Areas / Brisbane City / Lota

Lota flood map & planning overlays

Median lots of 405 m², joint 7th-smallest in Brisbane City. Bayside living on compact blocks.

A planning-constraint profile of Lota (Brisbane City, QLD) - 3.49 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 7 November 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Lota's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft.

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

How common is mapped flood risk across Lota properties?

Counts of properties, not share of land, across 1,727 analysed Lota properties; no individual property result is identified.

Has Lota flooded? Flood history and overland flow

Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Lota: 118 of the 1,727 properties we analysed (6.8%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (February 2022: 118). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.

Suburb-wide totals across 1,727 analysed properties; they do not identify or describe any individual property.

Recorded historical flood mapping

6.8%

118 analysed properties intersect at least one mapped historical event extent.

  • February 2022: 118

Mapped overland flow

15.3%

265 analysed properties carry a mapped overland-flow category.

  • Low: 95
  • Medium: 123
  • High: 44

Source: Brisbane City Council flood mapping, aggregated by LayeredGeo. Categories are only shown where at least five analysed properties share them. An address-level check is still required to determine whether a particular lot is mapped.

Aircraft noise and flight paths over Lota

The ANEF contour is a published planning forecast and observed overflight is what a sampled tracking feed recorded - neither describes any individual property.

Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 7 Nov 2026

Under observed aircraft
100%
of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft
Below 3,000 ft
67%
of the suburb's area
Lowest measured
500 ft
averaging 5,000 ft
Busiest square
~2 a day
1 a day below 3,000 ft · ±16% · area average
typical observed square 1 a day

Night movements: observed, lowest 1,000 ft - night is sampled as often as day, but night traffic is light, so this is a floor and no rate can be put on it.

How this is measured

Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously, so every figure is a floor: aircraft not captured between samples are not represented. Rates are per 500 m square - the busiest square in the suburb, not a count of flights over the suburb - and a square is only rated where enough traffic was seen to measure it. Altitudes are above mean sea level. Flight paths change with runway use, weather, season and airspace design. This is a record of observed traffic; it is not a noise contour and not a planning control.

Lota at a glance

Parcels 1,508 Median lot 405 m² Mapped easements 71 Train Lota station Bus stops 14 Schools in suburb 1

Schools in and near Lota

Public school-location data shows availability across the suburb; it does not rate schools or assign any individual address to a catchment.

Inside the suburb boundary

1

1 school providing primary years and 0 providing secondary years. A combined school may be counted in both teaching levels.

Nearest school availability

Primary: inside the suburb

Secondary: 0.44 km from the suburb boundary

Source: Queensland Government school geographic information. Catchment boundaries can divide a suburb and change over time; use the official catchment finder for a specific address.

How Lota is zoned

Low density residential 52%
Open space (District) 17%
Open space (Local) 6%
Major health care 6%
Special purpose (Transport infrastructure) 5%
Emerging community 3%

Selling in Lota? The lot-level zone is the zoning Part 3 of Queensland's Form 2 seller disclosure statement asks for - see our Form 2 planning data guide.

Across its 3.49 km², Lota is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 52% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 15% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 9 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low density residential. The terrain is gently undulating, and the median lot measures about 405 m² across 1,508 parcels.

Recent development applications in Lota

Applications are counted across the whole gazetted suburb from the public Brisbane City Council register. No application address or individual property is published here.

Submitted in the past 12 months

15

Latest included submission: 2 November 2026.

Previous 12 months: 19 (21% lower in the latest period).

Common application types

  • Building work: 9

Counts depend on applications that the council publishes and that can be assigned to a suburb. Categories can overlap when one application covers several types. Totals below five and their latest dates are suppressed. Register last synchronised 8 November 2026. Check the official council register.

Who lives in Lota

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Lota suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population
3,518
usual residents, 2021
Median age
42
years
Median household income
$2,236
per week, Brisbane City suburb typical $2,122
Median rent
$415
per week, Brisbane City suburb typical $410
Median mortgage
$2,167
per month
Household size
2.7
people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 9
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1055, and decile 10 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 8
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Lota's 3,518 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 5.4%
5-14 14.3%
15-19 5.5%
20-24 5.2%
25-34 8.7%
35-44 15.3%
45-54 14.9%
55-64 13.5%
65-74 9.2%
75-84 5.4%
85+ 2.6%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Manly - Lota, the wider ABS statistical area containing Lota. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Lota itself.

