Get approval to start building work
After you’ve received development consent, you’ll need to obtain a construction certificate.
When you need to do this
A construction certificate must be obtained before any building work can start.
The certificate verifies that:
- the detailed construction plans and specifications of the development are in line with the National Construction Code
- contributions and fees have been paid
- development consent conditions are satisfied.
What you need to do
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Complete an application on the NSW Planning Portal
Construction certificate applications must be lodged online.
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Pay application fees
Once your application is complete and accepted for lodgement, our team will contact you for payment.
Your application won’t be lodged until the application fees have been paid.
Review our schedule of fees and charges.
Before you start
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Review what documents you’ll need to provide
These are listed below.
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Review our requirements for electronic documents
Electronic documents lodged with your application must satisfy our digital requirements, including file format, size, resolution and naming conventions.
Who can apply for a construction certificate?
The applicant must be the property owner or the person having the benefit of the development consent. A building contractor cannot be the applicant unless the contractor is the owner of the property.
If you need to obtain consent from the owner to lodge a Construction Certificate please use City of Sydney's owners consent form and attach it to the application when lodging it on the NSW Planning Portal.
How the National Construction Code applies to your building work
The National Construction Code has 3 parts:
- parts 1 and 2 cover buildings
- part 3 covers plumbing.
It sets the rules for how buildings are designed and built, with a focus on safety, health, amenity, accessibility and sustainability.
The code is created and kept up to date by the Australian Building Codes Board for the Australian Government and all state and territory governments.
More information is available on the Australian Building Codes Board website, with a dedicated section for homeowners that explains how the code applies to residential buildings.
After you finish
Once received, your application will be allocated to a registered certifier. The certifier will contact you if any further information is required.
Determination
The determination will be issued through the NSW Planning Portal, including any supporting documents such as approved stamped plans.
Appointing a principal certifier
After the certificate is issued, a principal certifier must be appointed to monitor the building works to ensure compliance with the approved construction certificate and the conditions of development consent.
If you appoint the City of Sydney as the principal certifier, you need to apply on the NSW Planning Portal, after you have obtained your certificate.
Please send a notice of commencement to [email protected] if a private certifier has been appointed as principal certifier.
Once your appointment form is complete and accepted for lodgement on the NSW Planning Portal, we’ll contact you to payment the inspection fees.
Notice of work commencing must be provided to us at least 48 hours before works begin.
