Design verification statement (SEPP 65)
A design verification statement is the architect's SEPP 65 sign-off that an apartment DA meets the Apartment Design Guide's 9 principles and 25 criteria.
Ask Chalkline about this →A design verification statement (DVS) is a written statement by the registered architect who designed (or directed the design of) an apartment building, confirming that the proposal meets the Apartment Design Guide (ADG) design quality principles and the numerical criteria under SEPP 65. It is a mandatory document for Class 2 apartment development in NSW subject to SEPP 65: without it, consent cannot be granted and an occupation certificate (OC) cannot issue.
Two submission checkpoints
The DVS is required at two points in the approval cycle:
- DA lodgement: the architect must lodge the DVS with the development application, addressing each of the ADG’s 9 design quality principles (verified per SEPP 65 cl 28A and ADG 2022, 2026-06-11).
- Before the OC: a fresh DVS (or a confirmation that the as-built work matches the approved DVS) is required before the certifier can issue the occupation certificate, confirmed under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021 cl 38 (verified 2026-06-11).
The two-stage requirement exists because designs change during construction: if the as-built apartments no longer comply with ADG criteria, the OC-stage DVS catches it.
Who can author it
Only a registered architect who “designed or directed the design” of the building can author the DVS (SEPP 65 cl 28A). A building designer, draftsperson, or engineer cannot sign it. The architect-author link is deliberate: the architect must be genuinely responsible for the design, not a rubber-stamp after the fact.
Builder-facing read
On a SEPP 65 Class 2 job the architect must stay engaged through construction to produce the OC-stage statement. Design changes during construction, such as relocated walls, resized balconies, or removed cross-ventilation paths, can mean the as-built work no longer matches the approved ADG criteria. If the architect cannot certify compliance, the OC stalls until the deficiency is resolved (rectified, or a formal variation approved). Builders should treat DVS compliance as a live obligation throughout the build, not a pre-DA formality.
Category: Planning / NSW Apartments.
Related
References
- State Environmental Planning Policy 65 (NSW) cl 28A (verified 2026-06-11)
- Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021 (NSW) cl 38 (verified 2026-06-11)
- Apartment Design Guide 2022 (DPHI) (verified 2026-06-11)
Last updated: 2026-06-11. Verified: 2026-06-11. Quarterly review for currency.