Medium density residential dominant. 4,572 lots resolved to zone, overlays and development potential.
Zoning
Runaway Bay is dominated by MDR — Medium density residential. Land use, building height, and permitted development are set per zone in the council planning scheme, made under the Queensland Planning Act 2016.
Limit varies by lot — check your address for the exact figure.
Modelled dwelling capacity if every lot built to its zone controls.
Location
Runaway Bay 4216 covers 5.1 km² within Gold Coast City.
Drill into any lot in Runaway Bay
Open the interactive map — click any address to see its zone, height, FSR, overlays, and approval likelihood.
Development potential
We score every lot for development signal — under-built relative to the controls, eligible for a secondary dwelling, or sized for subdivision.
under the relevant council planning scheme
lots that may support subdivision
show at least one development signal
Own a property in Runaway Bay?
Check your lot's exact development potential — height, FSR, granny flat, subdivision, dual-occ.
Constraints & risks
79% of lots are in mapped flood zones — material for any development; also: 1.0% of lots: koala priority habitat; 1.6% of lots: state environmental significance.
Suburb-wide percentages — your specific lot may have all, some, or none of these.
Flood hazard overlay mapping
Bushfire hazard overlay mapping
Core koala habitat (State Planning Regulatory Provisions)
Matters of State Environmental Significance (MSES) overlay
Market
Rent and market context from state rental bond and demographic data.
Sale-price history isn't yet loaded for Queensland suburbs — rent, demographics and planning data are shown where available.
Queensland Government Statistician's Office projection.
Demographics & lifestyle
ABS Census 2021 population data combined with lot-level amenity, healthcare, lifestyle, and crime indices.
Walkable amenity within 1 km
Cafés, parks, schools, transport
FAQs
Runaway Bay is dominated by the MDR (Medium density residential) zone, which covers 2,039 of 4,572 lots (50%). The full mix is: MDR Medium density residential (50%), LDR Low density residential (47%), OS Open space (1%), MU Mixed use (1%), NC Neighbourhood centre (0%), C Centre (0%), CON Conservation (0%), SR Sport and recreation (0%), CF Community facilities (0%), SP Special purpose (0%).
Across Runaway Bay, the average maximum building height is 12.0 m. Height is set per zone in the council planning scheme and can be varied by overlays and schedules. For the exact control on a specific address, generate a planning report.
Yes — 3,980 lots in Runaway Bay appear eligible for a secondary dwelling under the relevant council planning scheme, based on lot size, zoning, and frontage. Eligibility is lot-specific: get a planning report on your address to confirm.
Median weekly rent for a house in Runaway Bay is $988.
Across Runaway Bay, 79.2% flood-affected, 0.6% bushfire-prone, 1.0% koala priority habitat, 1.6% state environmental significance. These are suburb-wide percentages — every lot has its own combination. A planning report on a specific address shows exactly which controls apply.
3,980 of 4,572 lots in Runaway Bay show identifiable development potential — under-developed for the planning controls, eligible for a secondary dwelling, or capable of subdivision.
Continue exploring
Compare zoning, development potential, and DA activity across other suburbs in Gold Coast City and nearby postcodes.
Suburb-wide stats are useful for context. For a buy-or-walk decision on a specific lot, you need every control, every constraint, and every clause cited to source.
Run a report — from A$2914-section report · planning scheme controls cross-referenced · cited to source
Verify with official sources
Don't take our word for it. Every figure on this page is computed from authoritative Queensland Government data — and you can verify any of it directly with the source.
Official Queensland source — verify zoning, overlays, planning controls and the figures shown on this page.
Official Queensland source — verify zoning, overlays, planning controls and the figures shown on this page.
Official Queensland source — verify zoning, overlays, planning controls and the figures shown on this page.
Official Queensland source — verify zoning, overlays, planning controls and the figures shown on this page.
Official Queensland source — verify zoning, overlays, planning controls and the figures shown on this page.
Zoning, height, overlays and development potential computed from the Gold Coast Citycouncil planning scheme and lot-level cadastre (4,572 lots). Hazard overlays, demographics and rent drawn from Queensland council planning schemes, Development.i / council DA registers, Queensland Globe, and ABS Census 2021. Aggregated by ZoneDSS · last updated 2026-06-08.
Suburb-wide statistics — your specific lot may vary. Always run a planning report on the actual address before making a decision. How ZoneDSS works →