FAQs

You can organise a quote simply by contacting our office by phone or email. Click on the Contact tab on our website for details for our office details or complete the online form by selecting ‘request a quote’.

Mandatory Critical Stage Inspections ensure that what has been approved in the development consent and construction certificate is in line with the development taking place. All critical stage inspections at City Building Approvals are performed by Accredited Certifiers.

In the case of a class 1 or 10 building, the occasions on which building must be inspected are:

• after excavation for, and prior to the placement of, any footings
• prior to pouring any in-situ reinforced concrete building element
• prior to covering of the framework for any floor, wall, roof or other building element,
• prior to covering waterproofing in any wet areas,
• prior to covering any storm water drain connections,
• after the building work has been completed and prior to any occupation certificate being issued in relation to the building.

Yes. The Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation (EP&A Reg) sets out the number of mandatory inspections for all types of buildings.

The principle certifier (PC) must advise the owner as to what inspections are required to be carried out by the PC. Where an inspection by a third party, such as an engineer , is required, the PC will request written confirmation in the form of a report or certificate to verify that the inspection was carried out, and that work satisfies any applicable standards.

To arrange critical stage inspection, you can book by calling our office on (02) 4257 5326 or email us at info@citybuildingapprovals.com.au

We recommend you liaise with your builder to ensure the works to be inspected are complete prior to contacting the office to book the inspection. Our registered certifiers will provide a written report following each inspection to confirm the compliance.

Please keep in mind that there are no set inspection times. Inspectors may attend anytime from 7am – 6pm.

No. A private certifier can only inspect the drawing received from an engineer. The engineer who designed the engineering details will also be requested to inspect and certify the structural elements.

Construction and development can sometimes cause concerns or inconvenience for those who live in close proximity to a building site. While it can be disruptive, it is important to recognise that most developments are constructed in a relatively short time frame.

The most common concerns about development can often be avoided through early and regular communication and cooperation. Where possible, talking to the property owner about the development may help to alleviate any potentially unnecessary concerns, and can often lead to more harmonious and positive neighbour relationships.

Please see the below information on the different roles during a project to help guide you on who you should contact if you have any concerns:

What does the principal certifier do?
The principal certifier is an independent authority that inspects the development at certain stages to ensure it meets legislative requirements and conditions of consent. They don’t supervise or manage the work.

If a development is non-compliant, a private certifier may issue a written direction to the owner and/or builder, requiring certain action be taken.

The Principal Certifier can take action if work does not meet requirements. If the non-compliance is not addressed in the given timeframe, the certifier must refer the matter to the council for appropriate enforcement. Only the council can take further enforcement action.

Powers of Local Councils:

Councils have broad and discretionary powers of enforcement, and can act at any time, even if not the principal certifier for a development. A council may issue orders, stop work notices or fines if work breaches legislative
requirements or conditions of consent, and can enforce issues such as hours of work, dust, noise and activities on footpaths/roads. Urgent matters such as dangerous excavations should be directed to the council for
immediate attention.

Responsibilities of property owners and builders:

The property owner is responsible for meeting the conditions of the development approval. The builder is responsible for supervising the site and the work of subcontractors. The builder must make sure that work is done in accordance with the approved plans, the Building Code of Australia and Australian Standards.

Please be aware that lodging a complaint about a construction site is treated as a serious circumstance. Each complaint is investigated, and feedback provided to the complainant. Your complaint should not be part of, or be fuelled by, an ongoing domestic dispute between yourself and your neighbour. As the Principal Certifier we should not be used as a mediator for existing domestic disturbances.

In the majority of cases, we are unable to accept an anonymous complaint. While every effort will be made to keep your details private, our investigation process may unavoidably disclose the details of the complaint and the complainant.

If you wish to make a complaint about a development simply complete the form here contact form and select ‘complaints’.

Yes, you can replace your existing PC by completing an application form (Notice to appoint a replacement Principle Certifier (PC)). This form must be signed by your current PC.
Furthur information can be found on the NSW Fair Trading website, alternatively the application form can be found under the resources page.

Building certification is the process of engaging registered certifiers to independently check and approve building works to ensure they comply with the safety, health, amenity and sustainability standards specified in legislation and building codes. The main role of certifiers is to determine applications for Construction Certificates and Complying Development Certificates. Accredited certifiers may also be appointed as the Principal Certifier (PC) for the development.

The Principal Certifier carries out critical stage inspections during construction to ensure the building work is in accordance with the development consent and legislative requirements.

At the completion of construction, the property owner must apply to the Principal Certifier for an Occupation Certificate. The Principal Certifier will conduct a final inspection and issue this certificate if they are satisfied that the building is suitable for occupation or use. A building must not be occupied or used without an Occupation Certificate. *failure to obtain an Occupation certification within 90 days of your final inspection may result in your contract being terminated.

