--- title: Building approvals by Local Government Area, monthly, 2025-26, Australia resource: https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/ publisher: Australian Bureau of Statistics licence: CC BY 4.0 licence_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ version: 2026-10-03 rows: 300240 fields: 14 source: https://data.api.abs.gov.au/rest/data/ABS,BA_LGA2025,1.0.0/.9..100+110+120+130+150+200+300+400+700+TOT.LGA2025..M?format=csvfilewithlabels source_sha256: 80a1b9dcb849b1ef76f8c89305e9cd3f2fcafb50e03d299eb49cd0b1b1bd4772 language: en-AU operator: National Digital not_endorsed: true --- # Building approvals by Local Government Area, monthly, 2025-26, Australia Dwellings and building jobs approved each month in 2025-26 in every Australian council area, by type of work and type of building, with their value, from the ABS. Published by Australian Bureau of Statistics under CC BY 4.0 and republished here in other formats, with cells typed and suppressed values made null. Australian Bureau of Statistics has not endorsed this site. Also called: Dwelling approvals by LGA, New houses approved by council area, Building approvals by Local Government Area ABS, Residential building approvals by council. ## Download Latest version, redirects to `https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/v/2026-10-03/`: - csv: https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/latest/data.csv (52 MB) - xlsx: https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/latest/data.xlsx (16 MB) - json: https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/latest/data.json (112 MB) - parquet: https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/latest/data.parquet (537 KB) - sqlite: https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/latest/data.sqlite (59 MB) - duckdb: https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/latest/data.duckdb (5.0 MB) - ndjson: https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/latest/data.ndjson (112 MB) - arrow: https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/latest/data.arrow (9.6 MB) - csv.gz: https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/latest/data.csv.gz (2.4 MB) Pinned version 2026-10-03: `https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/v/2026-10-03/data.`. Dated versions never change. ## Query 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. Rows: https://publicdata.au/api/v1/datasets/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/rows. Counts and sums: https://publicdata.au/api/v1/datasets/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/aggregate. - Rows: https://publicdata.au/api/v1/datasets/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/rows?month=eq.2026-06-01&measure_code=eq.1&work_type_code=eq.TOT&building_type_code=eq.TOT&limit=5 - Aggregate: 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 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`. Operators: `eq.value`, `neq.value`, `gt.value`, `gte.value`, `lt.value`, `lte.value`, `like.*text*`, `ilike.*text*`, `in.(a,b,c)`, `is.null`. - `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//` before `rows` or `aggregate` for an answer that never changes. `/api/v1/datasets//versions` lists the loaded versions. 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 for this dataset: https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/openapi.json ## Explore Charts and dashboards in the browser: https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/explore/. A dashboard can be shared as a link or embedded. ## Smaller files - by `measure`: https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/v/2026-10-03/by/measure/index.json lists 3 files ## Fields | 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 | | Key: `lga_code, month, measure_code, work_type_code, building_type_code`. ## Versions - 2026-10-03: 300240 rows, 14 fields, sha256 80a1b9dcb849. https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/v/2026-10-03/ Machine-readable: https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/versions.json, https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/changes.json, https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/datapackage.json, https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/schema.json, https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/history.tar.zst ## Same subject, other publishers - [Dwelling completions per 1,000 people, New South Wales](https://publicdata.au/d/nsw-dwelling-completions/) (NSW) - [Median weekly rents by suburb and dwelling type, Queensland](https://publicdata.au/d/qld-median-rents-by-suburb/) (Qld) - [Median weekly rents by postcode and dwelling type, Queensland](https://publicdata.au/d/qld-median-rents-by-postcode/) (Qld) - [Change in land values by council area, Queensland, 2010 onwards](https://publicdata.au/d/qld-land-valuation-trends/) (Qld) - [Land valuation objection rates by council area, Queensland, 2019](https://publicdata.au/d/qld-valuation-objection-rates/) (Qld) - [Public housing dwellings by council area, South Australia](https://publicdata.au/d/sa-public-housing-dwellings/) (SA) - [Public housing dwellings, Queensland](https://publicdata.au/d/qld-public-housing-dwellings/) (Qld) - [Social housing maintenance and modification spending, Queensland](https://publicdata.au/d/qld-social-housing-maintenance/) (Qld) - [Median house sale prices by suburb, metropolitan Adelaide](https://publicdata.au/d/sa-metro-median-house-prices/) (SA) - [Public housing households by council area, South Australia](https://publicdata.au/d/sa-public-housing-households/) (SA) - [New households housed in public housing by council area, South Australia](https://publicdata.au/d/sa-public-housing-new-households/) (SA) - [Median house prices by suburb, Victoria](https://publicdata.au/d/vic-median-house-prices-by-suburb/) (Vic) ## Attribution and citation Australian Bureau of Statistics, Building Approvals by Local Government Area (LGA 2025) (BA_LGA2025), ABS Data Explorer, sourced 3 October 2026, https://explore.data.abs.gov.au/vis?df[ds]=ABS_ABS_TOPICS&df[id]=BA_LGA2025&df[ag]=ABS&df[vs]=1.0.0, licensed under CC BY 4.0. The licence requires the publisher's attribution. We ask that you also name publicdata.au and link to the version you used. Plain text: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Building Approvals by Local Government Area (LGA 2025) (BA_LGA2025), ABS Data Explorer, sourced 3 October 2026, https://explore.data.abs.gov.au/vis?df[ds]=ABS_ABS_TOPICS&df[id]=BA_LGA2025&df[ag]=ABS&df[vs]=1.0.0, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Serialised and versioned by National Digital at publicdata.au, https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/v/2026-10-03/ Harvard: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2026) Building approvals by Local Government Area, monthly, 2025-26, Australia, version 2026-10-03 [data set], CC BY 4.0, sourced 3 October 2026. Serialised and versioned by National Digital at publicdata.au. Available at: https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/v/2026-10-03/ Markdown: Data: [Building approvals by Local Government Area, monthly, 2025-26, Australia](https://www.abs.gov.au/website-privacy-copyright-and-disclaimer), Australian Bureau of Statistics, [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), sourced 3 October 2026. Files: [publicdata.au](https://publicdata.au/d/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26/v/2026-10-03/) by [National Digital](https://nationaldigital.com.au/). ## 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 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. ## What this site did to the data Cells were typed, headers were renamed to snake_case and the encoding was made UTF-8. Rows were left alone. Nothing is derived. The publisher's file is beside every version as `source.csv`. ## Improve this dataset This page is built from [register/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26.yaml](https://github.com/National-Digital/publicdata.au/blob/main/register/au-building-approvals-by-lga-2025-26.yaml) on GitHub, and a fix to it is welcome as a pull request. https://publicdata.au/contribute/ explains how.