BCA compliance reports in NSW

Where are the rules for houses?

Houses (Class 1) and structures like garages and pools (Class 10) are covered mainly by Volume Two of the NCC. Since NCC 2022, most of the technical detail for houses sits in a separate document called the Housing Provisions.

The two work together. Volume Two sets the overall rules and the required outcomes. Its standard solutions usually point to a chapter of the Housing Provisions or an Australian Standard. The Housing Provisions only apply where Volume Two calls them up.

Three ways to comply

The code sets required outcomes, covering things like structure, fire safety, damp, weatherproofing and safe movement. There are three ways to meet them: follow the deemed-to-satisfy provisions (a set recipe accepted as compliant), use a performance solution, or combine the two.

A performance solution takes a different design path. It has to be shown to achieve the required outcomes, or to perform at least as well as the recipe.

How is a performance solution proven?

Accepted methods include evidence that a product or design is suitable, a set test or calculation, expert judgement, or a comparison with the recipe.

There are four steps. Agree a design brief with the people involved. Do the analysis. Check the results against the brief. Then write a final report listing the methods used and any conditions. If a report on an existing house finds an item that does not follow the recipe, a properly documented performance solution may be an option alongside fixing it.

Which version of the code applies?

NCC 2022 started in NSW on 1 May 2023. Its condensation and new home energy rules took effect from 1 October 2023. In NSW, home energy efficiency is handled through BASIX. NSW did not adopt the NCC's livable housing design rules.

NCC 2022 Amendment 2 commenced on 29 July 2025. It applies to CDC applications, and to most construction certificate applications, lodged on or after that day. NSW intends to adopt NCC 2025 from 1 May 2027.

A report should say which version it checks against. An older home might have been built under an earlier edition. New work is checked against the code in force when you apply. If the report supports a council application, we confirm the right version when we agree the scope.

Compliance report or pre-purchase report?

A building report ordered before buying describes the condition of a home and its major visible defects, such as rising damp, wall cracks or a failing roof. NSW Government guidance warns against treating that kind of report as proof that the home complies with any law, warranty or insurance policy. It also does not normally look at footings, concealed damp-proofing, wiring or plumbing.

A BCA report asks a narrower question: does the building, or whatever section is in scope, meet the NCC? Findings are set out against code provisions rather than general wear. If you are buying a home with an extension, an enclosed carport or a pool that may never have been approved, a compliance report can sit alongside the usual building and pest inspections.

Older homes and today's rules

Houses are built to the NCC edition in force at the time. The ABCB, which publishes the NCC, says an existing home does not need to meet current standards unless new building work is carried out. Purely cosmetic work generally falls outside the NCC.

That shapes how a report on an older home should read. A stair or balustrade that differs from current rules is not automatically unlawful. A useful report separates items that fell short of the code when they were built from items that simply differ from today's edition, and still flags any safety risk either way.

Stairs and balustrades

Under the ABCB Housing Provisions, a barrier is needed wherever a person could drop 1 m or further, for example from a deck, balcony, stair or landing. On a stair, the barrier must stand at least 865 mm above the nosings. Elsewhere the minimum is 1 m above the floor. Once the drop exceeds 4 m, horizontal parts of the barrier between 150 mm and 760 mm above the floor must not help a child climb.

Stair geometry is measured as well. For standard stairs, each riser must be 115 mm to 190 mm and each going 240 mm to 355 mm, and twice the riser plus the going must land between 550 mm and 700 mm. A flight needs at least 2 and no more than 18 risers. Open risers must not let a 125 mm sphere pass through.

Bedroom windows above a drop

Openable bedroom windows need protection where the ground or surface outside sits 2 m or further below. The Housing Provisions call for a restricting device or a securely fixed screen. Either one must block a sphere of 125 mm and hold against an outward push of 250 N. A device that a person could take off, unlock or bypass also needs a release that children cannot operate.

Protection is not required where the openable part of the window starts 1.7 m or higher above floor level. Upper-floor bedrooms in older houses are worth checking closely, as many original windows open fully with no restrictor fitted.

Walls built near the boundary line

A house wall less than 900 mm from a boundary other than one facing a road or public space, or less than 1.8 m from another building on the same lot, must be built to resist fire. Options include construction with a fire resistance level of 60/60/60, or masonry, including masonry veneer, at least 90 mm thick. The wall must run from the footings or slab up to the underside of a non-combustible roof covering or eaves lining.

Openings in those walls are restricted, and only limited items, such as non-combustible fascias, gutters and downpipes, may sit within 900 mm of the boundary. A garage or carport between the house and a side boundary can bring further rules into play. A report should note any addition or Class 10 structure built close to the line without this protection.