A Development Application (DA) is a formal application for development that requires assessment and development consent under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. It is usually submitted to your local council and consists of standard application forms, supporting technical reports and plans.

The NSW government and local Councils have comprehensive and complex requirements for the lodgement of Development Applications. City Building Approvals has a network of quality planners who can assist you to prepare and submit all of the necessary information required by council and to avoid costly time delays which can obstruct your development project.

Prior to lodging a development application (DA) with Council, you need to review planning policies that apply to your land, in order to prepare your plans and supporting documentation. To see what local environmental planning constraints, applicable planning policies and permissible uses apply to your land or property, you can use the New South Wales Government Planning Portal.

If consent is granted for your development, a schedule of conditions will be issued with the notice of determination. The development consent is structured to assist in the project management of the development and these conditions must be complied with. The conditions should be read in conjunction with the stamped approved plans.

We now provide a planning, DA assessment and lodgement process. Contact us today.

Contact our office or you can Request a Quote for a free competitive service proposal. For Construction Certification we will require a copy of the DA stamped, approved plans and a copy of the Development Consent. For a Complying Development Certification we will require a copy of the proposed Architectural Plans and a copy of the Council Section 10.7(2) and 10.7(5) Planning Certificate of the property dated within the last 3 months.

Some minor building renovations or works don’t need any planning or building approval. This is called exempt development. Exempt development is very low impact development that can be done for certain residential, commercial and industrial properties. Providing your building project meets specific development standards, approval from your Council or a registered certifier is not needed.
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A few examples of development that can be exempt are: decks, garden sheds, carports, fences, repairing a window or painting a house.

No. Some building works fall within the definitions of “Exempt” or “Complying Development”, as defined within a number of State Environmental Planning Policies. Exempt Development requires no approval from any authority. Complying Development is a fast-track approval which can be assessed by a private Accredited Certifier, who has the same authority as Council for Complying Development assessment. New Dwellings, Additions & Alterations, Granny Flats and Swimming Pools are common examples of developments that may only require a Complying Development Certificate.

If building work is to be carried out as “complying” development, no building work is to commence until a Complying Development Certificate has been issued and a Principal Certifier (PC) has been appointed. Council must be given at least two days’ notice of the commencement of the building work, which will be completed by City Building Approvals on your behalf. Council does not require any notification when “exempt” work is carried out. Where development consent (Council DA) is required for building work, no work can commence until Council has granted consent, a construction certificate has been issued and a Principal Certifier (PC) has been appointed.

City Building Approvals can approve Complying Development Certificates, Construction Certificates and provide Principal Certifier (PC) services for your development.

No, approval must be in place prior to works commencing in accordance with the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act.

No, we certify the construction of new or existing dwellings and are not building or pest inspectors.

A Complying Development Certificate (CDC) is a fast-track approval process which combines both the Development Approval and Construction Certificate approval processes into one approval. As two approval processes are combined into one this can lead to significant time savings for straightforward residential, commercial and industrial development. The CDC approvals can be issued by a registered certifier such as City Building Approvals and this process means that you do not have to wait on the issue of a Development Approval from a local Council.

Complying development applies to homes, businesses and industry and allows for a range of things like the construction of a new dwelling house, alterations and additions to a house, new industrial buildings, demolition of a building and changes to a business use. CDC’s can be issued in as little as 10 days.

A general checklist of documents that may be required can be found on the resources page of this website.

To obtain a Complying Development Certificate, please call City Building Approvals on (02) 4257 5326 send us an email info@citybuildingapprovals.com.au. Alternatively, request a quote through our website and the relevant documentation will be emailed through to you.

Long Service Levy is a NSW Government fee, payable for building and construction projects costing $25,000 and above (inclusive of GST) and is payable online here. We require the PDF certificate that is emailed to you, not the payment receipt. This levy is required to be paid before a CC/CDC can be issued.

A BASIX certificate is required for all building works that exceed $50,000 in value and for swimming pools with a volume greater than 40,000L. Further information can be found at basix.nsw.

The Section 7.11 Contribution (previously Section 94) is a levy imposed by council as a contribution toward the provision and/or improvement of local amenities and services.

Dial Before You Dig is a FREE national referral service designed to assist in preventing damage and disruption to infrastructure, it is a single point of contact to request information about any infrastructure networks. Please provide a copy of the Enquiry confirmation sheet/summary cover page.

At least 48 hours prior to the commencement of any building work you must provide City Building Approvals with the builder’s details. City Building Approvals will then advise Council, on your behalf, that works will be commencing although it is suggested you also email council your notice of commencement and a copy of your home warranty insurance or owner builder permit.

If you are an Owner Builder
For works under $10,000 no permit is required
For works $10,000 and over you will need to provide a copy of your Owner Builder Permit from the Department of Fair Trading. (See their website at www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au )

If you use a licensed builder and the value of the work (*includes material supplied by the owner) is over $20,000 a copy of the Home Warranty Insurance from the builder must be provided.

