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NCC 2025 and new homes — what changes, and when it applies in each state

From Modular Living Australia — the independent knowledge base Last updated: 8 Oct 2026

Status as at 8 October 2026. NCC 2025 is published, but whether it applies to your home depends on your state: it is in force in Victoria and the ACT (optional in the ACT until 1 May 2027), scheduled for 1 May 2027 in NSW, Queensland and South Australia, paused in Tasmania, and not adopted in the Northern Territory. Your building surveyor or certifier decides which edition applies to a specific project.
NCC 2025 for houses — status
Published1 May 2026[1]
In force for housesVictoria from 1 May 2026[1]; ACT optional from 1 May 2026, mandatory 1 May 2027[2]
ScheduledNSW, Queensland and South Australia (building), 1 May 2027[3][4][5]
PausedTasmania — NCC 2022 applies until 1 May 2027[6]
Not adoptedNorthern Territory — NCC 2022 continues[7]
7-star energy rulesUnchanged by NCC 2025[8]
*Western Australia: see the state section below.

The National Construction Code (NCC) is the national rulebook for how buildings, including houses, must be built. A new edition, NCC 2025, was published on 1 May 2026.[1] Publication does not make it law: each state and territory decides when it applies, and they have chosen very different dates.

For anyone planning a new home, a granny flat or a factory-built home in the next year, the practical question is which edition your project will be assessed against — and whether your builder's design has been checked against it.

When it applies in each state §

Building code for new houses, as at 8 October 2026
JurisdictionEdition that applies nowNCC 2025 for housesSource
VictoriaNCC 2025In force from 1 May 2026, for projects whose design started after that dateBPC[1]
ACTEither editionOptional from 1 May 2026; mandatory for building approvals after 1 May 2027ACT Government[2]
New South WalesNCC 20221 May 2027, after a 12-month transitionNSW Government[3]
QueenslandNCC 20221 May 2027Business Queensland[4]
South AustraliaNCC 2022 Amendment 2 (building)1 May 2027 for building; the plumbing code was adopted 1 May 2026PlanSA[5]
TasmaniaNCC 2022Commenced 1 May 2026, then reversed from 5 June 2026; NCC 2022 applies until 1 May 2027CBOS[6]
Northern TerritoryNCC 2022Not adopted; no date setNT Government[7]
Western AustraliaSee belowAmendment regulations commenced 1 May 2026 alongside NCC 2025Building and Energy[9]

Western Australia

Western Australia's amendment regulations came into operation on 1 May 2026 to coincide with adopting NCC 2025.[9] The same bulletin refers to a default 12-month transitional provision in regulation 31A of the Building Regulations 2012.[9] How that provision applies to a particular permit application is not set out in the sources compiled here; ask your building surveyor which edition your application will be assessed against.

Tasmania

Tasmania is the unusual case. NCC 2025 commenced there on 1 May 2026, then the Building Amendment Act 2026 reinstated NCC 2022 from 5 June 2026; NCC 2022 now applies until 1 May 2027.[6] A Tasmanian design prepared during May 2026 is worth checking with a certifier.

What changes for houses §

Building Ministers decided that NCC 2025 would not change the residential energy efficiency rules or add electric vehicle charging requirements, and paused further residential changes, other than essential safety and quality measures, until mid-2029.[8] So the 7-star energy rating and whole-of-home requirements stay as they were — see the 7-star NatHERS rule.

The changes that do reach houses are technical. Victoria's Office of the State Building Surveyor lists the main ones in the housing provisions:[10]

Condensation management
More detailed requirements for wall membranes (vapour permeance, depending on wall construction) and cavity construction, and separate roof-space rules depending on whether the main insulation layer runs parallel to the roof.
Weatherproofing and drainage
A new verification method for weatherproofing, and amended drainage provisions for swimming pools.
Wind loads
Revised wind region tables, including wind region B2.
Cladding
A new deemed-to-satisfy pathway for external wall insulation and finish cladding systems.
Energy detail
Deemed-to-satisfy clauses extended to larger roof overhangs and clarified for waffle pod slabs — technical coverage changes, not a higher energy standard.
Other items
Open carports allowed as an encroachment, and clarified shower-area and fibre cement sheeting requirements.

These are summaries of a regulator's presentation, not the code text. The code itself is the authority.

In Victoria, lead-free plumbing products are required for plumbing installations starting on or after 1 May 2026, regardless of when the permit was issued.[1] South Australia adopted the NCC 2025 plumbing code on the same date.[5]

Which edition applies to your project §

The answer turns on dates set by your state, not on when you sign with a builder. In Victoria, the new requirements apply only to projects that had not started design work until after 1 May 2026; projects already in design or construction can keep the earlier standards.[1] In the ACT, the trigger is the date of building approval.[2] The building surveyor or certifier on your project makes the call.[1]

What it means for a modular or prefab home §

Factory-built homes are usually built to a set of standard designs prepared well before your order. That makes the code edition a question worth asking directly, especially in Victoria now and in NSW, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT before 1 May 2027.

Questions to put to a builder:

  1. Which NCC edition has this design been assessed against?
  2. Which edition will my approval be assessed against, given my state and expected approval date?
  3. If my approval falls after the change date, has the design been checked for the NCC 2025 condensation, weatherproofing and wind region changes?
  4. If the design needs changes, who pays for them?

