Building inspections and occupation certificate
Before Council can issue an Occupation Certificate, various inspections may be required.
You should receive a letter from us outlining which ones are needed, please contact us if you have any questions.
Booking an inspection
Council's building inspection service is flexible to meet your needs - generally we only need one day's notice.
Use the online form below to book your inspection or call us on 02 6670 2400 between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm Mondays to Fridays.
You'll need to provide the following information for all bookings:
- Council approval number for the work
- owner's name
- job site address
- type of inspection required
- date the inspection is required
- name and number of person requesting inspection.
Occupation Certificate
What do I do when the work is completed?
Before you can move into the building, you need to book a final inspection - use online form above and select the 'Completion' inspection type.
Along with an application for an Occupation Certificate, you'll also need to complete various documents before the final inspection can be carried out:
Once a satisfactory final inspection has been carried out you must obtain an Interim or Final Occupation Certificate prior to occupying the building.
Occupation Certificate applications should be lodged via the NSW Planning Portal, for more information head to How to Lodge a Development Application
It is an offence to occupy a building without an occupation certificate.
Interim Occupation Certificate
An Interim Occupation Certificate can be issued if the building is fit for occupation but there are still outstanding matters to be addressed.
These matters must be addressed within 6 months of the date of occupation of the building and then application for a Final Occupation Certificate must be made via the NSW Planning Portal.
Final Occupation Certificate
A Final Occupation Certificate is issued by the Principal Certifying Authority (PCA) and certifies that:
- Council has been appointed as the PCA under s109E
- a Complying Development Certificate has been issued with respect to the plans and specifications for the building
- the building is suitable for occupation or use in accordance with its classification under the Building Code of Australia
- where required, a final fire safety certificate has been issued for the building
- where required, a report from the Commissioner of Fire Brigades has been considered.
It should be noted that an Occupation Certificate is a lawful requirement in the conveyancing process when a property is sold and is therefore essential that you follow the above process.