An application for an Owner Builder Permit may only be submitted to the Office of Fair Trading once the Complying Development Certificate has been issued.

You are required to provide the Certifier with a copy of the Owner Builder Permit at least 2 days prior to commencing works.

For further information relating to Owner Builder Permits, visit
https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-property/building-and-renovating

This is insurance that your builder is required to provide for building works they undertake where the contract/market value exceeds $20,000. This is required before building works can commence on site and must be provided to the Principal Certifier prior to the issue of a construction certificate or complying development certificate.

From 1 July 2021 all applications such as Development Applications (DA), Construction Certificates (CC), Complying Development Certificates (CDC) and Occupation Certificates (OC) will need to be lodged and approved in the NSW Planning Portal. It is important to know that you need to be registered to lodge an application through the NSW Planning Portal.

If you need assistance with lodging an application through the planning portal we can help you if we are not certifying your development.

For more information please go to the planning portal website. http://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au

If you have a Complying Development Certificate (CDC) you do not need a Construction Certificate.

A CC is a Construction Certificate. Once the DA has been approved by the local Council, a Construction Certificate is required in order to commence any construction work. If a Development Approval (DA) has been issued, then you will need to have a CC issued prior to commencing any construction work.

A Construction Certificate is used to verify, before you begin any building work, 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 not inconsistent with the development consent any conditions of development consent that must be complied with before a construction certificate is issued have been met any monetary contributions required as a condition of consent have been paid structural plans and fire protection matters have been satisfied.

A general checklist of documents you may require prior to the issue of a CC can be found on the resources page of this website.

Where a Development Application (DA) is required, the usual steps in the process are:

City Building Approvals has a network of quality consultants who can assist in undertaking appropriate site analysis and assessments to understand any site constraints, such as flooding, bushfire risk or soil/slope constraints for example. Completion of appropriate plans/drawings for your development proposal to accommodate site constraints, as best as practical, is the next step in the process.

Once plans are complete, your consultant organise the appropriate review and endorsement from government authorities, such as the Water Authority, which is usually required prior to the lodgement of your DA.

At the same time your plans are being endorsed by other authorities, The Architect or Draftsperson prepares the application in readiness for lodging with Council. This would normally include preparation of a Statement of Environmental Effects (SoEE) to support your development, which addresses the potential impacts your development may have on the environment and surrounding neighbours.

Your consultant will regularly communicate with Council to track the progress of the application, in an effort to ensure Council has sufficient information to allow a timely assessment.

Once the DA is approved by Council, no works can commence until a Construction Certificate is obtained.

What is a Construction Certificate?
Once development consent is granted, a Construction Certificate is required to be obtained prior to the commencement of building works. City Building Approvals can issue a Construction Certificate after plans and specifications of the proposed works have been assessed to comply with Building Code of Australia and conditions of the development consent have been satisfied.

To obtain a Construction Certificate, please call City Building Approvals on (02) 4257 5326 send us an email info@citybuildingapprovals.com.au or fill out our Request for Private Certifying Form.

Long Service Levy is a NSW Government fee, payable for building and construction projects costing $25,000 and above (inclusive of GST) and is payable online here. We require the PDF certificate that is emailed to you, not the payment receipt. This levy is required to be paid before a CC/CDC can be issued.

A BASIX certificate is required for all building works that exceed $50,000 in value and for swimming pools with a volume greater than 40,000L. Further information can be found at basix.nsw.

The Section 7.11 Contribution (previously Section 94) is a levy imposed by council as a contribution toward the provision and/or improvement of local amenities and services.

Dial Before You Dig is a FREE national referral service designed to assist in preventing damage and disruption to infrastructure, it is a single point of contact to request information about any infrastructure networks. Please provide a copy of the Enquiry confirmation sheet/summary cover page.

At least 48 hours prior to the commencement of any building work you must provide City Building Approvals with the builder’s details. City Building Approvals will then advise Council, on your behalf, that works will be commencing although it is suggested you also email council your notice of commencement and a copy of your home warranty insurance or owner builder permit.

If you are an Owner Builder
For works under $10,000 no permit is required
For works $10,000 and over you will need to provide a copy of your Owner Builder Permit from the Department of Fair Trading. (See their website at www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au )

If you use a licensed builder and the value of the work (*includes material supplied by the owner) is over $20,000 a copy of the Home Warranty Insurance from the builder must be provided.

This is insurance that your builder is required to provide for building works they undertake where the contract/market value exceeds $20,000. This is required before building works can commence on site and must be provided to the Principal Certifier prior to the issue of a construction certificate or complying development certificate.

