NCC 2025 was released on 1 May 2026. Victoria is in. The Northern Territory has deferred indefinitely. Tasmania is waiting on a parliamentary vote. South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT are on transition arrangements. Queensland and New South Wales have until 1 May 2027. Here is what is confirmed, what it means, and what builders need to do.

NCC 2025 is now the current version of Australia’s building code.

It was officially released on 1 May 2026. But whether it applies to your projects right now, and in what form, depends entirely on where you build.

The adoption picture across states and territories is more fragmented than it has been for any previous edition of the NCC. Some jurisdictions moved on the release date. One reversed course at the last moment. Another is waiting on legislation that has not yet passed parliament. The rest are on transition arrangements that run until 1 May 2027.

The State-by-State Position

Victoria

NCC 2025 is in force in Victoria from 1 May 2026. There is no state-wide transition period.

Under section 10 of the Victorian Building Act and Regulations, there is a provision that allows applicants to continue using the previous edition of the NCC where they can demonstrate to their building certifier that they have substantially commenced the design work for the project before the changeover date. What constitutes substantial design progress is a matter for the certifier to determine on a project-by-project basis.

If your project is in design and has not yet been submitted for approval, speak to your building surveyor now about whether the transitional provision applies to your specific circumstances. Do not assume it does.

New South Wales

Mandatory from 1 May 2027. NCC 2022 remains in force until then. Voluntary early adoption of NCC 2025 is available from 1 May 2026 for builders who choose it.

NSW is making a number of state variations to NCC 2025, including giving apartment building owners undertaking remedial works the option to use either the NCC 2022 or NCC 2025 waterproofing requirements. The new commercial energy efficiency standards will also not apply to the common areas of apartment buildings in NSW.

Australian Capital Territory

NCC 2025 was adopted in the ACT from 1 May 2026 with a six-month transition period. Projects with building approval granted between 1 May 2026 and 1 November 2026 can choose to comply with either NCC 2022 or NCC 2025. From 1 November 2026, NCC 2025 applies to all new building approvals.

Projects that lodge a development application or works approval before 1 November 2026 can continue under NCC 2022 until that application expires. The ACT Government is also investigating further transitional arrangements beyond 1 November 2026 for projects that are substantially progressed. Confirm the current position with your certifier if your project is in that category.

Whichever code version a project uses, it must be nominated and applied consistently. A project cannot mix provisions from NCC 2022 and NCC 2025.

Queensland

Mandatory from 1 May 2027. NCC 2022 continues to apply to all building and plumbing work until 30 April 2027. Voluntary early adoption is available from 1 May 2026. Queensland will retain 31 existing state-based variations in Schedule 7, with state-specific provisions including continuity of gas use in new commercial buildings.

South Australia

South Australia adopted the Plumbing Code of Australia (Volume 3 of the NCC) from 1 May 2026. The Building Code of Australia component of NCC 2025 has been deferred until 1 May 2027. NCC 2022 Amendment 2 remains the applicable building standard in South Australia until 30 April 2027.

Western Australia

Western Australia adopted NCC 2025 on 1 May 2026, triggering a 12-month transition period. Under Western Australian building regulations, building permit applications are assessed against the edition of the Building Code that was in effect 12 months before the date of the application. This means most building permit applications in WA during the transition can be assessed under NCC 2022 until 1 May 2027. Confirm how this applies to your specific project with your certifier.

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory Government initially confirmed adoption of NCC 2025 from 1 May 2026, then reversed that decision. The HIA has confirmed that NCC 2025 will not apply in the Northern Territory and NCC 2022 will continue to apply until a new edition of the Code is published. No future adoption date for NCC 2025 has been set.

NT builders should continue to work under NCC 2022. Confirm with your certifier and check the NT Government fact sheet for any jurisdiction-specific variations that apply in the territory.

Tasmania

Tasmania’s position is the most complex of any jurisdiction and, at the time of publication, remains unresolved.

The Tasmanian Government introduced the Building Amendment Bill 2026 to pause commencement of NCC 2025 and freeze NCC adoptions in the state for five years. The Bill passed the House of Assembly but had not cleared the Legislative Council before 1 May 2026. Because Tasmania’s Building Act 2016 automatically updates to the current NCC on publication, NCC 2025 technically commenced in Tasmania from 1 May 2026 by default.

The Tasmanian Government has however introduced state variations that disapply key NCC 2025 changes. Specifically, the condensation management provisions have been reverted to NCC 2022 requirements, and the energy efficiency provisions have been reverted to BCA 2019 requirements. NCC 2025 does introduce new waterproofing provisions for Class 2 to 9 buildings, and these apply in Tasmania subject to the transitional provisions in the Building Act.

