NCC version transitions: which edition applies to your project

TL;DR

The NCC version that governs your build is locked by the date your Construction Certificate (CC) or Complying Development Certificate (CDC) is lodged, not when the DA is granted. As of May 2026, NCC 2022 Amendment 2 is the live code in most states; NCC 2025 applies in Victoria and ACT from 1 May 2026, and in NSW, QLD, and WA from 1 May 2027. Wrong version at CC lodgement means a redesign, not a conversation: re-work a NatHERS rating or an EV pre-provisioning circuit after framing is underway and you’re looking at hundreds to thousands of dollars. Confirm the current adoption date with your state regulator and certifier before you lock the design.

In plain English

The National Construction Code (NCC) publishes a new edition roughly every three years, and states adopt at different times. Three editions are relevant to residential work right now:

NCC 2019 Amendment 1 (effective 1 July 2020, superseded by NCC 2022 from 1 May 2023 in most states)
NCC 2022 (base from 1 May 2023, Amendment 1 from 1 May 2025, Amendment 2 from 29 July 2025)
NCC 2025 (released 1 May 2026, adopted by states on a staggered schedule)

The ABCB publishes the code; state and territory governments choose when to adopt it via their own building legislation. That gap between ABCB release and state adoption is the transition window.

What it requires

How the version lock works

State legislation stipulates which NCC edition applies based on the date the relevant certificate application is lodged. The practical rule:

CC or CDC lodgement date is the version lock for the build (not the DA date, not the approval date).
If you lodge a CC after the adoption date of a new NCC edition, that edition governs the build.
A DA lodged before the adoption date does not lock the older edition for the CC: if the CC comes in after adoption, the new edition applies.

In NSW, this rule is explicit: “Applications for a Complying Development Certificate lodged on or after 29 July 2025 must be assessed against NCC 2022 Amendment 2” (verified 2026-05-08, NSW Government NCC compliance page).

Always confirm locally: building legislation varies and certifiers apply the version current at the time of lodgement.

NCC edition timeline

Edition	ABCB release	Base adoption	Key features added
NCC 2019 Amdt 1	2019	1 July 2020	Superseded; 5-star energy minimum
NCC 2022	2022	1 May 2023	7-star NatHERS + Whole of Home, Part H8 Livable Housing
NCC 2022 Amdt 1	2025	1 May 2025	Refinements to energy and condensation
NCC 2022 Amdt 2	2025	29 July 2025	Further technical corrections
NCC 2025	2026	1 May 2026 (staggered)	EV pre-provisioning, condensation updates, commercial solar PV mandate

Sources: ABCB NCC editions page (verified 2026-05-08); NCC 2022 edition (verified 2026-05-08).

NCC 2022 state adoption summary

The headline change in NCC 2022 was the step from 5-star to 7-star NatHERS and the introduction of Part H8 Livable Housing. Adoption was staggered:

State / Territory	NCC 2022 base	7-star energy + Whole of Home	Part H8 Livable Housing
ACT	1 May 2023	15 Jan 2024	15 Jan 2024
NSW	1 May 2023	1 Oct 2023 (via enhanced BASIX)	Not adopting
VIC	1 May 2023	1 May 2024	1 May 2024
QLD	1 May 2023	1 May 2024	1 Oct 2023
SA	1 May 2023	1 Oct 2024	1 Oct 2024
TAS	Condensation provisions only	Not adopting	1 Oct 2024
WA	1 May 2023	1 May 2025	Not adopting
NT	Limited adoption	Not adopting (5-star retained)	Not adopting

Source: ABCB NCC 2022 state and territory adoption dates (verified 2026-05-08).

NCC 2025 state adoption summary

NCC 2025 was released 1 May 2026. The residential changes are modest compared to NCC 2022 (the step-up was in 2022). NCC 2025 for residential adds EV pre-provisioning and condensation refinements. The major NCC 2025 changes are commercial (mandatory on-site solar for Class 3 and 5 to 9).

State / Territory	NCC 2025 mandatory from	Voluntary early adoption	Notes
ACT	1 May 2026	From 1 May 2026	12-month transition; DA lodged before Nov 2026 can proceed under NCC 2022
NSW	1 May 2027	From 1 May 2026	One-year delay; NCC 2022 Amdt 2 continues until May 2027
VIC	1 May 2026	From 1 May 2026	Immediate; reduced state variations (115 down to 60)
QLD	1 May 2027	From 1 May 2026	Deferred; DA or works approval lodged before Nov 2026 stays on NCC 2022
SA	BCA: 1 May 2027; PCA: 1 May 2026	Split	Plumbing code advances one year earlier than building code
TAS	1 May 2026	From 1 May 2026	Immediate adoption
WA	1 May 2026	From 1 May 2026	12-month transition period
NT	Not adopted	N/A	No adoption planned

Source: ABCB NCC 2025 state and territory adoption information (verified 2026-05-08).

What NCC 2025 adds for residential (Class 1)

NCC 2025 does not revisit the 7-star energy or livable housing provisions from NCC 2022. Those remain. Building ministers agreed residential NCC changes would be paused until 2029 for any further increases. What NCC 2025 does add for Class 1:

EV pre-provisioning (new in NCC 2025): Every new Class 1 building with at least one car parking space must have:

A dedicated single-phase circuit from the main switchboard to the parking space, sized for a 32-amp load with minimum 6 mm² conductors (Clause 13.7.11).
A 15A general-purpose outlet at the parking space, clearly labelled for EV charging.
Switchboard spare capacity: 8 empty single-phase slots for gas/electricity-combination homes; 4 slots for all-electric homes (Clause 13.7.10).

