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Building Act 2004
29Approval requirements
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29 Approval requirements
(1) Each of the following is an approval requirement for plans:
(a) if the plans are for the substantial alteration of a building—the
building as altered will comply with this Act and the building
code;
Note 1 Substantial alteration—see s (2).
Note 2 A reference to an Act includes a reference to the statutory
instruments made or in force under the Act, including regulations
and the building code (see Legislation Act, s 104).
(b) if the plans are for the erection or alteration of a building—the
building, if erected or altered in accordance with the plans, will
comply with this Act;
(c) if the plans are for the demolition of a building—demolition in
accordance with the plans will comply with this Act;
(d) if a waste management plan is required to accompany the
application—the plan is adequate;
(e) if an asbestos removal control plan is required to accompany the
application—the plan complies with the Dangerous Substances
Act 2004 and the Work Health and Safety Act 2011;
(f) the building as proposed to be erected or altered will be
structurally sufficient, safe and stable;
(g) if the plans show site work that, if carried out in accordance with
the plans, might be exempt under the Planning Act 2023 from
requiring development approval—
(i) a copy of an exemption assessment D notice for the site
work stating that the site work is exempt development is
attached; or
Note Applying for an exemption assessment is not a requirement
of the development approval or building approval process.
If a person believes that a development is an exempt
development, the person need not apply for an exemption
assessment from a works assessor or building surveyor (see
Planning Act 2023, s 150).
(ii) a site work notice for the site work, stating that the site
work is exempt development, has been issued under
section 28 (1A); or
Note If site work is an exempt development, it does not require
development approval (see Planning Act 2023, s 145).
(iii) development approval for the site work is attached; or
(iv) a copy of an exemption declaration under the Planning
(Exempt Development) Regulation 2023, schedule 1,
section 1.131 (1) (d) is attached.
Plans show a proposed residence and garage, and development approval has not
been given. The information in the plans in relation to the residence and garage
suggests that the residence and garage might be exempt from the requirement for
development approval.
However, the territory plan sets out other requirements that must be satisfied before
the proposed residence and garage will be exempt from requiring development
approval, for example, requirements in relation to trees, driveways, car parking,
colours and the amount of the land parcel that must not contain certain buildings.
The plans must show all the information necessary for the certifier to be satisfied
that all the requirements for the proposed residence and garage to be exempt from
requiring development approval have been met, including the requirements in
relation to trees, driveways and other matters related to the residence and garage in
the territory plan.
If development approval is given for the proposed residence and the garage, then
the plans do not need to include the information necessary to establish that they are
exempt from requiring development approval.
If an exemption assessment D notice for the proposed residence and garage
indicates the residence and garage are exempt from requiring development
approval, then the plans do not need to include any additional information to
establish that the proposed residence and garage are an exempt development.
Note 1 This provision does not give a certifier power to require an applicant to
provide either development approval, or an exemption assessment D
notice, under the Planning Act 2023.
Note 2 Section 30 and s 30A prevent building approval from being given in some
cases.
(2) A regulation may declare that—
(a) an alteration of a building is or is not a substantial alteration; or
(b) a part of a building (the unaltered part) that has not been altered
need not comply with the building code despite
subsection (1) (a).
(3) For subsection (1)—
(a) a building or a building as altered does not fail to comply with
this Act only because the plans for the building or alteration
contain something to which the building code does not apply;
and
(b) a building product, construction method, design, component or
system connected with a building is taken to comply with the
building code if the product, method, design, component or
system complies with a recognised standard.
(4) For subsection (1) (d), a waste management plan is adequate if—
(a) the plan satisfies any requirements prescribed under the
regulations; and
(b) there is a recycling facility for the reuse or recycling of material
mentioned in the plan and the plan states that the material will
be disposed of, if practicable, at the facility.
(5) The Minister may declare that a facility outside the ACT is suitable
to reuse or recycle stated material.
(6) A declaration is a notifiable instrument.
(7) For subsection (1) (g) (ii), the certifier must be satisfied that the
exemption assessment D notice—
(a) is for the site work to which the application relates; and
(b) was issued by a works assessor or building surveyor not more
than 3 months before the day the application for building
approval was made.
Note There is no obligation on the certifier to confirm the exemption
assessment D notice in any other way, such as for accuracy or
completeness.
(8) In this section:
recycling facility, for material, means—
(a) a facility in the ACT where the material is reused or recycled; or
(b) a facility outside the ACT that the Minister has declared is
suitable to reuse or recycle the material under subsection (5).