Dogs in Northern Gold Coast Estates: Body Corporate Pet Rules

The short version

Buying or renting in one of the northern Gold Coast's big estates with a dog? Here's the honest starting point: we couldn't find pet by-laws published online for Coomera Waters, Hope Island Resort, Sanctuary Cove, Riverstone Crossing, The Heights or Foreshore Coomera, so we can't tell you each estate's rules and we won't guess. And if your home isn't part of a body corporate scheme, body corporate by-laws don't apply to you at all. What we can tell you is how Queensland's body corporate law works, and it's more on your side than most people think. In a scheme with a community management statement, by-laws that ban animals outright are invalid, though you may need to get one changed first, and if the committee doesn't decide your request within 21 days, your dog is deemed approved. Sanctuary Cove and Hope Island Resort sit under separate Acts with their own by-laws, renters have a 14-day rule of their own, and we've listed the council dog parks in or near each estate.

Last checked 28/10/2026. Every rule here comes from Queensland Government, Residential Tenancies Authority and City of Gold Coast pages, every council park from council's Park Finder, and each fact was checked a second time before we published. This is general information, not legal advice.

Which rules apply to your dog?

Up to three sets of rules can apply at once:

1. Council rules in every public place, from the footpath to the dog park. On the Gold Coast that means a lead unless a sign says off-leash, and no dogs in children's playgrounds.
2. Your body corporate's by-laws, if you live in a townhouse, unit or other community titles scheme. In some resort estates there's more than one layer of body corporate.
3. Your landlord's approval, if you're renting.

Body corporate pet rules in Queensland

This section covers schemes with a registered community management statement (CMS). The Queensland Government's body corporate pages say:

• Bans are invalid. By-laws that don't allow animals at all, or ban a particular breed or weight, are prohibitive by-laws, and the legislation says they're invalid. The catch: if your scheme still has one, the committee can't approve an animal it prohibits. You can propose a motion to change the by-law and, if that fails, dispute it through the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management's office.
• Ask in writing. Where a by-law lets you keep an animal with approval, send a written request to the secretary, an authorised body corporate manager or, in the secretary's absence, the chairperson. BCCM Form 31 works, but check whether your body corporate has a preferred form first.
• 21 days. If the committee doesn't decide within 21 days of receiving your request, the animal is deemed approved. If it has to go to a general meeting, it's deemed approved if a meeting isn't called within 21 days, or the body corporate doesn't decide within 6 weeks of the meeting notice going out.
• Limited reasons to say no. The body corporate can only refuse if the animal poses an unacceptable risk that can't be managed with reasonable conditions, it isn't allowed under other laws such as council's, you're unwilling or unable to keep it according to reasonable conditions, it's a regulated dog under the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008, it would unreasonably interfere with others or native wildlife in a way conditions can't manage, or you won't agree to reasonable conditions.
• Conditions must be reasonable. Common ones include a lead on common property, no dogs on common property except going in or out, flea treatment, cleaning up waste and taking reasonable steps to cut down airborne allergens, such as regular vacuuming or grooming. Approval only covers the animal in your application, not a replacement.
• No animal by-law? Then you don't need permission to keep an animal in your lot, but the nuisance rules still apply.
• Buying? The Queensland Government suggests you may want to ask the body corporate's permission before you buy.
• Assistance dogs: if you have a disability and rely on a guide, hearing or assistance dog under the Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Act 2009, you don't need permission.

See the Queensland Government's animal by-laws page.

Sanctuary Cove and Hope Island Resort: different Acts

Sanctuary Cove's higher-level bodies corporate sit under the Sanctuary Cove Resort Act 1985, and a 2013 Supreme Court of Queensland judgment describes the Hope Island Resort as a scheme approved under the Integrated Resort Development Act 1987. The Queensland Government says higher-level bodies corporate under these Acts may have by-laws that regulate animals on body corporate land or on owners' lots, and that the wording of the by-law decides your rights. It covers these schemes, and the smaller subsidiary schemes that sit under the Building Units and Group Titles Act 1980, on a separate page from the rules above. Unless your scheme has a registered community management statement, don't assume the 21-day deemed approval or the invalid-ban rule applies at either level. Ask your body corporate which Act your scheme sits under. Check the by-laws and whether you need permission before you move in, or before you buy. One rule is the same everywhere: higher-level bodies corporate can't make by-laws that limit guide, hearing or assistance dogs.

Some homes inside these resorts may also be part of a smaller scheme with its own by-laws, so ask for every set of by-laws that applies to the lot you're looking at, and check which Act each one sits under. See the Queensland Government's animal by-laws under other Acts page.

Renting with a dog

The Residential Tenancies Authority says you need written approval from your property manager or owner to keep a pet. They must respond in writing within 14 days, and if they don't, or the response doesn't meet the requirements, the request is automatically approved. A valid reason to refuse is that keeping the pet would contravene a body corporate by-law, and the RTA warns that body corporate approval may take longer than the 14 days. So in a townhouse or unit, start both requests early. See the RTA's renting with pets page.

