business.gov.au

Registration as a Design and Building Practitioner - New South Wales

Description

You will need this registration to work as a Design or Building Practitioner on a class 2 building. There are three variations of Design and Building Practitioners:

  • Design Practitioner - responsible for making design compliance declarations.
  • Principal Design Practitioner - an optional role which coordinates and collects designs and declarations from other practitioners. They can lodge these documents on the building practitioner's behalf. Where a principal design practitioner is not appointed, the building practitioner or their nominated delegate will lodge documents.
  • Building Practitioner - agrees to oversee building work. They are responsible for making building compliance declarations and lodging documents. They must lodge declared designs and a building compliance declaration prior to the application for an occupation certificate. A design or principal design practitioner cannot do this.

Class 2 buildings are residential apartment buildings. They are commonly multi-unit residential buildings where people live above and below each other, and have special rules to protect the health, safety and welfare of all occupants. Mixed-use buildings containing a class 2 part are also included. This means the requirements apply to work on all parts of the building, not just the class 2 part.

Service type

Licence

A licence defines the need to obtain recognition / certification and registration to undertake a certain business activity.

Eligibility requirements

To apply for registration as either a Design Practitioner, a Principal Design Practitioner or a Building Practitioner, you must satisfy the eligibility criteria for your specified class of registration.

Before you can register as a Design and Building Practitioner, you must complete and pass two online learning modules on the Construct NSW Digital Learning Platform:

Ongoing eligibility requirements

You will need to ensure you maintain your registration by:

  • complying with the required professional and ethical standards
  • completing at least three Continuing Professional Development hours each year using courses available from the Construct NSW Digital Learning Platform and the Australian Building Codes Board National Construction Code CPD system, keeping written records to provide as evidence of completion
  • keeping records in a form that can be readily inspected for at least ten years, even if you cease to be a registered practitioner.

Commencement

If you apply for registration between 1st July and 31st December 2021, you will be 'deemed' registered. You will receive a registration ID and you can keep working while your application is being assessed. If you apply for registration after 31st December 2021, you will need to stop declaring and / or lodging documents while you wait for your application to be assessed and approved.

Mandatory insurance requirements will commence from 1 July 2022. Between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022, insurance will not be mandated as a condition of registration, although adequate insurance is recommended.

Duration

Registration lasts either one, three or five years from the date you lodge your application

Fees

Fees Details for this service in table format.

Task Type Business Structure Description
Apply Application All

You can find the current fees here.

Other resources

Task Business Structure Resources
Comply All Design and Building Practitioner Fees (Opens in new window)

Application process

Apply

You must apply through the Service NSW website. You will need:

  • to be working on class 2 buildings or buildings that include a class 2 part
  • proof of identity
  • a police check
  • a copy of your degree, postgraduate degree, diploma or national vocational education course certificate and / or transcripts
  • to ensure any existing licence you hold for your field of work is current with the details matching your proof of identity documents.

Administering agency

Department of Customer Service

NSW Fair Trading

Contact details

Contact Email, Phone and Address Details for this service in simple two column table format, header then data.