From 1 July 2021 all applications such as Development Applications (DA), Construction Certificates (CC), Complying Development Certificates (CDC) and Occupation Certificates (OC) will need to be lodged and approved in the NSW Planning Portal. It is important to know that you need to be registered to lodge an application through the NSW Planning Portal.

If you need assistance with lodging an application through the planning portal we can help you if we are not certifying your development.

For more information please go to the planning portal website. http://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au

Before you can occupy the building, you must apply for and obtain an Occupation Certificate from your Principal Certifier (PC). An Occupation Certificate verifies that the Principal Certifier is satisfied that the building is
suitable to occupy and satisfies the relevant requirements of the Building Code of Australia and the relevant conditions of your Development Consent (DA/CDC). The PC will inspect the completed building work to determine if it is suitable to occupy.

An Occupation Certificate can be obtained if you have received either a Construction Certificate or a Complying Development Certificate & the development has been constructed in accordance with the conditions of the Construction Certificate or Complying Development Certificate.

An Occupation Certificate is required for any new building work, or change of use of a building, that has a Construction Certificate or a Complying Development Certificate. Occupation Certificates are not required for buildings which are classed as exempt development.

There are two types of Occupation Certificates:

1. Whole Occupation Certificate
   A Whole Occupation Certificate allows commencement of either the occupation or use of a new building (including alterations or extensions), or the new use of an existing building
   resulting from a change of its use
2. Part Occupation Certificate
   An part occupation certificate allows the commencement of either the occupation or use of a partially completed building, or of a new use of part of an existing building resulting from a change of use for the building. A part occupation certificate is only valid for 5 years.

From 1 July 2021 all applications such as Development Applications (DA), Construction Certificates (CC), Complying Development Certificates (CDC) and Occupation Certificates (OC) will need to be lodged and approved in the NSW Planning Portal. It is important to know that you need to be registered to lodge an application through the NSW Planning Portal.

If you need assistance with lodging an application through the planning portal we can help you if we are not certifying your development.

For more information please go to the planning portal website. http://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au

Our experienced, registered certifiers may be the appointed Principal Certifier (PC). Our appointed PC will work efficiently with the builder/developer and will undertake mandatory critical stage inspections at different stages during construction to ensure that the proposed building works comply with the building regulations and are generally consistent with the approved plans. At the completion of the project, the PC will confirm the building is fit to occupy and will be responsible to issue the Occupation Certificate.

Without a PC you will be deemed to be carrying out unauthorised building work and council can stop work on the building. If work is stopped you will need to apply to council for a Building Certificate to authorise the completed building work. You may also be required to modify your development consent and Construction Certificate. You may also be liable to a large fine under the EP&A Act.

The main roles of the Principal Certifier (PC) are to:

• Ensure compliance with the development consent and the construction certificate or the complying development certificate;
• Ensure compliance with all development conditions;
• Ensure compliance with the Building Code of Australia;
• Ensure compliance with the Development Consent and the Construction Certificate or the Complying Development Certificate;
• Ensure compliance with all Development Conditions;
• Ensure compliance with the Building Code of Australia;
• Carry out all the required inspections associated with the building works;
• Issue the Occupation Certificate when all works are completed.

The state government introduced private certification in 1999 to allow competition in the building approval process. Previously the only option was to apply to the Council for construction certificates.

A private certifier can issue a construction certificate or complying development certificate for building work. Only Council can issue Development Approvals.

Certifiers are public officials and independent regulators of development. They are required to uphold the public interest. They don’t work for builders or developers.

A certifier can only issue a development certificate if all legislative requirements are met.

Most certifiers are qualified building surveyors who can issue development certificates for building work, be appointed as the principal certifier, and carry out inspections. Other types of certifiers include swimming pool inspectors, engineers, strata, and subdivision certifiers.

Further information about the role of a Principal Certifier can be found on the NSW Fair Trading website and the following fact sheet.

https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-property/building-and-renovating/preparing-to-build-and-renovate/certifiers-frequently-asked-questions

Competition.

People employed in private enterprise will always strive harder to gain and keep your business. They will provide a much faster approval time because their livelihood depends on it.

You are a valuable client to a private certifier. With council, you are just another customer. Private certifiers must achieve a higher standard of technical competence to gain their accreditation under the Building Professionals Act. The council accreditation system is much less stringent.

No, only local councils can issue a development approval.

City Building Approvals is able to certify new construction works on residential Class 1 & Class 10 buildings (e.g. dwellings, alterations & additions to existing dwellings, swimming pools, garages, granny flats, etc.)

City Building Approvals can:

• Issue Construction Certificates
• Issue Complying Development Certificates
• Issue Occupation Certificates
• Undertake Critical Stage Inspections

Does City Building Approvals have any insurance in place?
Yes, City Building Approvals has Professional Indemnity Insurance & Public & Products Liability Insurance. We will be happy to email or fax a copy on request.