Certification services

Certifiers are independent public officials who help regulate development. Their role is to ensure that all legislative requirements are met during the development process.

Your builder cannot appoint your principal certifier or influence your choice of certifier. Certifiers don’t work for builders or developers as they are required to uphold public interest.

The principal certifier carries out mandatory inspections during construction and may request documentation to determine if the work complies with the development consent and legislative requirements.

The certifier isn't a project manager or site supervisor. The builder is responsible for building in accordance with the approved plans, and the applicant is responsible for meeting the conditions of development consent.

Post consent certificates are issued after DA or CDC consent. They are required to ensure compliance throughout construction, giving you peace of mind that your final build is of a high quality.

An approved Construction Certificate (CC) or Complying Development Certificate (CDC) is required before the commencement of building work subject to a development consent. Lake Macquarie City Council can provide certification services for both CDC and CC. 

After the final inspection for your CDC or CC, you apply for the Occupation Certificate (OC) which is then determined by the principal certifier. The OC can only be issued if all the inspections have been passed and the certifier is satisfied the build is safe for occupation and use.

For more information, visit the NSW Planning Portal.

Applications for all post consent certificates are available in the NSW Planning Portal. Once you have development consent for building work, you will need to obtain a Construction Certificate.

Generally, you should lodge your Construction Certificate after you have received development consent. However, if your proposal is straightforward or small-scale, you can lodge a DA and CC at the same time.

After applying for a Post Consent Certificate in the Portal, you will be prompted to select the certificate you need. If you agree for Lake Mac to be your principal certifier, you will need to nominate 'Lake Macquarie City Council'. 

If you would like Lake Macquarie City Council to complete all the certification work for the development, you will need to appoint 'Lake Macquarie City Council' as the Principal Certifier in the NSW Planning Portal.

Due to the scope of services provided, the costs will depend on the nature of the work and certification requirements. For a complimentary quote, contact us via [email protected] or call 4921 0333.