 queries in 10 seconds from one address, and each call is two queries because it also counts the matching rows. Add it to Claude Code with claude mcp add --transport http publicdata https://publicdata.au/mcp, add the URL in Claude as a custom connector, or give it to any client that connects to remote MCP servers. Each queryable dataset is also a resource at https://publicdata.au/d/<slug>/fields.json, which lists its fields with their types, the publisher's descriptions, their ranges and the values they hold, so an agent can read a dataset's shape before it writes a query.
Smaller files
The same rows split by a field, one JSON file each. Each file carries the same provenance header.
By measure (3 files)
by/measure/index.json lists every file with its row count.
What changed
One version for every release the publisher has made since this site started following the dataset. The date is the day the file changed on the portal.
- 2026-10-03 300,240 rows14 fieldsutf-8-sig80a1b9dcb849The publisher's server states no change date, so this version is dated by the fetch.
versions.json · changes.json · history.tar.zst (419 KB, every version's Parquet and manifest)
Questions
How do I download Building approvals by Local Government Area, monthly, 2025-26 as a CSV file?
Open https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/latest/data.csv. It redirects to the newest dated version, which is https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/v/2026-10-03/data.csv today. The same path serves Excel, JSON, Parquet, SQLite, DuckDB, NDJSON, Arrow. A dated URL never changes, so use it when the file must stay the same.
Can I open Building approvals by Local Government Area, monthly, 2025-26 in Excel?
Yes. https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/v/2026-10-03/data.xlsx is a workbook with the 300,240 rows on a records sheet, the field list on a second sheet and the provenance on a third. The CSV also opens in Excel. https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/v/2026-10-03/data.csv.gz is the CSV at about a tenth of the size.
What years does Building approvals by Local Government Area, monthly, 2025-26 cover?
The current version covers the years since 2025. Each release from ABS becomes a new dated version here, and earlier versions stay online.
How often is Building approvals by Local Government Area, monthly, 2025-26 updated?
ABS releases it monthly. This site checks the portal every week and adds a dated version when the file changes.
Can I use Building approvals by Local Government Area, monthly, 2025-26 commercially?
Yes. CC BY 4.0 allows commercial use, redistribution and derived works as long as the attribution is kept. The attribution string is in this page's side column and inside every file.
Is this the official source for Building approvals by Local Government Area, monthly, 2025-26?
No. The publisher is Australian Bureau of Statistics, and its page is https://www.abs.gov.au/website-privacy-copyright-and-disclaimer. This site republishes the publisher's file without changing its content. The original sits beside every version as source.csv with its SHA-256, so the two can be compared.
How do I get only the rows for one measure?
Every version has one JSON file per value of measure, 3 files in the current version, listed with row counts at https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/v/2026-10-03/by/measure/index.json. For example https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/v/2026-10-03/by/measure/number-of-building-jobs-valued-50-000-or-more.json holds the 100,080 rows where measure is Number of building jobs valued $50,000 or more.
What this site did to the data. Cells were typed, headers were renamed and the encoding was made UTF-8. Rows were left alone. The publisher's file sits beside every version as source.csv so the change can be checked.