Private certifiers in NSW set their own fees, so there is no single price list for certification. What you pay depends on what your project involves and which services you need. Knowing the cost drivers makes it much easier to compare quotes on equal terms.
What certification fees pay for
A certifier's fee covers their regulatory work: assessing plans, issuing the complying development certificate (CDC) or construction certificate (CC), acting as principal certifier, carrying out inspections and issuing the occupation certificate (OC). Certifiers act as independent regulators. They do not manage the build or supervise trades, and those services sit outside the fee.
The main cost drivers
Approval pathway
A CDC involves checking the design against the state planning codes as well as the Building Code of Australia. A CC comes after development consent from the council, and involves checking the detailed drawings against the code and whatever conditions the consent imposes. The work involved differs, and so can the fee.
Size and complexity
A single-storey granny flat needs less assessment than a double-storey house on a slope, and a dual occupancy involves two dwellings. Retaining walls, pools, bushfire requirements and unusual structural systems all add assessment time.
Number of inspections
Each mandatory critical stage needs a site visit. Pools have their own inspection stages. Staged slab pours or several separate structures can add more. If work fails an inspection, a reinspection is usually needed.
Quality of documents
Complete, consistent drawings are quicker to assess. Conflicting plans, missing details or late engineering mean more requests for information and more rounds of review.
Changes after approval
Design changes once approval has been granted often need a formal modification, which means another assessment.
Costs that are not certification fees
Several project costs are often grouped with certification but are paid to someone else:
- Long service levy. Applies to jobs costing $250,000 or above, at a rate of 0.25% on the GST-inclusive value of the work. The certificate is held back until the levy is paid.
- Council fees, such as fees for a development application where one is needed.
- Consultants, such as surveyors, engineers, BASIX assessors and bushfire or geotechnical specialists.
- Water authority requirements where the work is near water or sewer assets.
How to compare quotes
- Check exactly what is included: the approval, principal certifier role, how many inspections, and the OC.
- Ask what triggers extra charges, such as reinspections, modifications or additional site visits.
- Check the certifier's registration class covers your work, using the NSW Government's certifier register.
- Read the written contract before you sign. A certifier must provide one before starting certification work.
A lower quote that excludes inspections you will definitely need may not be cheaper in the end.
Getting a quote that fits your project
The more we know up front, the more accurate the quote. Send your drawings, the address and a short description when you request a quote. If your plans are still being finalised, a plan assessment can flag issues that would otherwise add cost later. Our certification process page shows what each stage involves, and our guide to Critical stage inspections: what we check and when explains the site visits most projects need.
Local help across NSW
CertifiBuild certifies Class 1 and Class 10 work in 39 council areas. Local rules on these council pages are a good place to start: City of Parramatta, Canterbury-Bankstown Council, Campbelltown City Council, Wollongong City Council, City of Sydney, Camden Council.
Suburb pages with local planning notes: Epping, Figtree, Forest Lodge, Gledswood Hills, Grays Point, Greenacre, Haberfield, Kingsgrove, La Perouse, Raby. You can also browse every service area.
Sources
- Role of registered certifiers, NSW Government
- Choosing a registered certifier, NSW Government
- Long service levy for building and construction, NSW Government