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Development and Business

Mandatory notifications for building inspection

Planning on building? Understand when you're required to notify us of development stages before you get started.


Mandatory building notifications refer to the stages before, during, and after development where you are required to notify us at Council at least 1 day prior to each notification stage.

From these stages we provide limited mandatory building inspections in line with the Building Inspection Policy and the legislated requirements under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016.

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When do I need to notify Council?

Notification stages are based on the type of development you plan to undertake, such as swimming pools, houses, verandahs, pergolas, and commercial buildings. Please review the below notification stages so you can plan ahead for when you need to get in contact with us.

Swimming pools

Notify Council at least 1 day prior to:

  1. the commencement of site works,
  2. the completion of the construction of a swimming pool, prior to filling it with water, and,
  3. the completion of the construction of safety barriers, prior to filling with water.

New houses

Notify Council at least 1 day prior to:

  1. the commencement of site works,
  2. the completion of footing preparation, prior to the concrete pour,
  3. the completion of wall and roof framing,
  4. the completion of wet areas, prior to tiling, and,
  5. the completion of building work for the purposes of Schedule 19A (S83AB) Statement of Compliance.

Verandahs and pergolas

This refers to verandahs, pergolas, and other types of structures that are attached to the roof framing of a house or commercial premises.

Notify Council at least 1 day prior to:

  1. the completion of roof framing where connected to the roof of a building of another classification.

Commercial buildings

Notify Council at least 1 day prior to:

  1. the commencement of site works,
  2. the completion of footing preparation, prior to concrete pour,
  3. the completion of wall and roof framing,
  4. the completion of firewalls, fire-rated separation or smoke barriers, etc included in the Essential Safety Provisions, and,
  5. the completion of building work for the purposes of Schedule 19A Statement of Compliance and the Regulation 83 Certificate of Occupancy.

Pre-purchase building inspections

Council does not provide pre-purchase building inspections. Pre-purchase inspections are available through various external business providers whose details may be found through an online search.

Please notify us of at least 1 day prior to each notification stage to avoid paying penalty fees of up to $10,000.

Notify Council

How to notify Council of each stage

For more information or to notify us of a required notification stage for development please email inspections@barossa.sa.gov.au, send a fax to (08) 8563 8461, or get in touch with our Development Services team on (08) 8563 8444.

FAQs

Council building notification and inspection services as a part of the Building Inspection Policy are free of charge.

A final building inspection provided by Council in response to notification of completion being received generally consists of an inspection of the building inside and out.

The final inspection focuses on life safety such as smoke alarm testing and checking balustrades on a residential dwelling, or viewing the method of firewall construction, position of extinguishers and exit signage in a commercial building, and more.

What is covered in a building inspection depends on the type of building inspection being carried out.

Council conducted inspections are not about quality, or workmanship, but rather aim to ensure the minimum requirements specified in the National Construction Code are met.

Footings inspections aim to ensure that the engineer's design is replicated on-site and that reinforcement meets the design.

Framing inspections mainly deal with load paths and ensuring adequate tie-downs under the Timber Framing Code.

Yes, notification of stages of building work for the purpose of building inspections is mandatory under legislation and the required notifications will be highlighted on the Decision Notification Form from Council.

Council conducts inspections in accordance with the Council Building Inspection Policy and PlanSA Practice Direction 9 – Council Inspections 2020. The practice direction specifies the following minimums:

  • Class 1 Building (typically houses) – Minimum 66% of developments inspected during construction or on completion.
  • Farm building and farm sheds (non-domestic) – Minimum 50% of developments inspected during construction or on completion.
  • Class 2-9 Buildings (typically commercial buildings, i.e. hotels, motels, shops etc) – Minimum 90% of developments inspected during construction or on completion.
  • Council intends to exceed the minimum levels specified in Practice Direction 9.
  • Swimming pools are dealt with under PlanSA Practice Direction 8 – Swimming Pool Inspection Policy 2019 which requires all pools to be inspected, 80% within 2 weeks of Council being notified and the remaining 20% within 2 months of Council being notified.

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