Building approvals

Most commercial projects pass through three certificates, and the order is fixed.

Before work starts, you need either a Construction Certificate, which follows a Development Application, or a Complying Development Certificate, which replaces the DA entirely. Nothing can lawfully begin until one of them is issued.

During construction, a Principal Certifier must be appointed and must carry out the mandatory critical stage inspections. Missing one is not a paperwork problem that gets tidied up later. It becomes a problem at the end, when the Occupation Certificate is the thing standing between you and handover.

Before anyone occupies the building, the Occupation Certificate confirms the completed work matches what was approved and that the building is fit to occupy. This is the certificate most likely to hold up a handover date, which is why the inspections leading to it matter more than people expect.

Using the same certifier across all three means nobody arrives at your project cold, and the person signing the final certificate is the person who assessed the plans.

Where a programme cannot wait for the whole design to be resolved, Construction Certificates can be issued in stages, so early works proceed while later packages are still being finalised.

On a recent greenhouse project this is what protected the programme: slow excavation and civil works ran alongside the approvals instead of queueing behind them.

The crucial step following Development Application (DA) approval. The CC verifies that your construction plans comply with the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and all relevant DA conditions. We provide a swift, expert review of your documentation and, if requirements are met, issue the CC efficiently, ensuring you have the legal clearance to commence construction without delay.

What we need from you: the approved DA and its conditions, your architectural plans, and the relevant engineering and specialist consultant reports. Where something is missing or does not comply, we tell you exactly what is required rather than simply rejecting the application.

Before committing to a full design, our preliminary assessment identifies if your project is eligible for the CDC approval pathway. We review your plans against the relevant State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) and explain which rules apply, what they require, and what still needs to be done. This proactive check reduces the risk of delays during the formal application stage.

The value is timing. Finding out at formal application that the project does not qualify means going back to a DA, and by then the design decisions that caused it are expensive to unwind.

The CDC pathway offers an approval route for projects that strictly adhere to state-mandated planning codes. Unlike a traditional DA, which is determined by Council's subjective merit-based review, a CDC is a non-discretionary, absolute assessment. The requirements are objective, and although rigid in their application this in turn enables a fast-track process for applicable projects.

Our Unrestricted registration allows us to assess and issue CDCs for all building types and sizes permitted under the State Environmental Planning Policies.

We act as your legally appointed PC, conducting the mandatory critical stage inspections to ensure the completed works align with the approved CC or CDC and the BCA.

The appointment has to be made before work starts. It is a legal requirement rather than a preference, and it sits with one named, registered individual who carries responsibility for the inspection regime on your project.

The final and most critical document. The OC confirms that the completed works align with the approved CC or CDC and that the building is suitable for occupation. We issue the OC after all mandatory critical stage inspections, required documentation and fire safety measures are satisfied, clearing the path for you to open and utilise your commercial asset.

Both can do this work. The practical difference is that with a private certifier you deal with one accountable person rather than a queue, and that person is contactable while your project is running.

Falcon holds Building Surveyor Unrestricted registration, BDC2213, the class that is not capped by building type or size. Restricted classes are, which is how projects occasionally reach a point where the scope has outgrown the certifier and a new one has to be appointed partway through.

Across the Clarence Valley, Northern Rivers and Coffs Harbour, from our office in Yamba.