Under section 11(5) of the Building Act 2016, the new NCC provisions do not apply where a certificate of likely compliance was issued before 1 May 2026, or where a building surveyor certifies that substantial design progress was made before commencement, or where substantial progress occurred before a relevant referenced standard was amended.

The Legislative Council is scheduled to sit on 19 May 2026 to consider the Building Amendment Bill. The outcome will determine whether NCC 2025 continues to apply in Tasmania or is legislatively paused.

EDITOR’S NOTE — TASMANIA UPDATE

The Building Amendment Bill 2026 had not passed the Tasmanian Legislative Council before 1 May 2026. NCC 2025 therefore commenced in Tasmania by default. The Legislative Council is scheduled to sit on 19 May 2026 to consider the Bill. If passed, NCC 2025 will not apply in Tasmania. The Good Builder will update this article once the outcome is known. Tasmanian builders should confirm the position with their certifier before lodging new permits.

The NCC only becomes law when adopted by each state or territory through their own legislation. Confirm which code version applies to your specific project with your building surveyor or certifier before lodging permits. The answer depends on your jurisdiction, your permit date, and when work commenced.

What Has Actually Changed in NCC 2025

For residential builders, the scope of NCC 2025 is more contained than many anticipated.

Building Ministers confirmed there would be no additional residential energy efficiency changes in this edition. The 7-star energy efficiency requirements from NCC 2022 remain in place. EV charging provisions for residential buildings were not included. Proposals around embodied carbon were removed from the final code. The pause on new residential NCC changes runs until at least mid-2029.

What did make it through are changes that apply across all building classes and represent real compliance obligations for residential builders in jurisdictions where the code is in force.

Condensation Management

This is the most significant residential-facing change in NCC 2025 and primarily affects builders working in cooler climate zones. The new requirements appear in Housing Provisions Part 10.8 and Volume One Part F8.

The core changes are:

• Mandatory drained and ventilated cavities in external wall assemblies in climate zones 6, 7, and 8. Direct-fix cladding systems no longer satisfy the Deemed-to-Satisfy pathway in these zones
• New vapour permeance requirements for control layers, sheathing, and water barriers in external walls where drained and ventilated cavities are used
• Roof ventilation requirements extended to climate zones 4 and 5, which were not previously subject to mandatory roof space ventilation rules
• Revised calculation methods for required roof ventilation areas across pitched, raked, and cathedral ceiling configurations

In practical terms, the shift to mandatory ventilated cavities means that battens, extended fixings, and cavity closer products become part of the standard specification for external wall construction in affected zones. This has direct cost plan and lead time implications.

Climate zones 6, 7, and 8 broadly cover Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT, southern New South Wales, and elevated inland regions. Zones 4 and 5 extend the roof ventilation requirement into coastal New South Wales, parts of Queensland, and South Australia.

Note: Tasmania has introduced state variations that revert condensation management back to NCC 2022 requirements. Tasmanian builders are not currently subject to the new cavity provisions, pending the legislative outcome.

Designers carry the primary responsibility for specifying compliant wall assemblies. Builders should confirm that condensation management details are reflected in the approved plans and specifications before work commences, not after a query at inspection.

Lead-Free Plumbing Products

Under Volume 3 of the NCC, any copper alloy product that comes into contact with drinking water must not contain more than 0.25 per cent weighted average lead content. Only WaterMark certified, lead-free products can be specified and installed.

In Victoria, this is mandatory now. Critically, the lead-free requirement applies to plumbing installation commencing on or after 1 May 2026, regardless of when the building permit or contract was issued. The date of the permit does not provide a carve-out.

South Australia adopted the Plumbing Code from 1 May 2026. The mandatory date for Queensland, New South Wales, and the Building Code component in South Australia is 1 May 2027.

For builders in jurisdictions where the change is not yet mandatory, the practical advice is to confirm your plumbing contractor has updated their supply chain now. Supply constraints tend to cluster around compliance deadlines. Getting ahead of that reduces risk on projects that straddle the changeover date.

Updated Australian Standards

NCC 2025 incorporates 36 new, amended, or revised Australian Standards. The most relevant for residential builders include:

• AS 4055:2021 (Amendment 1) Wind loads for housing, updated for compatibility with the broader structural design standard AS/NZS 1170.2
• AS 1926.1 Safety barriers for swimming pools, revised and adopted by reference. Note that an NCC 2025 provision overrides one of the updates in this standard. Builders working on pools should confirm the specific requirements with their certifier before lodging
• AS 5346:2023 for External Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS), which creates a new Deemed-to-Satisfy pathway under Part H1 Structure, potentially simplifying compliance for lightweight cladding systems

Not every change to referenced standards creates additional cost or obligation. Several updated standards introduce new compliance pathways that can simplify documentation and reduce interpretation disputes.

