The laws will not apply to places listed on the state's heritage register, meaning they will not apply to the Broadway Hotel in Woolloongabba.

The derelict, state-listed hotel is the centre of an ongoing debate about its future after being gutted by fire in September last year.

Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch said she had used provisions of the Heritage Act 1992 to allow the council to issue repair and maintenance notices on local heritage-listed places that are not on the state register.

“There are currently around 1600 places on Brisbane City Council’s heritage register that are not listed on the State heritage register," Ms Enoch said.

“This change will help ensure that Brisbane’s heritage sites are protected and don’t fall into disrepair.”

Ms Enoch said the protection of local heritage places was important as they connected residents to history and culture.

“Now that Brisbane City Council has been given the power to better protect local heritage places, I expect them to use it,” she said.

City planning committee chairman Matthew Bourke said the council welcomed the announcement.

"We are pleased the state hovernment has finally come to the table and awarded us greater heritage protection powers, eight years after we first wrote the relevant state minister about this," Cr Bourke said.

"Council wrote to the state in 2011 and wrote to Minister Leeanne Enoch again on September 6, 2018 requesting Brisbane City Council be prescribed powers under the Queensland Heritage Act.

"We are hopeful the process of approval to issuing Council’s new powers under the Heritage Acts progresses quickly so we can further protect the city’s heritage and character."

The change to legislation is expected to come into effect in late March, after which the council can issue repair and maintenance notices.

Greens Gabba ward councillor Jonathan Sri said he was pleased the change had come into effect, but it was "confusing and disappointing" the change did not extend to state-listed heritage properties as well.

"Where a property is listed on both the Local and State Heritage registers, both levels of government should have the power to issue repair and maintenance notices," Cr Sri said.

"The state government has done an appalling job of protecting the Broadway Hotel, and I’m frustrated that this delegation of power won’t apply to the Broadway or other significant buildings like Lamb House at Kangaroo Point."

Opposition city planning spokesman Jared Cassidy said the news would be "music to residents' ears" to stop "demolition by stealth".

"Streets around inner city suburbs like Spring Hill and Woolloongabba have been filled with zombie houses where developers have left grand old residences open to the elements and worse," Cr Cassidy said.

"We want to see an end to the practice of buying a piece of Brisbane’s heritage and sitting back waiting for it to go up in smoke."

Cr Cassidy said he didn't believe it necessary that the council gain similar powers over state heritage listed properties in the city.

The question of whether Queensland's heritage legislation is strong enough to keep heritage-listed properties from becoming derelict has been raised in recent months.

Following the Broadway Hotel fire in September 2018, the council and the state government both argued that the other was responsible for enforcing its restoration.

The council wanted the state government to pursue further enforcement action under heritage legislation, while the state government wanted the council to take up further building legislation options.

The hotel's owner had told the council it could not be restored, with the council waiting for another report from the state government to consider the way forward.

"Council officers attended the Broadway Hotel site on Tuesday (February 9) morning to facilitate a meeting between the state government’s Department of Environment and Science and the hotel owner," a council spokeswoman said.

"The inspection followed a show-cause notice issued by the council.

"Council is awaiting a report from the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science."

Ms Enoch had earlier said she was directing the environment department to provide advice on how the heritage act could be strengthened to improve enforcement powers.