Principal Certifying Authority
A Principal Certifying Authority (PCA) is responsible for overseeing the management of a development consent from the start of work to completion and issuing an Occupation Certificate. They also conduct critical stage inspections at each stage of the construction process.
Prior to starting any building or subdivision work, a Construction Certificate or Complying Development Certificate must be approved and a PCA must be appointed.
Locating Certification Services
Lismore City Council recently undertook a comprehensive review of Building Certification Services and determined that development certification can be effectively provided by private certifiers.
For your building certification needs, people will now need to engage a qualified private certifier.
What are the roles and responsibilities of the PCA?
As a Principal Certifying Authority (PCA), one must conduct proper inspections of each stage of construction, certify that works are in accordance with the development consent, advise the applicant of any non-compliant works, serve notices for non-compliance with development consent, issue an Occupation Certificate for building work or change of use, advise the applicant of any outstanding work after each inspection, certify compliance with development consent, BCA, and technical standards, and oversee the legislative requirements of the construction process from start to finish.
Making a complaint against a PCA
Any concerns with construction works including a belief that works are not proceeding in accordance with the approval are to be discussed with the PCA in the first instance. If you remain unsatisfied with the response of the PCA, complaints against Accredited Private Certifiers can be made to NSW Fair Trading.
Advice and consultancy
Our Building Certification Team can work with you throughout the approvals process to ensure that everything runs smoothly. You can make an appointment on (02) 6625 0500.