See also the approval process and how to build a modular home, step by step.

What is not covered here §

This page does not reproduce the NCC 2025 text, and the list of housing changes is a summary from one regulator's presentation, not a complete list. Each state's own variations to NCC 2025 are not covered, beyond the NSW apartment items named in its announcement. How Western Australia's 12-month transitional provision applies to an individual permit, and whether a Northern Territory adoption date will be set, are not covered by the sources compiled here. Cost effects of the changes are not covered.

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References §

  1. Building and Plumbing Commission (Victoria) — Understanding standards and regulations, last updated 30 June 2026. Victoria adopted NCC 2025 on 1 May 2026, the same day the ABCB released the NCC 2025 publication. The new requirements apply only to projects that had not commenced design work until after 1 May 2026; projects that had already commenced construction or design can continue to use the standards in place when work commenced. From 1 May 2026, projects with plumbing installations starting on or after that date must use lead-free plumbing products. The appointed building surveyor is responsible for ensuring the design complies. bpc.vic.gov.au/home-owners/before-you-start-building/understanding-standards-and-regulations
  2. ACT Government — Planning — National Construction Code page. In the ACT, NCC 2025 commences on 1 May 2026 but is not mandatory until 1 May 2027; projects with building approval after 1 May 2026 and before 1 May 2027 may comply with either edition; projects with building approval after 1 May 2027 must comply with NCC 2025 and the ACT 2025 Appendix. planning.act.gov.au/planning-projects/building-regulatory-system/national-construction-code-ncc
  3. NSW Government — Ministerial release, NSW to adopt new National Construction Code in May 2027, 25 March 2026. NSW will adopt NCC 2025 on 1 May 2027 after a 12-month transition period. NSW variations include a choice of waterproofing requirements for remedial work on apartment buildings and non-application of new energy standards to apartment common areas. nsw.gov.au/ministerial-releases/nsw-to-adopt-new-national-construction-code-may-2027
  4. Queensland Government (Business Queensland) — Delayed adoption of the National Construction Code 2025 in Queensland, last updated 14 September 2026. The Queensland Government has delayed the start of NCC 2025 until 1 May 2027; NCC 2022 continues to apply to building and plumbing work. business.qld.gov.au/industries/building-property-development/building-construction/laws-codes-standards/delayed-adoption-ncc
  5. PlanSA (South Australian Government) — NCC 2025 state updates. South Australia adopted the Plumbing Code within NCC 2025 on 1 May 2026 and will adopt the Building Code within NCC 2025 on 1 May 2027; NCC 2022 Amendment 2 remains in force as the Building Code until 30 April 2027. plan.sa.gov.au/resources/building/building_code/2025-updates/state-updates
  6. Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (Tasmanian Department of Justice) — National Construction Code page, updated 5 June 2026. NCC 2025 commenced in Tasmania on 1 May 2026; the Building Amendment Act 2026 reinstated NCC 2022 from 5 June 2026; NCC 2022 applies until 1 May 2027. cbos.tas.gov.au/topics/technical-regulation/building-standards/national-construction-code-ncc-2025/national-construction-code-ncc-2026
  7. Northern Territory Government — National Construction Code page, modified 29 April 2026. Construction in the Territory must meet NCC 2022; NCC 2025 will not apply from 1 May 2026, under a declaration made under the Building Act 1993 in Government Gazette S31 on 29 April 2026. nt.gov.au/property/building/code/national-construction-code
  8. Australian Treasury — Meeting communiqué, Building Ministers' Meeting, 22 October 2025. Ministers agreed the content and timing of NCC 2025, decided that residential energy efficiency and EV charging changes would not be introduced, and paused further residential NCC changes, other than essential safety and quality measures, until mid-2029. treasury.gov.au/media-release/meeting-communique-building-ministers-meeting-october-2025
  9. Western Australian Government (Building and Energy) — Industry Bulletin 176, Modifications to BCA 2025 — Building Amendment Regulations (No.2) 2026, May 2026. The amendment regulations came into operation on 1 May 2026 to coincide with adoption of NCC 2025, and the bulletin refers to the default 12-month transitional provision in regulation 31A of the Building Regulations 2012. wa.gov.au/system/files/2026-05/ib176_modifications_to_bca_2025_bar_no2_2026.pdf
  10. Building and Plumbing Commission (Victoria), Office of the State Building Surveyor — Presentation slides, Key changes in NCC 2025, Volume Two, Housing Provisions Standard and Livable Housing Design Standard, 2026. Lists further specifications on membrane vapour permeance and cavity construction (Part 10.8), split roof-space condensation provisions depending on whether the primary insulation layer is parallel to the roof plane (10.8.3 and new 10.8.4), a new weatherproofing verification method (H2V1), amended swimming pool drainage provisions, revised wind region tables including wind region B2, a new deemed-to-satisfy pathway for external wall insulation and finish cladding systems (H1D7), extended energy deemed-to-satisfy coverage for larger overhangs and waffle pod slabs, open carports allowed as an encroachment, and clarified shower area and fibre cement sheeting requirements. bpc.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/20225/View-slides-Part-3.pdf

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.

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