What certifiers want in a disability access report (NSW checklist)

When a certifier asks for a disability access report they need a traceable compliance story: what applies, where it applies, and how it is achieved on these drawings. A sentence that “the building will be accessible” is not enough. This page is a shareable checklist for architects, builders and PCAs. For SAC to prepare the report, go to disability access reports for DA, CC and CDC.

Quick answer: what should be in an access report for a certifier?

A report a certifier can rely on identifies the project, the approval stage, and the drawings and documents assessed. It states the standards applied, typically the Disability (Access to Premises - Buildings) Standards 2010, the access provisions of the National Construction Code (including Part D4 and related clauses), and referenced Australian Standards such as the AS 1428 suite, plus any consent conditions or housing overlays. For each relevant access element it records a clear status (compliant, capable of compliance, non-compliant, or insufficient information), gives practical recommendations, and includes a statement of compliance or design capability scoped to that documentation set. Explicit limitations, affected-part or existing-building scope notes, and any Performance Solution flags stop the certifier guessing what was assessed.

project particulars, classification, use and approval stage
list of documents and drawing revisions relied upon
standards and planning overlays applied
elemental or clause-mapped assessment with statuses
recommendations the design team can act on
statement of compliance or capability scoped to the stage
limitations, assumptions and next-stage items
author qualifications

Stage changes depth. A DA report is not a CC report. See DA vs CC access report.

Contents and structure certifiers can rely on

What does a lodgement-ready report contain?

There is no single clause that requires every NSW project to lodge an access consultant's report. Consent conditions, certifier discretion and council or PCA checklists are the usual triggers. City of Newcastle's Construction Certificate guides, for example, request an appropriately qualified access consultant report for boarding houses and hostels of Class 1b. Similar wording appears where the class triggers NCC access provisions.

Bare pass/fail without reasons fails certifiers. Each status needs a short reason tied to a drawing or dimension. That is what “lodgement-ready” means.

What drawings and details are expected?

DA: spatial capability on the planning set. Fittings are often incomplete. The report should say so.

CC and CDC: detailed construction drawings and specifications so paths, entries, ramps, stairs, handrails, sanitary layouts, door clearances, TGSI, parking and lifts can be checked. CDC drawing depth sits closer to CC than to a schematic DA pack.

What should the design team send?

site and floor plans, elevations and sections
door and sanitary schedules
ramp, stair and lift details
accessible parking and external works
classification and use
consent conditions and prior RFIs
previous access reports
the lodgement date the certifier is working to

Incomplete sets force assumptions. Assumptions must be stated.

Affected-part and existing-building notes

What is the “affected part” and why must the report say so?

When new work in an existing building creates or alters an entrance or path, the Premises Standards treat the continuous accessible path of travel from the principal pedestrian entrance to the new work as the affected part. The report must state what was assessed, what was excluded, and what affected-part logic was applied. Otherwise a certifier may infer whole-building certification from a partial scope.

How should limitations be worded?

Explicit limitations beat silent optimism. Typical limitation themes: areas not accessed; drawings insufficient for fittings or finishes; items deferred to CC; reliance on client-supplied as-built assumptions. Do not hide those gaps in a general “complies” sentence.

Performance Solution flags

When must the access report flag a Performance Solution?

If an element cannot meet Deemed-to-Satisfy access provisions, recording non-compliance is not enough for certification. Flag the need for a Performance Solution and a performance-based design brief early. Certifiers are not obliged to accept any alternative. Draft review with the PCA is common practice. Process sits on disability access Performance Solutions.

How should a DtS report and a Performance Solution sit together?

Combination solutions are allowed: some elements DtS, some Performance Solution. The access report should make the split visible so the certifier can see which items rely on the alternative pathway.

Makita-ready wording when disputes loom

Makita-ready means another competent reader can follow the reasoning without calling the author. State the author's relevant qualifications and the specialised field; separate facts observed (measurements, drawings reviewed, site notes) from facts assumed; describe the method and standards used; and show how those standards and facts lead to each conclusion. That is the discipline described in expert evidence and Makita, applied here for a PCA rather than a tribunal. This page is about certifier reliance. It is not an expert-witness service page.

Traceability reduces RFIs now and protects everyone if the report is later tested.

Shareable CC access-report checklist

Correct approval stage named (CC, CDC or DA) and the documents list matches the set lodged
Classification, use and consent conditions addressed
Premises Standards, NCC access parts and AS 1428 (and related) referenced as applicable
Element statuses clear; recommendations actionable
Affected-part or existing-building scope explicit if relevant
Performance Solution items flagged, or confirmed none
Limitations and assumptions stated
Author qualifications clear
Statement of compliance or capability scoped to this drawing revision

Need this prepared as a lodgement-ready report? See DA, CC and CDC access reports. Call (02) 9586 3111.

How this sits with SAC’s other pages

This FAQ is the checklist. Audit and plan assessment is the lodgement service. DA vs CC owns reuse. Performance Solutions owns the alternative pathway. Livable and adaptable overlays sit on Livable Housing and Adaptable Housing (AS 4299).

GJ Finn & DW Wong trading as Sydney Access Consultants write reports for planners, certifiers, architects and builders. Work is based in Hurstville. On the Mid North Coast, Sandy Grey works from Black Beach. In Western Australia the same report discipline is applied against the code in force there. See locations.

More FAQs

Can my certifier write the access report instead?

The certifier determines the certificate. Many checklists still ask for a separate report from an appropriately qualified access consultant. Do not assume the BCA report will cover access in the same depth. See what an access consultant does.

Do I need photos and measurements, or are drawings enough?

New work can often be assessed from coordinated drawings and specifications. Existing buildings and affected-part work usually need site notes, photographs and measured checks. If the drawings cannot support a status, the report should say insufficient information.

Is a DA access report enough for CC?

No. See DA vs CC access report.

Who can prepare a report certifiers will accept?

An access consultant with relevant qualifications and experience, typically Certificate IV in Access Consulting and, where it applies, ACAA membership, working to the Premises Standards and the NCC edition in force. Signing consultants at SAC work as registered architects and Qualified Access Consultants where that applies to the author of the report.