Commercial Building Changes That Flow Through

The major changes in NCC 2025 target commercial and multi-residential buildings. For builders working across Class 2 to Class 9 projects, the headline items are:

• Mandatory on-site solar photovoltaic systems for Class 3 and Class 5 to 9 buildings
• Tighter energy efficiency requirements for commercial building fabric, glazing, insulation, and HVAC systems
• New water management and waterproofing provisions for apartment buildings, including new Deemed-to-Satisfy options for balcony and podium waterproofing on concrete substrates
• Enhanced carpark fire safety requirements. Plastic pipe is explicitly excluded from above-ground use in combined sprinkler and hydrant systems
• Mandatory sanitary product dispensers and improved female toilet ratios in new commercial and public buildings
• An optional pathway for all-gender facilities in commercial buildings

These changes apply in jurisdictions that have adopted NCC 2025. For builders working on commercial or apartment projects, confirm with your certifier which code applies to your project and jurisdiction before lodging.

For Victorian Builders: What to Do Now

NCC 2025 is the code you are working under. These are the immediate steps that matter.

• If you have projects in design that had not been submitted for approval before 1 May 2026, speak to your building surveyor about whether the section 10 transitional provision applies. Bring evidence of design progress to that conversation
• Review your standard external wall details for climate zone compliance. If you work in zones 6, 7, or 8, confirm your wall assembly satisfies the new cavity and vapour permeance requirements under Housing Provisions Part 10.8. If your standard detail is direct-fix cladding, it requires updating
• Confirm with your plumbing contractor that they are sourcing only WaterMark certified, lead-free products. This applies to all plumbing installation commenced on or after 1 May 2026, regardless of permit date
• Note that Victorian state-based variations to the NCC have been reduced from 115 in NCC 2022 to 60 in NCC 2025. Provisions you may have relied on as Victorian variations may no longer exist in the same form. Confirm with your building surveyor
• Update your cost plan and specification templates to reflect condensation management requirements, including battens, cavity closers, and any extended fixings required by your wall system

For QLD, NSW, SA, ACT, and WA Builders: Using the Window

For most builders outside Victoria, mandatory compliance is 1 May 2027. That is a genuine runway. The question is whether you use it.

Review your standard wall assembly details now, without compliance pressure. Understand which of your standard designs would and would not meet the NCC 2025 condensation management requirements in your climate zone. If redesign is needed, do it on your timeline.

Sort your plumbing supply chain. The lead-free transition is coming regardless. Specifying compliant products now removes the risk of disruption at the changeover.

For ACT builders: your transition closes 1 November 2026, not 1 May 2027. If your projects are running into next year, map your permit lodgement dates against that deadline now.

For WA builders: confirm with your certifier exactly how the 12-month code reference rule applies to your project timeline. The transition mechanism in WA operates differently from other states.

The ABCB is running an NCC 2025 webinar series between 25 and 30 June 2026. Sessions cover the major changes with Q and A included. Recordings will be available. This is practical preparation relevant to your team.

For Tasmanian Builders: Confirm Before You Lodge

The legislative position in Tasmania is unresolved until the 19 May sitting of the Legislative Council.

In the meantime, NCC 2025 is technically the operative code in Tasmania with state variations that revert condensation management and energy efficiency to earlier requirements. The waterproofing provisions for Class 2 to 9 buildings do apply, subject to the transitional provisions for projects with substantial design already commenced.

Do not lodge new permits on an assumption about what the bill will or will not do. Confirm the position with your certifier against the current state of the legislation.

The Bigger Picture

NCC 2025 is a more targeted update than many in the industry feared.

The decision to pause further residential changes until mid-2029 reflects a genuine acknowledgment that the pace of regulatory change over the previous cycle added real cost to new homes at a time when the industry had little capacity to absorb it. That breathing room is real and meaningful.

But NCC 2025 is not a non-event. The condensation management changes are substantive in cooler climate zones. Lead-free plumbing is a hard compliance obligation with supply chain implications that are already being felt in Victoria. And the commercial energy efficiency reforms are significant for anyone working on Class 3 to Class 9 buildings.

The fragmented adoption picture adds an administrative dimension that builders working across state lines need to manage carefully. Different code versions, different transition mechanisms, and different state variations mean the answer to which code applies is genuinely project-specific.

The builders who handle this well are the ones who have already mapped their project pipeline against the applicable code version in each jurisdiction, reviewed their standard wall details, and confirmed their plumbing supply chain.

The code is live. Confirm which version applies to each of your projects, and act accordingly.

General Information Disclaimer
The information in this article is general in nature and does not constitute legal, regulatory, or professional compliance advice. Building code obligations vary by jurisdiction, project type, permit date, and the commencement of construction work. The Tasmanian position reflects the situation as at the date of publication and is subject to change following the Legislative Council sitting on 19 May 2026. Readers should confirm specific requirements with a registered building surveyor, certifier, or the relevant state or territory authority before making decisions based on this article.