What is the Building Code of Australia?

The Building Code of Australia (BCA) forms volumes 1 and 2 of the National Construction Code (NCC). The NCC is produced and maintained by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) on behalf of the Commonwealth, states and territories.

The BCA was established to achieve nationally consistent, minimum standards for construction. It contains technical provisions for the design and construction of buildings and other structures, covering matters such as structure, fire resistance, access and egress, services and equipment, energy efficiency and certain aspects of health and amenity. Primary users of the BCA include architects, builders, plumbers, building certifiers/ surveyors, hydraulic consultants and engineers.

The BCA is not, of itself, legal binding obligations. To give legislative effect to the BCA it is recognised in legislation in each state and territory, ensuring that the BCA’s technical requirements have to be satisfied in order to achieve compliance with legislative requirements. The BCA must therefore be read in conjunction with state and territory legislation.

Regular changes are made to the BCA and so it is important to keep up to date with the latest requirements. For example, significant changes were made in 2018-19 to address the risks associated with external cladding products on high rise residential buildings.

In 2023 a series of changes to fire safety (effective 1 May 2023) and greater quantification of the BCA commenced as part of the 2022 Edition of the BCA. Further changes will occur in regard to energy efficiency and condensation mitigation, livable housing design requirements (1 October 2023) and updating of plumbing and drainage and requirements for low lead plumbing products (1 September 2025).