In March 2026, the NSW Government announced that the National Construction Code 2025 (NCC 2025) will be adopted in NSW from 1 May 2027. NSW Government: NSW to adopt new National Construction Code in May 2027
So, if NCC 2025 is not mandatory in NSW yet, why should builders and developers be thinking about it now?
Because projects being designed, costed and planned today may still be progressing through approvals or construction when the new requirements take effect.
NSW has provided a 12-month transition period to give industry time to prepare. Until 1 May 2027, NCC 2022 Amendment 2 remains the current edition in NSW. Building Commission NSW: NCC requirements
This is not about immediately redesigning current projects around NCC 2025. It is about understanding what is coming and identifying where the changes could affect projects currently in development.
For NSW builders and developers, several NCC fire safety changes are particularly worth watching.
Stronger fire protection for carparks
One of the more significant NCC 2025 fire safety changes relates to carpark fire safety.
NCC 2025 introduces sprinkler protection for certain open-deck carparks, other than stand-alone open-deck carparks, and reduces some of the existing concessions relating to Fire Resistance Levels (FRLs).
These changes reflect the evolving risks associated with modern vehicles, including increased vehicle size, greater use of plastics, new energy sources and changes in vehicle storage methods.
For developers, the impact is not limited to the sprinkler system itself. Fire protection requirements can influence structural design, hydraulic services, plant and equipment, spatial requirements, construction methodology and project costs.
If a project includes a multi-level or open-deck carpark, understanding the potential implications during design could help avoid expensive changes later.
Early fire engineering advice can be particularly valuable here. A fire engineer can assess the proposed design and identify potential impacts before architectural, structural and services decisions become difficult to change.
Greater rigour around Performance Solutions
Another important change is the increased focus on how fire safety Performance Solutions are assessed.
Performance Solutions are an important part of performance-based building design, particularly where a project cannot readily meet the NCC’s Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions.
Under NCC 2025, Expert Judgement will no longer be available as an Assessment Method for fire safety Performance Solutions. Practitioners will need to use another recognised Assessment Method to demonstrate that a proposed solution satisfies the relevant Performance Requirements.
For builders and developers, this puts greater emphasis on the evidence, assessment methodology and documentation supporting a fire engineering strategy.
A robust Performance Solution needs to clearly establish the problem being addressed, identify the relevant Performance Requirements, set out the assessment methodology and document the supporting analysis and conclusions.
This is one reason why fire engineering should not be treated as an approval exercise at the end of a project.
Engaging a fire engineer early gives the project team more opportunity to identify potential issues, assess design options and develop practical solutions while there is still flexibility in the design.
Greater clarity around fire protection systems
NCC 2025 also includes changes relating to AS 2118.6, which covers combined sprinkler and hydrant systems.
The updated provisions clarify requirements around these systems, including the use of materials in above-ground pipework and fittings.
Although highly technical, these requirements can have practical implications for hydraulic design, services coordination and procurement.
Identifying these requirements early is considerably easier than addressing them after equipment has been specified or construction has commenced.
This is another area where coordination between the fire engineer, hydraulic consultant, architect and wider project team can help reduce the risk of redesign and delays.
Don’t assume NCC 2025 applies automatically
The NCC is a national code, but each state and territory determines when and how it adopts the code, including relevant state-specific variations.
For NSW, NCC 2025 will take effect from 1 May 2027. Until then, NCC 2022 Amendment 2 remains the applicable edition. NSW projects must also take account of NSW-specific variations and requirements.
For projects with long design, approval and construction timelines, this distinction matters.
The applicable NCC edition should always be confirmed for the individual project rather than assumed.
What should NSW builders and developers do now?
The transition period provides an opportunity to get ahead of the changes.
Review the applicable NCC edition. Confirm which requirements currently apply and consider where the project sits within the transition to NCC 2025.
Identify potential impacts early. Pay particular attention to carpark fire protection, FRLs, fire protection systems and Performance Solutions.
Engage fire engineering early. Early advice can help identify potential compliance issues and design opportunities before they become costly changes.
Coordinate with the wider project team. Fire safety can affect architectural, structural, hydraulic and building services design and should be considered as part of the overall project.
Keep watching the NSW position. Further NSW-specific information and variations should be considered as the 2027 commencement date approaches.
How Global Fire can help
Keeping up with changes to the NCC is one thing. Understanding what they mean for your project is another.
Global Fire works with builders, developers, architects and other project professionals to provide practical fire engineering and fire safety advice throughout the design and construction process.
Whether you are assessing a complex carpark, considering a Performance Solution, reviewing fire safety requirements for a new development or simply want to understand how NCC 2025 could affect your project, early fire engineering advice can provide greater certainty before key design decisions are locked in.
Planning or designing a NSW project that may extend into 2027? Talk to Global Fire about how NCC 2025 could affect your project.
The bottom line
NCC 2025 isn’t mandatory in NSW today. But for projects being designed and developed now, it is already worth understanding.
The transition period gives builders and developers something valuable: time to prepare.
Time to understand the changes. Time to assess their potential impact. And time to make informed fire safety and design decisions before the new requirements become mandatory.
Because the best time to identify a fire safety issue is during design, not when you’re already on site.