Which NCC applies in my state? NCC 2025 adoption dates
Published · Updated · By Sai Nath
NCC 2025 was published on 1 May 2026. On 1 November 2026, Victoria applies it; WA and the ACT accept it, with NCC 2022 still allowed until 30 April 2027; NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia’s building rules switch on 1 May 2027; the Northern Territory has set no date.
Checked on 1 November 2026 against each state or territory regulator, the law itself where a regulator page would not open, and the ABCB’s NCC 2025 adoption table. Dates move, so this page is re-checked every month; your building surveyor or certifier has the final word on your job.
NCC 2025 adoption dates by state and territory
The ABCB published NCC 2025 on 1 May 2026, and states and territories “can adopt NCC 2025 from 1 May 2026, subject to jurisdictional implementation arrangements” (ABCB). Here is where each one stands for new building work:
| State or territory | On 1 Nov 2026 | NCC 2025 from |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | NCC 2022 Amendment 2 | 1 May 2027 |
| Victoria | NCC 2025 | 1 May 2026 |
| Queensland | NCC 2022 | 1 May 2027 |
| Western Australia | BCA 2025, or BCA 2022 by choice | 1 May 2026 |
| South Australia | NCC 2022 for building work | 1 May 2027 (building); 1 May 2026 (plumbing) |
| Tasmania | NCC 2022 Amendment 2 | 1 May 2027 |
| Australian Capital Territory | Either edition | 1 May 2026 (mandatory 1 May 2027) |
| Northern Territory | NCC 2022 | No date set |
The notes and the source for each row:
- New South Wales: Applications lodged on or after 29 July 2025 are assessed against NCC 2022 Amendment 2. NSW Government
- Victoria: Some provisions have a one-year transition. Building and Plumbing Commission (PDF)
- Queensland: Start delayed to 2027; NCC 2022 stays in force until then. Newsflash 637 (PDF)
- Western Australia: BCA 2022 can be applied until 30 April 2027; some energy and livable housing parts stay voluntary until 30 April 2028. Building and Energy e-alert
- South Australia: The plumbing volume moved first. ABCB table
- Tasmania: NCC 2025 applied from 1 May to 4 June 2026, then the law put NCC 2022 back until 30 April 2027. Tasmanian Act No. 6 of 2026
- Australian Capital Territory: Approvals lodged before 1 November 2026 can keep using either edition. ACT Planning
- Northern Territory: Listed as not adopted. ABCB table
“BCA” is the Building Code of Australia, the building volumes of the NCC; Western Australia and South Australia still use the name. Where a row cites the ABCB table, the state’s own page would not open for us on the day of checking.
What is the NCC, and why do states use different editions?
The National Construction Code is written by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) and free to read at ncc.abcb.gov.au. It has no force on its own: each state and territory’s building law calls up an edition, from a date it chooses, and can add its own variations. That is why one national edition can be in force in Melbourne while Brisbane and Sydney builders are still on the one before.
For a house, the part you work from day to day is the Housing Provisions, which sit under Volume Two and cover Class 1 and 10 buildings: houses, and their garages and sheds. Every clause page on the NCC site has a panel of state and territory variations to read alongside it.
Which edition applies to my job?
Usually the one in force when the building approval or permit application is lodged, plus whatever transition the state allows. Three examples of how that plays out, all from the sources in the table:
- NSW assesses certificate applications lodged on or after 29 July 2025 against NCC 2022 Amendment 2, and moves to NCC 2025 on 1 May 2027.
- Western Australia lets you apply BCA 2022 until 30 April 2027, even though BCA 2025 has been in effect since 1 May 2026.
- The ACT made NCC 2025 available from 1 May 2026 but not mandatory until 1 May 2027, and approvals lodged before 1 November 2026 can stay on either edition.
If you are working from someone else’s plans, the edition is often on the drawings or in the approval. If it isn’t, ask the building surveyor or certifier before you set anything out.
Did the numbers a chippy uses change in NCC 2025?
Not for stairs and balustrades. The stair table (Table 11.2.2a), the landing, handrail and barrier figures read the same in NCC 2022 and NCC 2025, so a stair worked in one state passes the same check in another. Two worked examples, in millimetres:
- A 2700 mm floor-to-floor stair with a 240 mm going. (600 − 240) ÷ 2 = 180 mm target riser; 2700 ÷ 180 = 15 risers of 180 mm, 14 treads. Riser 180 is inside 115 to 190, the going sits on the 240 minimum, and 2R + G = 2 × 180 + 240 = 600 mm, inside 550 to 700. It passes under NCC 2022 in Brisbane and under NCC 2025 in Melbourne.
- A deck 1200 mm above the ground. The fall is 1 m or more, so it needs a balustrade at least 1 m high with no opening that lets a 125 mm sphere through (11.3.3 and 11.3.4). With 42 mm balusters, the most each gap can be is just under 125 mm, so the centres must be under 42 + 125 = 167 mm, under either edition.
NCC 2025 does add a stair clause for platforms, walkways and stairs on Class 10b structures (11.2.7), and leaves threshold ramps out of some ramp and headroom rules. Other parts of the code changed more; this page covers only the editions and the stair and balustrade numbers. Every stair rule, clause by clause, is in stair requirements in Australia.
Why did Tasmania go back to NCC 2022?
Tasmania adopted NCC 2025 on 1 May 2026, then changed the law: from 5 June 2026 the edition in force is NCC 2022 again, “until 30 April 2027”, and the latest edition applies from 1 May 2027 (Tasmanian Act No. 6 of 2026). So work approved in Tasmania between 1 May and 4 June 2026 may have been assessed against NCC 2025 and work since then against NCC 2022. The ABCB’s own Volume Two adoption history still showed 1 May 2026 for Tasmania when we checked, so go by the Act.
Where do I read the NCC for free?
- Open ncc.abcb.gov.au and pick the edition your job uses (NCC 2022 or NCC 2025).
- For a house, go to the Housing Provisions; stairs are Part 11.2, barriers and handrails Part 11.3, room and headroom heights Part 10.3.
- Open the variations panel on the clause you need and read your state’s entry.
- Australian Standards that the NCC calls up, such as AS 1684 for timber framing, are sold separately by Standards Australia; free guides such as stud spacing in Australia explain where their limits come from without reproducing them.
Before you build
This page tells you which edition is in force, not what your job needs. The approved plans, your certifier or building surveyor and your council decide that, along with any state variation and transition.
Try it
The free stair calculator checks a flight against NCC 2025 Table 11.2.2a, which has the same figures as NCC 2022, so it works whichever edition your state is on. In the MeisterCalc app, Stairs, Concrete and Check Square are free to use, with no trial and no card needed. The other 13 unlock with a weekly subscription that starts with a 3-day free trial, or with a one-time lifetime unlock; Google Play shows the prices in your currency. It works offline on Android 7.0 or later.