6,484 in 2001 to 8,319 in 2025, up 28%.

Source: ABS Census 2021 and SEIFA 2021 (Suburbs and Localities), Regional Population (SA2), CC BY 4.0. Small counts are randomly adjusted by the ABS.

Lota property market snapshot

Queensland Government publishes this as a SA2 market series for Manly - Lota, the wider statistical area containing Lota. It is not a valuation and is not specific to this suburb or any individual property.

House sales

$1,432,500

Median sale price from 148 sales over 12 months to March 2026.

Unit sales

$1,332,500

Median sale price from 26 sales over 12 months to March 2026.

Source: Queensland Government Statistician's Office (QGSO). View the source profile. The same SA2 figure can appear on several suburb pages within that statistical area.

Lota data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingMappedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
ZoningMappedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)
School availabilityAvailableQueensland Government
Market statisticsAvailable at SA2 levelQueensland Government Statistician's Office (QGSO)
Development applicationsAvailable as suburb totalsBrisbane City Council

Profile last materially updated 7 November 2026. See the methodology and full source list. Source data changes over time and critical decisions should be checked with the responsible authority.

Check a specific Lota address

See exactly which overlays touch a single property - the interactive map is free. Need it on paper? A full planning PDF is just $9.

See what's in the $9 report →

Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 67% of Lota. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.

Published flood models are held here: a Flood Model Report is available for about 1,700 Lota addresses (+$9 with the planning report).

The Terrain Report shows the fall of the block - contours, cross sections and a 3D model of the lot to spin round in your browser (+$9 with the planning report).

Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and the indicative soil reactivity range to expect for a Lota lot.

Lota planning - frequently asked

Is Lota flood-prone?

About 52% of Lota falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 31%. Across the suburb, 29% of the 1,727 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 352 rated high risk or historically affected. Modelled flood depth, velocity and flood level are held for about 1,700 Lota addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.

Has Lota flooded?

Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Lota: 118 of the 1,727 properties we analysed (6.8%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (February 2022: 118). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.

Is Lota bushfire-prone?

Around 15% of Lota is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Brisbane City average of 27%.

Is Lota under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 67% of Lota, and over about 100% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 7 Nov 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 5,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 2 aircraft a day were recorded passing over one 500 m square. Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously and flight paths change with runway use, weather and season; the ANEF contour is the planning instrument.

What is the zoning in Lota?

The dominant planning zone in Lota is Low density residential, though the suburb also includes Open space (District) and Open space (Local).

Does Lota have heritage-listed places?

Lota has 9 heritage-listed places on record.

Is Lota hilly or flat?

Lota is gently undulating: the median ground slope is about 5%, and 2% of measured points sit on grades of 15% or steeper. Ground level runs from roughly 2 m to 27 m AHD across the suburb.

What is the typical lot size in Lota?

Across 1,508 surveyed parcels in Lota, the median lot size is about 405 m². There are also 71 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Lota have a train station?

Yes - Lota has 1 train station: Lota station. It is also served by 14 bus stops.

What is the population of Lota?

At the 2021 Census Lota had 3,518 usual residents, with a median age of 42 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Manly - Lota statistical area, which contains Lota, went from 6,484 people in 2001 to 8,319 in 2025, up 28%.

Is Lota an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Lota scores 1055 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Lota?

Median household income in Lota was $2,236 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,122 for the typical suburb in Brisbane City. Median rent was $415 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,167 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Manly 1.8 km 48% 2%
Thorneside
Redland City
1.8 km 53% 11%
Manly West 2.5 km 10% 10%
Ransome 2.7 km 63% 78%
Birkdale
Redland City
3.5 km 28% 26%
Wakerley 4.2 km 27% 37%
Wynnum 4.3 km 40% 6%
Wynnum West 4.3 km 26% 5%
Gumdale 4.7 km 27% 83%
Wellington Point
Redland City
5.1 km 33% 10%

See all Brisbane City suburb profiles →