Main page › Guides › Inspections and certification
Who inspects and certifies a factory-built home
| Building approval | A certifier or building surveyor, for the whole home on its site[5][6] |
|---|---|
| Mandatory inspections | Set by state law; Queensland requires the certifier to inspect the final stage personally[7] |
| Factory work | Inspection regimes were designed for on-site construction[8] |
| NSW Act No 26 of 2026 | Assented 14 August 2026; mostly commences by proclamation[1] |
| Victorian Act No 36 of 2026 | Assented 8 September 2026[3] |
| National scheme | Voluntary; indicative mid-2028[4] |
A factory-built home is approved and signed off the same way as a site-built one: a certifier or building surveyor approves the whole home on its site and issues the final certificate.[5][6] The difficulty is that most of the work happens somewhere the certifier does not normally go. The Australian Building Codes Board has said plainly that conventional certification and inspection regimes were developed for on-site construction.[8]
How it works today §
One approval, one site. In NSW the principal certifier carries out mandatory inspections and issues the occupation certificate.[5][9] In Victoria the owner appoints a private building surveyor, independent of the builder, who issues the building permit.[6] In Queensland the certifier must personally inspect the final stage of a house, and can rely on a competent person's certificate for aspects of earlier stages such as footings and slab.[7]
Factory work is checked through documents. Because inspections happen at the site, work done in the factory — framing, wall linings, wet areas, electrical and plumbing rough-in — is usually covered up before the home arrives. The certifier therefore relies largely on evidence that the components comply. Certification such as a CodeMark Certificate of Conformity is one recognised form of evidence of suitability under the Building Code.[10] Factory electrical and plumbing work is covered in electrical work in factory-built homes and plumbing in factory-built homes.
Interstate and overseas factories. A module built in another state, or another country, still has to satisfy the certifier in the state where it is installed. For imported homes, see imported prefab kits — what compliance requires.
What changes in NSW §
The Building (Approvals and Practitioners) Act 2026 received assent on 14 August 2026 as Act No 26 of 2026. Apart from two items, it commences on dates to be proclaimed.[1] Until then, the current rules continue, and the regulations that will set the detail are still being drafted.[2]
When it commences, prefabricated buildings will be recognised in law and brought into the approvals system, with rules covering manufacture, supply, transport, delivery and installation.[11] Legal commentary describes the core mechanism: the manufacturer must provide a prefabricated building declaration confirming compliance with the Building Code and prefabricated building instructions for transport and erection before building work can start, and the regulations will prescribe mandatory inspections for prefabricated work and requirements for manufacturers outside NSW.[12] See NSW's framework for prefabricated buildings for the full update.
What changes in Victoria §
The Consumer Legislation Amendment Act 2026 received assent on 8 September 2026 as Act No 36 of 2026. During its passage, the Legislative Council agreed amendments to the Building Act 1993 dealing with prefabrication work and prefabrication builders.[3] Trade commentary written before assent describes those amendments as creating a registered prefabrication builder category, requiring documents such as a compliance certificate and transport and use instructions to be supplied, and making the building surveyor the checkpoint: no building permit unless the builder will receive the documents, and no occupancy permit without seeing them. It reports commencement on proclamation, or 1 December 2027 at the latest.[13] These details are from commentary, not the enacted text, and should be checked against the Act.
The proposed national scheme §
The ABCB has been tasked with a national voluntary certification scheme for manufacturers of prefabricated construction, together with national definitions of prefabricated construction for the Building Code.[14] The scheme would be voluntary, existing ways of showing compliance would remain valid, and the ABCB gives mid-2028 as an indicative start.[4] In October 2026 building and housing ministers agreed to work on nationally consistent pathways to support modular and prefabricated construction.[15] The consultation history is covered in ABCB's national certification scheme consultation.
Questions to ask before you sign §
- Who is the certifier or building surveyor, and have they certified this manufacturer's homes before?
- What compliance documents will the manufacturer supply for factory work — structural, waterproofing, electrical and plumbing — and when?
- Will the certifier or an engineer inspect any stage in the factory, or rely entirely on documents?
- Which inspections happen on site after delivery — footings, tie-downs, connections between modules, service connections — and who books them?
What is not covered here §
The final text of the NSW regulations and the Victorian prefabrication provisions, inspection rules in South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory, and whether any certifier will inspect in a particular factory are not covered by the sources compiled here. This guide does not assess any manufacturer's compliance.
Related guides §
- The approval process for a modular home, step by step
- NSW's framework for prefabricated buildings
- ABCB national certification scheme consultation
- Checking a prefab builder's licence and insurance
- Changing or extending an approval
Sent to info@modularlivingaustralia.com.au and handled by a person. See Privacy.
