Building and Certification
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Building Inspection Services
Council continues to offer building inspections on Wednesdays, with appointments needing to be booked by 12 noon one working day in advance.
Should your construction project be of the nature where you require inspections outside of these times, it is recommended that you engage a private certifier to conduct the inspections.
Please contact Council on (02) 6778 6300 to book a building inspection.
Builders Work
The Department of Fair Trading stipulates that residential work in excess of $10,000 be conducted by a licensed builder or an Owner/Builder Permit must been obtained.
Where the building work exceeds $10,000 in value, the licensed builder is obliged to provide Home Owners Warranty Insurance Protection and is required to lodge a receipt with the Principal Certifier.
Where an owner/builder is conducting work in excess of $10,000, the Department of Fair Trading requires them to undertake a study course on the responsibilities of the Owner Builder before issuing the Owner Builder permit.
Fire Safety Certificate
A development consent may specify fire safety standards to be ‘Essential Services’ requiring installation by a licensed or certified person to meet the standards of the Building Code of Australia and the Australian Standards. This certificate must be provided to the PCA by an appropriate person experienced in the standards and installation work. This certificate is usually supplied at the completion of the project.
Annual Fire Safety Certificate
Essential Services require annual certification by an appropriately qualified person and submitted to the Council or the NSW Fire Services.
Single residential dwellings or outbuildings usually do not require annual certificates, however certification is required in high risk fire hazard areas or where a severe loss of life is possible as in a nursing home, hostel, or boarding house.
Occupation Certificates
An Occupation Certificate is mandatory for all structures including outbuildings, however are not required for exempt building developments.
BASIX Certificate
The NSW State government requires a BASIX Certificate to be obtained prior to Council or PCA issuing any Construction Certificate or Complying Development Certificate for residential projects.
These projects include any new house, flats, boarding houses, guest houses, backpacker accommodation, residential extensions in excess of $50,000, and a swimming pool that has a larger volume than 40,000L. The provisions do not apply to an existing house that is re-sited or to the major part of an existing house that is not subject to renovation.
Further information on obtaining the BASIX Certificate is outlined on the NSW Planning Portal website.