Estate by estate: the council dog parks nearby

Estate	Council park	What council says
The Heights, Pimpama	Propinqua Reserve, The Heights Boulevard	Fenced off-leash area, toilet block
Riverstone Crossing, Maudsland	Riverstone Crossing Reserve, 94 Riverstone Crossing	Off-leash area; the rest of the reserve is dog prohibited
Hope Island Resort and Sanctuary Cove	Saltwater Park, Helensvale Road, Hope Island	Fenced off-leash area with agility and a dog swimming area; dog prohibited north of the pond; no toilets
Hope Island Resort and Sanctuary Cove	Sickle Park, 19 Sickle Avenue, Hope Island	Off-leash area, footpath loop, toilets near the tennis courts
Foreshore Coomera	Eagle Tree Park, Foreshore Street	On-lead only
Elsewhere in Coomera	Coomera Sports Park, 53 Beattie Road	Off-leash area at the Ford Road end

The Heights, Pimpama

Propinqua Reserve on The Heights Boulevard has a fenced off-leash dog exercise area, plus a basketball court, two picnic shelters, barbecues and a toilet block. Council listed it in its 2026 proposed amendments to the Animal Control Area Register, so check the signs in case the rules change. More in our Pimpama, Ormeau and Jacobs Well guide.

Riverstone Crossing, Maudsland

Riverstone Crossing Reserve has a designated off-leash area, and council says the rest of the reserve is a dog prohibited area, so stick to the signed section. More in our Oxenford and Maudsland guide.

Hope Island Resort and Sanctuary Cove

Saltwater Park on Helensvale Road is the standout: a large fenced off-leash area with agility equipment and an area where council says dogs can swim. Council also says there's a dog prohibited area north of the pond, and no toilets. Sickle Park, a waterfront park on the Hope Island North Canal, has a designated off-leash area, a footpath loop and public toilets near the tennis courts. More in our Hope Island and Sanctuary Cove guide.

Foreshore Coomera

Stockland opened Foreshore Jetty Park in 2019 as a 1.25 hectare riverfront park with 600 metres of walking and cycling trails along the river bank. Council's dog area data doesn't list an off-leash area there, so keep your dog on a lead. Council's Eagle Tree Park on Foreshore Street is on-lead only, with dogs banned from the playgrounds.

Coomera Waters

We couldn't find any published estate rules on dogs, lakes or swimming, so assume lead on and no swimming unless a sign says otherwise. The council off-leash area at Coomera Sports Park is at the Ford Road end of the park, and our Coomera and Upper Coomera guide lists the fenced parks nearby.

Before you buy or sign a lease

• Ask for the by-laws for every layer of body corporate that applies to the lot, and read the animal by-law and its conditions
• If your by-laws require approval, get it in writing before you move in, not after
• Renting? Send your pet request to the property manager in writing, and ask them to start the body corporate request at the same time
• Keep your dog's microchip, vaccination and council registration details handy in case your application asks for them
• Walk the estate at dog-walking time and look at the signs: lead rules, dog bag stations and any no-dog zones around lakes and playgrounds

Keeping the neighbours on side

Nuisance is where pet approvals come unstuck. The Queensland Government says adjudicators have ordered animals to be removed where an owner didn't control their animal's behaviour and it was found to be causing a nuisance. Barking, waste on common property and dogs off-lead in shared areas are the obvious flashpoints. A tired dog barks less, a lead on common property keeps everyone relaxed, and regular grooming means less fur on the shared stairs. Our moving to the Gold Coast with a dog guide covers council registration and settling in.

FAQs

Can a body corporate ban dogs in Queensland?

Not in a scheme with a community management statement. The Queensland Government says by-laws that prohibit animals are invalid, although the committee can't approve an animal while such a by-law stays on the books, so owners may need to change it first. Schemes under other Acts, such as Sanctuary Cove and Hope Island Resort, work differently.

How long does a body corporate have to approve a dog?

In a scheme with a community management statement, 21 days for a committee decision. If it doesn't decide in that time, the animal is deemed approved. Requests that need a general meeting have different timeframes.

Do Sanctuary Cove and Hope Island Resort have different pet rules?

They can. Their higher-level bodies corporate sit under the Sanctuary Cove Resort Act 1985 and the Integrated Resort Development Act 1987, and the Queensland Government says their by-laws may regulate animals, so check the by-laws for your lot before you move in.

Can my landlord say no to a dog in Queensland?

Only for set reasons, such as the pet contravening a body corporate by-law. The RTA says a property manager or owner must respond in writing within 14 days, or the request is automatically approved.

Checked 28/10/2026. We're humans, not council, so we can get things wrong. Check the signs, the venue and council's current rules before you go. We're not lawyers either, and by-laws and laws change, so always read the by-laws for your lot and check with your body corporate or property manager before you rely on anything here. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.