Building Information Certificates

A Building Information Certificate application may be requested for either a part or whole of a building or buildings and may be requested by:

1. the owner of the property;
2. another person, with the consent of the owner of the property;
3. the purchaser of a property under a contract of sale (including the purchaser's solicitor or agent);
4. a public authority that has notified the owner of its intention to apply for the certificate.

A Building Information Certificate application is to include an original or certified copy of a survey report and plan if it is related to residential zoned land. For land situated in other zones, Council staff will advise should you be required to provide a survey report.

The survey report submitted with your application has to be a current representation of all buildings and structures on the land as they exist at the time of lodgement.  If there had been any building works that were carried out since preparation of the survey, a new report will be required to be prepared.

The property must be inspected by Council officers before a Building Certificate is issued therefore the application must include details of the contact person (e.g. managing agent) in order to organise access.

Additional information may also need to be provided (including building plans, specifications and certificates) to allow Council to assess the application.

The fees that apply when obtaining a Building Information Certificate are set under the Environmental Planning & Assessment Regulation 2000 and are found in Council’s Fees and Charges Schedule .

Additional fees apply in the following cases:

• applications involving the assessment of unauthorised structures constructed within the previous two years.  Contact Council's Customer Service Centre to determine the additional costs associated with these applications; or
• where re-inspections are required to be carried out by a Council officer.

Planning Certificates issued under both Section 10.7(2) and Section 10.7(5) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 relate to planning controls and other information relating to the land (e.g. zoning and development approvals). Building Information Certificates issued under Section 6.25 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 apply to existing buildings situated on the land.

An application made for a Building Information Certificate does not eliminate the potential issue of fines that may be imposed for breaches under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 or the Local Government Act 1993.