NCC 2025 was published on 1 May 2026, but it does not apply everywhere. Victoria, Western Australia and the ACT adopted it from 1 May 2026. New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia’s Building Code deferred to 1 May 2027. Tasmania is running a transition to 1 May 2027. The Northern Territory has not adopted NCC 2025 at all and continues under NCC 2022. If you design or build across state borders, you are working to two editions of the Code at once.
NCC 2025 adoption by state and territory
The table below reflects the ABCB’s published adoption information as at September 2026. Always confirm with the relevant state or territory regulator before relying on a date for a live project.
- Australian Capital Territory — adopted 1 May 2026, with a 12-month transition period.
- New South Wales — 1 May 2027.
- Northern Territory — not adopted. NCC 2022 continues to apply.
- Queensland — 1 May 2027.
- South Australia — Building Code 1 May 2027; Plumbing Code 1 May 2026.
- Tasmania — 1 May 2027, with a temporary adoption from 1 May to 4 June 2026 and a transition period from 5 June 2026 to 1 May 2027.
- Victoria — adopted 1 May 2026.
- Western Australia — adopted 1 May 2026, with a 12-month transition period.
What does a transition period actually mean?
Where a jurisdiction has a transition period — currently WA and the ACT, with 12 months each, and Tasmania’s arrangement to 1 May 2027 — both the old and new editions can generally be used during that window, at the applicant’s election, rather than the new edition being compulsory from day one.
That flexibility is useful, but it creates a documentation obligation. If you are relying on the superseded edition during a transition, the approval documents need to say so clearly and consistently. Mixing editions within a single approval — energy provisions from one, fire provisions from another — is not permitted, and is a common cause of a certifier rejecting a submission.
Which edition applies: lodgement date or start on site?
As a general rule, the applicable edition is the one in force in that jurisdiction when the building approval application was lodged, not when construction starts and not when the contract was signed.
That matters on long-lead projects. A development approved under NCC 2022 in Queensland in early 2027 does not have to be redesigned to NCC 2025 because construction happens to run past 1 May 2027. Conversely, a project that lets its approval lapse and has to re-lodge may find itself assessed against the newer edition.
The precise rule is set by state legislation, not by the ABCB, and there are exceptions — staged approvals, amended approvals and modifications are all treated differently in different states. Get this confirmed by your certifier in writing at the start of the job, not at the end.
What happens if you work across state borders?
Nationally operating practices carry real exposure through this cycle. Practical steps:
- Record the applicable edition on every project at inception — in the project set-up, the design brief and the drawing title block, not just in someone’s memory.
- Do not port a specification between states. A standard detail written for a Victorian project on NCC 2025 may not be compliant for the NCC 2022 job in Queensland, and vice versa.
- Check your product evidence. Evidence of Suitability prepared against one edition should be reviewed before it is relied on under another.
- Brief your team explicitly. The most common failure is a designer applying the edition they most recently learned, rather than the one that governs the job in front of them.
What about NCC 2022 and its amendments?
NCC 2022 remains the operative edition anywhere NCC 2025 has not been adopted — which as at September 2026 is most of the country by population. Its own history matters, because “NCC 2022” is not one fixed document:
- NCC 2022 was adopted by states and territories from 1 May 2023.
- Amendment 1 was adopted from 1 May 2025.
- Amendment 2 was adopted from 29 July 2025 and supersedes Amendment 1.
Older work may still reference NCC 2019 Amendment 1, adopted from 1 July 2020. If you are assessing an existing building or a long-running approval, establish which edition and which amendment governs before you form a view on compliance.
How should practitioners prepare?
Because adoption is staggered, the learning curve is staggered too — and registration boards tend to look hardest at CPD records during a code transition.
- If you practise in VIC, WA or the ACT, NCC 2025 is live now. Transition training should already be complete.
- If you practise in NSW, QLD or SA, you have until 1 May 2027 — but tenders and designs being documented in 2026 for construction in late 2027 should be tested against NCC 2025 now, not later.
- If you practise in the NT, NCC 2022 continues to apply, but the national direction of travel still affects product availability and manufacturer documentation.
- Everywhere, record which edition each project is being delivered under. It is the first question asked when something goes wrong.
Manage the NCC 2025 transition properly
CPD-accredited courses covering what changed, how to transition your documentation, and how the Code works volume by volume.
- NCC 2025: Key Changes and Managing the Transition View course →
- Understanding and Applying the National Construction Code View course →
- NCC Volume One: Multi-Residential, Commercial and Public Buildings View course →
- NCC Volume Two: Housing Provisions for Homes and Outbuildings View course →
- The Building Surveyor’s Code of Practice View course →
Frequently asked questions
When did NCC 2025 come into effect?
NCC 2025 was published by the ABCB on 1 May 2026. Victoria, Western Australia and the ACT adopted it from that date. Other jurisdictions adopt later or, in the Northern Territory's case, not at all so far.
Has New South Wales adopted NCC 2025?
Not yet. New South Wales adopts NCC 2025 from 1 May 2027. Until then, NCC 2022 continues to apply to NSW building work.
Which states adopted NCC 2025 on 1 May 2026?
Victoria, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. Western Australia and the ACT each have a 12-month transition period. South Australia also adopted the Plumbing Code volume from that date, but not the Building Code.
Does NCC 2025 apply in the Northern Territory?
No. The Northern Territory has not adopted NCC 2025 and continues to apply NCC 2022.
Which edition applies if my project spans the changeover date?
Generally the edition in force when the building approval application was lodged, not when work starts on site. The rule is set by state legislation and there are exceptions for staged and amended approvals, so confirm the position with your certifier in writing.
Can I use NCC 2022 during a transition period?
In jurisdictions with a transition period, the superseded edition can generally still be used during that window. You cannot mix editions within one approval, and the documentation must state clearly which edition it was prepared against.