Building Information Certificates (BIC)
From November 2022, Council only accepts electronic BIC applications via the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE)’s ePlanning Portal. Please do not email or post or submit over-counter your applications to Council.
If you intend to buy or sell a property and you want to make sure that the property is not going to be the subject of regulatory action by the Council, you may wish to apply for a Building Information Certificate (BIC). It is also commonly applied for when work is undertaken without the appropriate approvals being issued by the council or accredited certifier.
Apply for a building information certificate
For more information on BIC, please visit the Department of Planning and Environment website.
The building has all the necessary approvals and vendors wish to provide some surety to purchases. These require lodgement of a Survey Report detailing the building’s location and any easements/restrictions on the land.
Application for a Standard Building Information Certificate has a fixed fee.
The building does not have the appropriate approvals. The cost depending on the extent of the building work, building cost, notification and the BCA Class of building.
They require the submission of ‘work-as-executed’ plans detailing the extent of the unauthorised building, and Council may request the following information/reports, depending on the extent and nature of the work carried out:
- Survey/levels
- Structural Certification
- Sydney Water ‘Tap-In’
- Bushfire consultant
- Flood mitigation
- Stormwater control and certification
- Food Premises
- Fire Safety Measures
- BCA consultant
- glazing
- waterproofing
- termites
- Planning
- Access
- Sound Transmission
- Fire barriers
- Acoustic barriers
- Fire Engineering
- Alternate Solutions
The issue of a Building Information Certificate does not prevent Council issuing fines for breaches of the Act.
Any Building Information Certificate refused will be referred to Council’s Compliance Unit for instigation of legal proceedings, usually pursuant to Section 121B of the EPA Act, and the issuance of Penalty Infringement Notices.