Tasmania has a new Building Act 2016 that was enabled on 1st January 2017. This new Act takes a bold approach in being “performance-based” and is designed to align with the National Construction Code and ensure buildings perform as they are intended.
The big changes are an increase in the type of work that can be conducted without a Building Permit. Owners can perform a range of low risk work without requiring approval, and similarly, there is a range of work that can be conducted by builders without the need for design drawings or approval by building surveyors or permit authorities.
Temporary Occupancy Permits can now be issued by the building surveyor, improving the speed and efficiency of event approvals.
And then there's Notifiable work, which covers a significant scope of construction work and requires assessment by a building surveyor but does not need a building permit, greatly improving the efficiency of approval to starting works. However, most work that needs referral to the Tasmania Fire Service or Environmental Health Officer, or that has discretionary planning permission, will still need a Building Permit.