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Building Information Certificate

Building Information Certificates are issued under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

The certificate prevents Council, for a period of seven years, from making an order for the building to be:
  • repaired
  • demolished
  • altered
  • added to or rebuilt, except in the case of fair wear and tear over that period.

When to apply

A buyer or seller of a property usually requires a certificate before settlement. The certificate provides assurance that what is being bought or sold is not going to be the subject of action by Council.

If you are the owner of a property, you may also need a certificate after work on your property is complete. A certificate is obtained rather than the necessary approvals issued by Council or an Accredited Certifier.

An application for a Building Information Certificate can be made by:
  1. the owner of the property
  2. any other person, with the consent of the owner of the property
  3. the purchaser under a contract for the sale of property (including the purchaser's solicitor or agent)
  4. a public authority that has notified the owner of its intention to apply for the certificate.

How to apply

From 1 July 2021 you will need to lodge certain applications and post-consent certificates - such as Building Information Certificates - on the NSW Planning Portal.

An application may be for a part or whole of a building. If you would like the application to include all buildings on the property you must list each building separately, eg, dwelling, shed, pergola with retaining wall and swimming pool.

Applying for a certificate does not prevent the issue of a fine for a breach under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 or Local Government Act 1993.

There are various supporting documents you will need to submit with your application on the Planning Portal:
The survey report and plan must represent the property and buildings as they exist at the time of lodging the application.

You can submit a copy of the survey report, however the copy must be:
  • certified by the Surveyor who prepared the report,
    or
  • the original survey report must be sighted by Council and the copy endorsed.
Council may need further information from you to assess your application. This can include building plans, specifications and certificates.

It is important that you address your supporting document requirements so that you are not charged another portal service fee to re-submit your application. The NSW Government issues portal service fees to support the ongoing maintenance and delivery of the Planning Portal.

Please note that fees payable through the ServiceNSW gateway may incur a surcharge.

If you have any queries about portal service fees, please contact ServiceNSW:
  • T:  1300 305 695.

You will need to submit your application and supporting documents on the NSW Planning Portal:

Our pre-assessment team will review your application and notify you of the outcome. If Council accepts your application, we will issue you with an invoice for the application fee in line with our current fees and charges document, via the Planning Portal:

Once we accept your application and issue you an invoice via the Planning Portal, you'll need to pay the fee by following one of the payment options included on the invoice.

Frequently asked questions

A Building Information Certificate is issued under Section 6.24 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and applies to buildings situated on the land.

A Planning Certificate is issued under Section 10.7(2) and Section 10.7(5) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and provides information about planning controls and development restrictions relating to a property.

Yes, you can, provided the survey report represents all structures and buildings on the land as they exist at the time you lodge your application.

If you have carried out any building works since the date of your survey report, you will need a new report to include the additional building works.

Yes, you must provide the details of the contact person available to organise access, on your application.

When the officer registers your application, they will contact you to organise a time for the building inspection. They will also confirm whether access is available on the allocated inspection date.

Your certificate will usually take up to five working days to process. We will then email or mail the certificate to the address provided on your application.

If access to your property is not available to the Council officer on the scheduled day of inspection, this may cause a delay. You must ensure that access is available for Council's officer during business hours.

An application for a Building Information Certificate does not exclude the potential issue of fines for breaches under the Local Government Act 1993 and Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 for unauthorised building works that need development consent.

Council cannot amend a Building Information Certificate. If you require an amendment, you will need to apply for a new certificate.

Resources to help you lodge your application

The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has a range of resources to guide you through the lodgement process:

You can also get Council's answers to frequently asked questions about lodging your application through the Planning Portal. This information relates to Eurobodalla customers:

We can help you

For assistance using the NSW Planning Portal please contact Service NSW:

If you would like to discuss the details of your application or supporting documents you need to lodge, please contact Council's Development Help Desk: