Height certificate
A height certificate is a surveyor's certification that finished floor level and building height match the approved plans and council conditions. Required pre-OC.
Ask Chalkline about this →A height certificate is a written certification from a registered surveyor confirming that the finished floor level (FFL) and overall building height of a structure, as built, match the levels approved in the building consent or development approval. It is produced from an AHD or relative-level survey of the completed slab or frame.
Certifiers commonly require a height certificate at two stages:
- After slab pour: to confirm the FFL matches the approved reduced level (RL) before the frame goes up. This is critical on flood-affected sites where the council DA sets a minimum FFL in metres AHD.
- At or near practical completion: to confirm the overall building height does not exceed the maximum permitted by the development consent or planning controls.
If the slab has been poured at the wrong level, the height certificate will flag it early enough to explore rectification options before the frame is in. Discovering a height non-compliance after frame or after cladding is substantially more expensive to fix.
Also known as: floor level certificate, slab level certificate (informal).
Category: Surveying and approvals.
Related
See also
- AHD (Australian Height Datum)
- Temporary benchmark (TBM)
- Occupation certificate
- Site set-out and survey
Last updated: 2026-05-10. Verified: 2026-05-10. Quarterly review for currency.