Construction Certificate
A Construction Certificate is required after development consent is issued and before any building work is carried out. Building work means any physical activity and includes site preparation such as excavation and/or the removal of trees and/or the erection of a building including alterations and additions.
A Construction Certificate is required to ensure that your Council approved development will meet all conditions set out in your development consent and complies with Australian building codes, ensuring that your development is constructed to an acceptable standard.
Step 1 – Research and prepare
After a development application has been approved by us, a Construction Certificate is needed before any building work can begin.
A Construction Certificate is used to verify that:
- The work you intend to carry out complies with the Building Code of Australia (BCA).
- The design and construction work, as depicted in the plans and specification you submit, is consistent with the development consent.
- Any conditions of the development consent, that must be complied with before a construction certificate is issued, have been met.
- Security deposits, required as a condition of consent, has been provided.
- Any monetary contributions, required as a condition of consent, have been paid.
- All required professional reports, drawings and specifications documents have been reviewed by yourself and your nominated builder/developer.
- Structural strength and fire protection matters have been satisfied, in the case of a change of building use or alterations to an existing building.
Before lodging your application for a Construction Certificate, it is strongly advised that you review your Development Approval, ensuring the above mentioned items, along with development conditions, have been addressed.
Step 2 – Lodgement
Once you are satisfied the you have complied with your development approval conditions from Council, and have consulted and obtained all relevant documentation from your builder, structural engineer and other professional bodies, you can apply for your Construction Certificate.
You will need to lodge an application for Construction Certificate through the NSW Planning Portal, provide owners consent and lodge all supporting documentation. Only the person having the benefit of the development consent is eligible to make an application for a Construction Certificate.
You can apply for a Construction Certificate:
- At the same time as you lodge a Development Application (DA).
- After development consent has been approved by us. This option is more suitable for complex and larger proposals.
You can lodge your application by:
Note: A Construction Certificate is not required for complying development where building details are covered by a Complying Development Certificate (CDC).
Step 3 – Assessment and Determination
You have the choice as to who issues your Construction Certificate. The certifying authority can be either Council (Appointment of PCA) or an accredited certifier.
Council as the certifying authority, will review your Development Approval and assess your detailed building plans, engineering details and specifications, ensuring that your development complies with the Building Codes of Australia. The plans will contain a lot more information than your approved Development Approval plans, to allow your builder to work directly from them to construct your development.
During the Construction Certificate assessment process, you may be required to provide additional reports or provide further information to clarify some aspect of your development. The building plans must be consistent with the approved development consent. Any plan changes that are inconsistent with the Development Approval plans will need to be assessed as to whether a modification application is required.
Once all the previous items have been addressed your chosen certifier will issue a Construction Certificate for your development.