Notifiable and Permit Work

For most larger building projects, a building surveyor will need to assess your design documents against the relevant construction legislation to determine if the building work is likely to perform as intended. If we deem the proposal safe and fit for purpose, we will issue you with a Certificate of Likely Compliance (CLC).

The Building Act 2016 groups building work into four risk categories, and the Director’s Determination provides detail on what type of work falls into each category.

Difference between Notifiable and Permit work

Both Notifiable and Permit works require a CLC, but only Permit work needs a building permit from your local council.

Notifiable projects only need certification from a building surveyor, and we can authorise works to start as soon as you’re ready.

The approval and construction process

The following is a step-by-step guide to obtaining a CLC and the building process.

Being aware of what is required, and when, can greatly speed up the process of assessment and certification.

A building surveyor can only be engaged by the owner or an agent of the owner. Our role is to ensure building compliance on behalf of the owner and the broader community.

We can be engaged at any stage during the design phase of the project and can provide compliance advice during the early stages of design to alert you to any potential hurdles, saving you time.

Planning approval is different from building approval – it addresses the visual impact and amenity of the development, whereas building approval addresses the safety of the building itself.

Planning approval can change notifiable works to permit works and needs to be reviewed by the building surveyor as part of our assessment.

This can take some time so get your planning application in as early as possible.

For advice on whether planning is required, you will need to contact and receive advice from your local council (the planning permit authority).

Depending on where your project is located and whether you are in a hazard area, we may need to see the following reports:

• a BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) assessment if you are in a bushfire-prone area
• a soil assessment and onsite wastewater treatment system design
• a hazard assessment if you are in a landslip hazard area or a coastal or riverine inundation zone
• heritage works permission or exemption from Heritage Tasmania
• energy efficiency report
• structural engineering report.

If your project may have an impact on an adjoining property you may need to notify your neighbours and ensure protection works are in place to avoid any negative consequences.

A Protection Work Notice serves this purpose by providing details of:

• the proposed works
• the protection work program proposed to prevent negative consequences
• insurance cover
• expected completion of proposed works
• any reports on existing condition of adjoining properties.

Like planning permission, organising protection works can take some time so we recommend starting early.

Design drawings of your proposed project must be prepared or endorsed by a building designer licenced to work in Tasmania.

The design drawings, including any drawings by consultant engineers, represent the majority of information reviewed by the building surveyor. They must include a site plan and the full list of information specified in Schedule 1 of the Director's Specified List. Incomplete drawings are likely to prompt further requests for information and delay your assessment.

The minimum documentation we need to assess for likely compliance, for all projects, includes:

• Holdfast engagement form
• Form 2 Application for Certificate of Likely Compliance
• planning permit or confirmation of planning exemption
• design drawings by a Tasmanian licenced designer
• Form 35 Certificate of Responsible Designer from each designer, whether building, plumbing, structural etc.
• Certificate of Title for the property on which works are proposed.

Depending on the project we may also need:

• engineering drawings and associated Form 35s for
  • civil and structural engineering
  • electrical, hydraulic and mechanical services
  • fire detection services.
• an engineering design endorsement (Form 55 Certificate of Qualified Person – Assessable Item)
• hazard area report
• BAL assessment and bushfire hazard management plan
• soil assessment or onsite wastewater treatment system design, and accompanying Form 55
• energy efficiency report and accompanying Form 55
• lighting and glazing calculators
• letter of consent from owner if the applicant is an agent of the owner.

Your designer can assist with additional project information to be submitted with your CLC application.

We have a statutory time period of 21 days to issue a CLC but can generally get them out within 2 weeks, assuming we have a complete and final set of documents and no referrals are required.

If we need further information or documents, the assessment is placed on hold while we wait for these items to be addressed.

Commercial projects may require referrals to reporting and function control authorities such as:

• Tasmanian Fire Service – for buildings over 500 m² or where fire services or equipment are being modified
• Environmental Health Officer – for food premises where meals or drinks are prepared
• Department of Education – for childcare premises
• Biosecurity Tasmania – for food manufacturing
• Commissioner for Licensing – for liquor licensing
• Tasmanian Dairy Industry Authority – for dairy premises
• Department of Health and Human Services – for healthcare establishments

These referrals depend on the intended use of the building and allow the relevant authorities to provide comment on the proposal.

Once assessment against all relevant building legislation has been conducted and the building surveyor deems your proposed building work to be fit for purpose, we will issue you with a Certificate of Likely Compliance.

Permit work – You will need to submit the CLC package to your local council as part of your Building Permit Application and pay any applicable fees.

Notifiable work – We will forward the CLC package to your local council and you will need to contact them separately and pay any applicable fees.

Your CLC will most likely have some conditions on it. These are items that need to be addressed during construction and usually require a statement of compliance at the end of the project before we can issue an Occupancy Permit and Certificate of Final Inspection or Completion. We use these documents (along with site inspections) to determine whether the building has been constructed to be safe and fit for purpose.

We send out a Start Work Notification (SWN) to the applicant or the builder. For Notifiable work, the SWN will accompany the CLC, and for permit work, we send it out on receipt of the building permit.

Once we have received a completed Start Work Notification signed by the builder, and have checked they are appropriately licenced to perform the building work, we can then authorise works to commence.

Authorisation cannot be issued for Notifiable work until we have confirmation that applicable fees have been paid.

There are several stages during the project – mandatory notification stages – where the building surveyor must provide permission to continue construction. These stages correspond to significant junctures in the construction process where compliance with building legislation can be observed:

• footings
• pouring concrete
• framing

Holdfast can conduct these inspections or you can have your structural engineer inspect instead. But we need to be provided with any inspection reports, or notified the inspection has passed, before we can permit construction to proceed.

The building surveyor must conduct inspections required for occupancy, as well as the final inspection required for every project.

Most projects require an Occupancy Permit for the building to start being used. This is issued by the building surveyor after the occupancy inspection when all required documents (including an Application for Occupancy) have been received and reviewed as suitable by the building surveyor.

Occupancy permit

An Occupancy Permit is required for all buildings that are occupied by people – so all buildings except sheds, garages, fences etc.

Documents required for occupancy are listed in the CLC conditions. Commercial projects may also require an inspection and report by the Tasmania Fire Service, Environmental Health Officer or a Function Control Authority, depending on the use of the building.

Commercial projects will also have a Maintenance Schedule issued with the Occupancy Permit. The Maintenance Schedule lists all the essential safety features in the building and provides a checklist of items that need to be maintained by the owner or tenant to ensure ongoing safety for occupants.

When the building surveyor is satisfied that the building is finished and will perform as intended, we issue the final documentation that concludes your engagement with Holdfast. For Notifiable work, this will be a Certificate of Completion, and for Permit work it will be a Certificate of Final Inspection and your local council will issue the Certificate of Completion.

The information provided here is for general guidance only. Please contact us for advice specific to your project.