References §
- Parliament of New South Wales — Bill record for the Building (Approvals and Practitioners) Bill 2026 — records assent on 14 August 2026 as Act No 26 of 2026; clause 2 of the First Print provides that two items commence on assent and that the Act otherwise commences on a day or days to be appointed by proclamation. parliament.nsw.gov.au/parliamentary-business/bills/bill-details?billId=18895&ref=1849
- Master Builders Association of NSW (industry news, 31 August 2026) — States that most of the Building (Approvals and Practitioners) Act 2026 will start on dates fixed by proclamation once regulations are ready; regulations are still being drafted with consultation expected during 2026 and 2027; until the main provisions start, the current Design and Building Practitioners Act and Regulation continue to apply; exact prefabricated building documentation and approval requirements will be set by regulation. Industry association publication. mbansw.asn.au/media/industry-news/nsw-building-law-reforms-what-replaces-dbp-act-and-when
- Victorian Legislation — Consumer Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 — Records the Bill as passed and assented on 8 September 2026 as Act No. 36/2026; records that the Legislative Council gave the Committee of the whole power to consider amendments to the Building Act 1993 in relation to prefabrication work and prefabrication builders, and that Government and Greens amendments were agreed in committee. legislation.vic.gov.au/bills/consumer-legislation-amendment-bill-2026
- Australian Building Codes Board — Modern methods of construction frequently asked questions — the national certification scheme for manufacturers of prefabricated construction is voluntary, existing methods of NCC compliance remain valid, and the scheme is expected to be available for manufacturers by mid-2028, with that timing indicative only. abcb.gov.au/faq/modern-methods-construction
- NSW Government — Approvals needed for your building project — explains the complying development and development application pathways, the construction certificate, the principal certifier and the occupation certificate. nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/building-or-renovating-a-home/preparing/approvals
- Victorian Government — Planning and building permits — A building permit is always needed and is issued by a registered private building surveyor whom the owner, not the builder, must appoint to keep the surveying process independent. vic.gov.au/planning-and-building-permits
- Business Queensland — Building inspections by competent persons and cadets — for single detached Class 1a buildings, the building certifier must personally inspect the final stage; for aspects of the excavation, footings and slab stages a certifier can rely on a suitably qualified competent person, who provides an aspect inspection certificate, but must still sign the stage certificate. business.qld.gov.au/industries/building-property-development/building-construction/approvals-inspections/competent-persons-cadets
- Australian Building Codes Board — Consultation news item (2025) — states that conventional building certification processes and inspection regimes were developed for construction built on site and present challenges for buildings manufactured off site and transported for installation. abcb.gov.au/news/2025/consultation-open-national-voluntary-certification-scheme-manufacturers-modern-methods-construction
- NSW Government — What certifiers do — describes the principal certifier's role, mandatory inspections and who can act as a certifier. nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/appointing-a-certifier/what-certifiers-do
- Australian Building Codes Board — NCC 2022 Evidence of suitability handbook — a current CodeMark Certificate of Conformity is one form of evidence of suitability under A5G3 of the BCA; the WaterMark and CodeMark schemes were designed to avoid repeated assessment of products with proven NCC compliance. abcb.gov.au/sites/default/files/resources/2024/NCC%202022%20%20Evidence%20of%20suitability%20handbook.pdf
- NSW Government — Ministerial media release, 5 August 2026 — announces passage of the reforms, recognition of prefabricated buildings in law, integration into the building approvals system, and rules for manufacture, supply, transport, delivery and installation. nsw.gov.au/ministerial-releases/a-modern-era-of-construction-methods-and-approvals-begins
- King & Wood Mallesons (law firm commentary) — States that the Bill requires manufacturers to provide a prefabricated building declaration confirming BCA compliance and prefabricated building instructions covering transport, erection and design before building work may commence, that supplying a prefabricated building without this documentation is an offence, and that regulations will prescribe mandatory inspections for prefabricated building work, requirements for manufacturers outside NSW and registration. Law-firm publication, not an official source. mallesons.com/au/en/insights/latest-thinking/building-smarter-not-harder-the-proposed-nsw-framework-to-unlock-modern-methods-of-construction.html
- The Good Builder (trade publication, 1 September 2026) — Describes the Victorian prefabrication amendments as inserting a new Part 2A on prefabrication work into the Building Act 1993, creating a registered prefabrication builder category whose qualifications are left to regulations not yet made; registered prefabrication builders supplying a specified system must provide documents including a compliance certification, electrical and plumbing certificates where required, and transport, handling and use instructions; building surveyors should not issue a permit unless the builder will receive these documents, nor an occupancy permit without seeing them; commencement on proclamation or 1 December 2027 at the latest. Trade commentary written before assent; not an official source. thegoodbuilder.com.au/victoria-will-regulate-prefabrication-as-its-own-category-of-building-work-with-registration-and-penalties-attached/
- Australian Building Codes Board — Prefabricated, modular and offsite construction initiative page — the Australian Government has tasked the ABCB with developing a national voluntary certification scheme for manufacturers of prefabricated construction and nationally consistent definitions of prefabricated construction for the NCC. abcb.gov.au/initiatives/prefabricated-modular-and-offsite-construction
- Australian Treasury — Meeting communiqué, Joint Ministerial Meeting on Housing Supply and Affordability, October 2026 — jurisdictions agreed to work together to establish clear, nationally consistent and scalable pathways to accelerate uptake of safe, innovative products and methods, including efforts to support adoption of modular and prefabricated construction. treasury.gov.au/media-release/meeting-communique-building-ministers-october-2026
Figures are as published by the sources above at their respective dates and are paraphrased summaries, not verbatim reproductions. Verify current pricing and rules directly with builders, lenders and planning authorities.