The next edition of the National Construction Code — NCC 2025 — has been published, and it's now available for the states and territories to adopt. But two things make it unusual: it's primarily a commercial update, and adoption has fragmented across the country, so the Code that applies to your project now depends heavily on which state you're building in.
First, the good news for new homes
If you're building a house, very little changes right now. Building ministers agreed to pause new residential energy-efficiency changes until mid-2029. That means the headline requirements introduced in NCC 2022 — the 7-star NatHERS rating and the Whole of Home score — remain exactly as they are.
The short version
NCC 2025 does not raise the bar for new-home energy ratings. Houses still need 7 stars plus a Whole of Home score. The real changes in this edition land on commercial and apartment buildings.
What actually changed in NCC 2025
The 2025 edition focuses on five priority areas agreed by building ministers, most of which affect Class 2 (apartment) and commercial buildings:
- Commercial energy efficiency — the biggest change: new requirements including mandatory on-site solar PV on many commercial buildings and improved lighting-control provisions. This is core Section J territory.
- Water management — strengthened waterproofing for balconies, podiums and carparks in apartment buildings, to reduce water-ingress risk.
- Carpark fire safety — enhanced requirements for shared and commercial carparking structures.
- Condensation management — new provisions for drained and ventilated wall cavities, with the greatest impact in cooler, wetter climate zones.
- Updated Australian Standards — including AS 1668.2 (mechanical ventilation) and AS 1926.1 (pool safety barriers).
Notably, NCC 2025 also reduces the number of state-based variations (from around 115 down to roughly 60), and a few proposed items — EV-charging provisions, embodied-carbon requirements and further residential energy changes — were deferred or published as separate guidance rather than mandated.
Adoption, state by state
This is the part that trips people up. NCC 2025 is not a single national switch-on — each state and territory adopts it under its own legislation, and the dates differ:
| State / Territory | NCC 2025 status |
|---|---|
| Victoria | Adopted from 1 May 2026 |
| Western Australia | Adopted from 1 May 2026 (Volumes One & Two) |
| ACT | Commenced 1 May 2026 — mandatory 1 May 2027 (transition; either edition may be used in between) |
| South Australia | Plumbing Code from 1 May 2026 — Building Code deferred to 1 May 2027 |
| New South Wales | Deferred to 1 May 2027 (with NSW variations) |
| Queensland | Mandatory 1 May 2027 — voluntary early adoption from 1 May 2026; NCC 2022 applies until then |
| Tasmania | Paused via state legislation — NCC 2022 remains in force (until at least 30 April 2027) |
| Northern Territory | Not adopting — continues under NCC 2022 |
Adoption arrangements are evolving and subject to state variations — always confirm the operative edition with your certifier and the ABCB before lodging. Correct as at mid-2026.
What it means for Queensland & NSW clients
Because Queensland and NSW have both deferred to 1 May 2027, NCC 2022 remains the operative Code for now. In practice:
- Building a house? Nothing changes for your energy assessment — 7-star NatHERS and Whole of Home still apply, and will keep applying after 2027.
- Commercial or apartment project spanning 2027? If your build or approval timeline crosses the adoption date, flag it early — the Section J energy and solar-PV changes are best resolved in design, not at submission.
- Working across state lines? A Victorian or WA project may already sit under NCC 2025 while its NSW/QLD counterpart is still NCC 2022. Specs can't simply be copied between them.
Not sure which edition applies to your project?
We can confirm the operative Code for your site and building class, and handle the NatHERS or Section J assessment either way. Send us your project details for clear, plain-English advice.
The takeaway: for new homes in Queensland and NSW, NCC 2025 changes little for now — your energy targets are unchanged. The action is on the commercial side, where earlier planning around Section J and on-site solar will pay off. If you'd like certainty for a specific project, our accredited assessors are happy to help.
