Elect your Principle Certifying Authority (PCA)

A Principle Certifying Authority (PCA) must be elected for the construction procces. Council or a Private Certifier can be appointed as PCA. However Council needs to be advised of which Private Certifier has been nominated.

You must also lodge a PCA (Commencement of Works) form with Council. This form must be submitted to Council two days prior to commencement of work (even if Council is not your PCA), notifying us that you intend to commence works, and if you are using Council as your PCA, a signed acknowledgement must be returned to you.

PCA form (Notice of commencement works)

The development must be inspected at each nominated stage of the construction (see your Development Consent for details). These inspections must be conducted by your elected PCA. Each stage is required to be inspected and granted as satisfactory before you proceed to the next stage of construction. Failure to have these stages inspected (and the necessary certificates produced to Council) may lead to legal proceedings and can result in Council refusing to issue a Building Certificate or allow the occupation or use of the completed building. If Council is your nominated PCA, 1 day (24 hours) notice is required before each inspection.

A final inspection is the last assessment required before you occupy the building. It is important that the requested progress inspections have been conducted to ensure that the final inspection is processed in an efficient and timely manner. Most importantly, the completed works must be in accordance with the consent otherwise the granting of occupancy will be delayed. On the spot penalties apply for non-compliance with the Development Consent, including failure to undertake progress or final inspections.

Using a Private Certifier

Accredited Private Certifiers are able professionals who check that development proposals comply with required technical standards and regulations and issue the relevant certificates under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act). Previously only local councils had this responsibility. Certifiers need to be accredited under schemes managed by authorised accreditation bodies approved by the Minister of the NSW Department of Planning (DoP).

List of Accredited Certifiers via the DoP website

Powers of Private Accredited Certifiers

Depending upon the terms of their accreditation, certifiers can:

• Issue Subdivision Certificates,
• Issue Construction Certificates, certifying (among other things) compliance with the Building Code of Australia (BCA);
• Issue Compliance Certificates specifying that conditions of consent have been satisfied or that work complies with the plan and specification, or nominating the classification of a building under the BCA;
• Issue Complying Development Certificates, certifying that nominated development proposals comply with standards and criteria in Council's Local Environmental Plans and Development Control Plans; and
• Act as a Principal Certifying Authority (PCA), responsible for, among other things, issuing Occupation Certificates specifying that buildings are safe to occupy and Subdivision Certificates specifying a subdivision can proceed to registration where the Council's LEP permits private sector involvement.

Accreditation Process

To be accredited, certifiers must demonstrate their qualifications and experience, agree to abide by the code of conduct and complaints handling mechanisms of the scheme, undertake continuing professional development, and provide evidence of their public liability insurance.

The accreditation shows:

• The extent of a certifier's powers;
• The types of certificate that can be issued; and
• The ability of the certifier to operate as a Principal Certifying Authority (PCA) for a building or subdivision work.
• When accredited, a certifier is given a unique number by DoP, which is used on all documents to identify the certifier. A certifier must be re-accredited each year.
• Accreditation schemes and bodies

Privately Certified Documents Submitted to Council - Legislative Requirement

All certificates that have been issued by a Private Certifier must be submitted to Council for record keeping. Lodgement fees are payable, these fees pay for the registration and lifetime record keeping of those documents.

Note: Only electronic format or original documents will be accepted for lodgement to Council (no faxed copies).

Building Code of Australia (BCA), Act and Regulation Advisory Lines

Contact:

• BCA Advisory Line on 02 9762 8258 for verbal advice and information on the Building Code of Australia
• Act and Regulation Advisory Line on 02 9762 8467 for verbal advice and information on Parts 4 and 4A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) and associated parts of the EP&A Regulation 2000

The Advisory lines are available:

• 9.30am to 11.30am Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays