Every build follows the same skeleton — planning approval (if triggered), then building approval, then mandatory inspections, then an occupancy certificate — but the names and stages differ in every state. Here is the cross-state comparison, and the one distinction that matters most: planning vs building approval. (Fees and timeframes are indicative and date quickly.)
Planning vs building approval — the core distinction
Two separate approvals, often both needed:
- Planning approval (DA / planning permit / development consent) governs what and where you can build — zoning, overlays, neighbours, heritage, streetscape.
- Building approval (building permit / consent / CDC / CC) governs how it must be built — the NCC, structure, fire, energy and health.
Internal structural-only work can be building-approval-only; small exempt development needs neither; a new dwelling usually needs both. The front-load check: does any overlay or land-use/built-form trigger apply? If yes, you are in planning territory, not just building approval. (Pathways detail: DA vs CDC & BASIX.)
The per-state workflow
After approval, you appoint a surveyor or certifier who runs mandatory inspections and issues the occupancy document. The independence rule is consistent: the owner appoints the certifier, and the builder must not control that appointment (see Building Surveyors & Certifiers).
- NSW: Exempt → CDC → DA+CC; appoint a Principal Certifier who runs critical-stage inspections (after excavation/before footing reinforcement, before slab pour, frame, waterproofing/wet areas, stormwater before backfill, final) and issues the Occupation Certificate.
- VIC: planning permit if triggered → Building Permit from a Registered Building Surveyor; mandatory stages per VBA Practice Note MI-01 (footing before concrete, slab reinforcement before pour, frame, final) → Occupancy Permit / Certificate of Final Inspection.
- QLD: DA if required → building approval from a certifier; Building Regulation 2021 inspections (excavation, footings, slab, frame, final), with the certifier issuing a Form 16 per stage and specialists a Form 15 for design → final certificate or occupation.
- WA: planning via the local scheme → a Building Permit in two streams: BA1 (Certified) — a registered building surveyor issues a Certificate of Design Compliance first, council decides in 10 business days; or BA2 (Uncertified) — lodge plans and the authority arranges certification, 25 business days. Closed out by a Notice of Completion with inspection certificates.
- SA: under the Planning and Design Code — planning consent → building consent → full development approval before work; councils set the inspections supporting a Statement of Compliance, and a Certificate of Occupancy is now required for most new Class 1a houses.
- TAS / ACT / NT: planning permits where the scheme triggers; a building permit or approval from a licensed building surveyor or certifier who sets the inspection schedule (footings/slab/frame/waterproofing/final) and issues the certificate of completion / Certificate of Occupancy (and Use) / Occupancy Certificate.
The mandatory stages — the common spine
Across every state the inspection spine is the same: footings → slab → frame → wet-area waterproofing → final. The cardinal rule: a failed stage means the certifier will not issue that stage's certificate, so you must rectify and re-inspect before continuing — you cannot pour the slab if the footings have not passed, and you cannot cover the frame before sign-off.
Timeframes and fees (indicative)
- Timeframes: a simple residential approval runs ~4-8 weeks lodgement to decision with complete docs; complex or performance-assessed work with referrals (bushfire, flooding, roads) or public notification runs 8-12 weeks+. SA works to explicit clocks (~20 business days plus referrals, paused for information requests).
- Fees (indicative 2025-26): a planning application is commonly low thousands (council plus referrals); the building certification component on a single house is often ~$1,500-3,000+; owner-arranged independent stage inspections run ~$300-600 a stage or ~$1,500-2,500 for a full five-stage package.
What happens if you skip it or fail
- Building without approval: fines and enforcement (some states charge daily fines while work continues), stop-work and rectification or demolition orders, and insurance and resale risk — insurers deny claims on unapproved work, sales fall through, and retrospective approval is costly.
- Failed inspection: rectify and re-inspect before continuing; repeated or serious failures bring disciplinary action and stop-work; unresolved defects block the final certificate and occupancy — leaving the dwelling unfit for lawful occupation and blocking settlement and finance.
Common mistakes
- Treating planning and building approval as the same thing (missing the planning trigger).
- Covering a stage before the inspection (uncovering and re-inspection costs).
- Building on unapproved works and discovering it at resale.
- Letting the builder appoint the certifier (an independence breach).
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