Brisbane flood check by address
Before you rent or buy in Brisbane City, see what the Council's flood mapping says for one address: which kinds of flooding are mapped there and how likely they are, whether the 2022, 2011 or 1974 floods reached it, and whether the roads out cross the flood map.
What the free Brisbane check shows for flood
1. Flood likelihood by source
Brisbane City Council's Flood Awareness Map has separate layers for river, creek, overland flow and storm tide flooding. For each one, the check reports the mapped likelihood at the address. For river and creek flooding the Council defines High as the 5% AEP extent, Medium as the 1% AEP extent outside it, Low as the 0.2% AEP extent and Very low as the 0.05% AEP extent; an AEP is the chance of a flood at least that big in any one year. The map is non-statutory.
2. Past floods at the address
The check looks at the Council's mapped outlines of the February 2022, January 2011 and January 1974 floods and says whether the address is inside each one. The 2022 outline covers the Brisbane River and creeks but not overland flow; the 2011 and 1974 outlines are Brisbane River floods.
3. Flooding around the address
A lot can stay dry while the streets around it go under water. The check says how close the 2022 and 2011 outlines came: at the address, within 100 m or within 400 m.
4. The way out by road
The check follows the road routes from the address to a main road within 5 km and says whether they cross the Council's mapped flood area.
5. City Plan flood planning areas
Where the address is inside a City Plan flood planning area, the check names it. Unlike the Flood Awareness Map, this overlay is statutory and affects building work.
An example: 222 Margaret Street, Brisbane City
For this CBD tower site, the free check on 30 October 2026 showed: High flood risk on the Flood Awareness Map; inside the mapped extents of the January 2011 and January 1974 floods; and every road route to a main road within 5 km crossing the mapped flood area. A unit on a high floor still shares that site, its car park and its streets. Two addresses in one suburb can differ a lot, so check the address itself.
What a flood map cannot tell you
No map can promise that a home will or will not flood. Ask the agent or owner about past flooding, get a quote for flood cover before you commit, read the Council's FloodWise Property Report for the lot and look at the street after heavy rain if you can.
Questions people ask
Is the Brisbane Flood Awareness Map a legal requirement?
No. The Council's Flood Awareness Map is non-statutory: it shows where water can reach and how likely that is, but it sets no rules and cannot say for certain whether a home will flood. The City Plan flood planning areas are the statutory overlay that affects building work.
What do High, Medium, Low and Very low mean on the map?
They are chances of a flood in any one year (AEP). For river and creek flooding the Council defines High as the 5% AEP extent, Medium as the 1% AEP extent outside it, Low as the 0.2% AEP extent and Very low as the 0.05% AEP extent. For storm tide, High is 5% and Medium 1%.
Does the check show how deep a flood would be?
No. Flood depth for a lot is not in the Council's open data. The Council's free FloodWise Property Report gives flood levels for a lot; PropertyCheck names it in the report.
Can a home be cut off even if the lot did not flood?
Yes. Roads around a dry lot can go under water. The check shows how close the 2022 and 2011 flood outlines came to the address and whether the road routes out within 5 km cross the mapped flood area.
Other guides
Check the address before you commit.
The free Brisbane check covers flood, bushfire and other mapped hazards, the planning zone, school catchments, transport and local crime context for one address, each with its source.
Check a Brisbane address