Adding this during construction costs approximately $350 (verified 2026-05-08 per ABCB EV charging PCD 2025 document). Retrofitting after lock-up is significantly more.

Condensation management updates: Enhanced vapour permeance specifications and mandatory wall cavities in colder climates. Applies where adopted.

Source: ABCB NCC 2025 released news (verified 2026-05-08).

The 7-star energy step: what it means in practice

NCC 2022 moved Class 1 from 5-star to 7-star NatHERS. This is the biggest residential compliance lift in a decade. For builders quoting today:

Glazing: most 7-star designs need double-glazed or low-e glazing, or a tighter building envelope than a 5-star design.
Whole of Home (WoH): scores fixed appliances (hot water, HVAC, lighting, pool pumps, PV) on a budget. Reverse-cycle plus heat-pump hot water plus PV passes easily. Resistive electric or gas hot water plus gas heating usually won’t.
NatHERS rating timing: the NatHERS rating must be done before the window schedule is locked. Late glazing changes break the rating and require a redo at certifier stage.
NSW difference: NSW uses BASIX (enhanced from 1 October 2023) rather than the national NatHERS pathway directly. The BASIX certificate is the compliance pathway for energy in NSW Class 1.

Source: NCC 2022 Volume Two (verified 2026-05-08).

What it doesn’t cover

Class 2 to 9 buildings: this article focuses on Class 1 (houses, duplexes, townhouses) and Class 10 structures. Commercial and apartment transitions are in Volume One territory.
Plumbing code transitions: the PCA (Plumbing Code of Australia) sits in NCC Volume Three and follows separate state adoption timelines. Note South Australia’s split adoption (PCA in 2026, BCA in 2027).
State planning approval requirements: DA requirements, setbacks, height limits, LEPs, and DCPs are planning instruments, not NCC. They change under separate legislation.
Electrical licensing: who can install the EV circuit is a licensing question (state sparky licence), not an NCC question.

Practical implications

Before quoting a new project

Identify the state and the anticipated CC lodgement date.
Cross-check the current adopted NCC edition in that state against the table above.
Confirm with your certifier: they apply the version in force at lodgement and may have local guidance on transitional provisions.
If lodgement is near a transition date, design to the newer edition to avoid a redesign if there’s a delay.

7-star energy: checklist before CC lodgement

NatHERS rating (or BASIX certificate in NSW) completed before window schedule locked.
Whole of Home compliance assessed against fixed appliance selections.
Hot water system type confirmed against WoH budget.
Glazing specifications (U-value, SHGC) locked in the NatHERS model.

NCC 2025 EV pre-provisioning: checklist (where adopted)

Sparky engaged to install the EV circuit in the rough-in stage.
15A outlet at the parking space installed and labelled.
Switchboard spare capacity slots confirmed (4 for all-electric, 8 for gas/elec).
Add to your quality hold point list: inspect EV circuit at frame stage.

Cross-version risk on long projects

On a project where the DA lodgement, the CC lodgement, and construction span a transition date:

The CC lodgement date is the version lock. The DA date is irrelevant to the NCC version.
If there’s a risk the CC won’t lodge before the next adoption date, design to the new edition early.
Document which NCC edition the certifier has applied to the CC: put it in the project file.

Source link

ABCB NCC 2025: https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/ncc-2025 (verified 2026-05-08)
ABCB NCC 2022: https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/editions/ncc-2022 (verified 2026-05-08)
ABCB NCC editions index: https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/editions-national-construction-code (verified 2026-05-08)

References

Australian Building Codes Board, Editions of the National Construction Code. https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/editions-national-construction-code (verified 2026-05-08).
Australian Building Codes Board, NCC 2022 state and territory adoption dates. https://www.abcb.gov.au/ncc-2022-state-and-territory-adoption-dates (verified 2026-05-08).
Australian Building Codes Board, NCC 2025 state and territory adoption information. https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/ncc-2025/ncc-2025-state-and-territory-adoption-information (verified 2026-05-08).
Australian Building Codes Board, NCC 2025 released. https://www.abcb.gov.au/news/2026/ncc-2025-released (verified 2026-05-08).
Australian Building Codes Board, PCD 2025: assisting future electrification and EV charging in homes. https://www.abcb.gov.au/pcd/pcd-2025-assisting-future-electrification-and-ev-charging-homes (verified 2026-05-08).
NSW Government, How to comply with the National Construction Code (NCC). https://www.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/compliance-and-regulation/how-to-comply-national-construction-code (verified 2026-05-08).
Victorian Building Authority, NCC 2025 amended variations. https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/building/regulatory-framework/ncc-2022/ncc-2025-amended-variations (verified 2026-05-08).

NCC 2022 Volume Two, the full residential edition breakdown
NCC structure: BCA, PCA, volumes and classes, how the code is organised
BASIX, the NSW energy compliance pathway that substitutes for NatHERS in Class 1
CDC (Complying Development), where the CC lodgement date rule also applies
DA process NSW, the relationship between DA and CC timing
ABCB Housing Provisions, the DTS companion document to NCC 2022 Volume Two
Energy report (NatHERS), what a 7-star rating produces and who orders it
AS standards, referenced documents adopted by reference in NCC