ClubHub: guides for Queensland croquet clubs

What the regional water rules say about croquet courts in Brisbane, Ipswich, Moreton Bay, Logan, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Noosa.

CAQ clubs under these rules: 8 in Brisbane, 5 on the Sunshine Coast, 4 in Moreton Bay, 4 on the Gold Coast, and one each in Ipswich, Logan and Noosa.

All seven councils follow one regional set of rules, the Water Restrictions Schedules.

The Schedules count a croquet green as an "active playing surface". There is no limit at Medium, a Guideline at High and Severe, and no town water on the court at Extreme.

On 30 October 2026, Seqwater said "Water restrictions are not in place". The dams were at about 82%. Restrictions are considered at 50%.

What the South East Queensland water rules say about croquet courts, as read on 30 October 2026. Tamborine Mountain, in Scenic Rim, has no town water and has its own page.

Who sets the rules

Seqwater supplies the region's water and sets the levels. Seqwater's Water Security Program 2023 says "the regulatory powers for imposing and enforcing water restrictions reside with the SEQ Retailer Customers". These are the water providers:

Urban Utilities: Brisbane and Ipswich.
Unitywater: Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Noosa.
Logan Water (Logan City Council): Logan.
City of Gold Coast: Gold Coast.

What the rules say about a croquet court

The Schedules list "green (that is, croquet, bowling or golf)" as an active playing surface. Item 1.6, "Active playing surface irrigation", says:

Level	Dams at	Item 1.6 says
Medium	50%	"No restriction."
High	25%	"Must comply with the Active Playing Surface Guideline."
Severe	15%	"Must comply with the Active Playing Surface Guideline."
Extreme	10%	"Use of potable water supplies to water active playing surfaces prohibited."
Essential Minimum Supply Volume	5%	"Use of potable water supplies to water active playing surfaces prohibited."

"Potable" means drinking quality, that is, town water. The Schedules define the Guideline as "the guidelines for active playing surfaces of sportsgrounds, published from time to time by Seqwater". The Urban Utilities copy adds: "These are currently in development." On 30 October 2026, Seqwater's water saving page linked the words "Active playing surfaces guidelines" to a Queensland Government fact sheet on efficient watering. Whether that is the Guideline the Schedules mean is not stated, so the water provider is the one to ask.

In force now

Seqwater's water saving page gives the same words for every council area in the region: "Water restrictions are not in place but we ask everyone to use water wisely". It adds that "water restrictions will be considered when the combined level of SEQ Water Grid dams reaches 50%". Seqwater's dam levels page showed the Water Grid at 82.6% on the morning of 30 October 2026.

Exemption or permit

No exemption process for sports grounds was found in the Schedules. Logan's page on what happens during restrictions says: "Business will be required to comply with additional measures for water efficiency when the dam levels reach 25% and High Level water restrictions are implemented." Whether that reaches a croquet club is not stated.

Tank, bore and recycled water

The Schedules say they cover "potable water from the Seqwater bulk water supply". Item 4.1 is about topping up rainwater tanks. It allows a "trickle top-up system installed by a licensed plumber", and covers premises that are not connected to the town supply. For those tanks it says: "water restrictions apply to use of water from the rainwater tank as they do for the potable water supply."

The line for parks and gardens (item 1.7) carries the note "non-potable sources can be used appropriately at any time". The line for active playing surfaces (item 1.6) has no such note. Bores and recycled water on a court are not stated.

Council by council

Brisbane and Ipswich: Urban Utilities publishes its own copy of the Schedules. Its item 1.6 matches the table above.
Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Noosa: Unitywater publishes its own copy, with the same item 1.6. The City of Moreton Bay's Sport and Recreation Club Manual 2024 may say more about watering and recycled water, but it could not be opened on 30 October 2026, so it was not read.
Logan: Logan City Council publishes its own copy (published 21 February 2025), with the same item 1.6. Its page says: "Water restrictions are currently not in place in Logan."
Gold Coast: no City of Gold Coast page on restrictions was found; the addresses tried led to search results. Its "My water" page says: "We're expanding our recycled water network to provide safe and alternative drinking water in areas like parks and sports ovals."

Some small towns are off the main grid and can have different levels. Seqwater lists them on its water saving page. None of the towns with CAQ clubs in these seven council areas was on that list on 30 October 2026.

Where a point above is marked not stated or not read, the documents listed below were checked on 30 October 2026 and say nothing on it. The club's water provider can say how the rules apply to its courts.

If this is wrong for your club, or your club holds a permit or water plan, please tell us at hello@croquetqld.org and we will check and fix it.

Where this comes from

Water Restrictions Schedules 2021 (Unitywater copy): items 1.6, 1.7 and 4.1, definitions (read 30 October 2026)
Water Restrictions Schedules (Urban Utilities copy): the Guideline (read 30 October 2026)
Water Restrictions Schedules (Logan City Council's accessible copy, 21 February 2025): trigger levels, scope (read 30 October 2026)
Seqwater, South East Queensland Water Security Program 2023: who imposes restrictions (read 30 October 2026)
Seqwater, Water saving advice: current status and off-grid towns (read 30 October 2026)
Seqwater, Dam levels: 82.6% on 30 October 2026
Logan City Council, Water restrictions and During water restrictions (read 30 October 2026)
City of Gold Coast, My water (read 30 October 2026)
What are the rules for watering our lawn? (ClubHub guide): all councils

Watering rules: South East Queensland