All homeowners on the Northern Beaches are now required to lodge their Occupation Certificate Applications via the NSW Planning Portal.

This follows a mandate by the NSW Government for 42 Councils in metropolitan Sydney to use the e-planning Portal. 

Steps to lodging your Occupation Certificate (OC) Application

Before a building can be occupied, an Occupation Certificate must be obtained. An OC certifies a building's compliance with Development Consent, The Building Code of Australia, Australian Standards, relevant legislation, and indicates it is in a condition suitable for occupancy.

We've outlined some steps to assist you in lodging your application through the NSW Planning Portal

Step 1 - Register or Login

Access the NSW Planning Portal and either login to your account or refer to Register for a Planning Portal account guide to create an account.

Step 2 - Enter your specific Occupation Certificate application details

Enter the specific application details in the portal using the Submit a Occupation Certificate guide. Note, Council no longer have a OC Application Form, the Planning Portal automatically creates one based on the information provided by the Applicant at lodgement. To prevent unnecessary delays with the processing of your OC Application, ensure the following is uploaded in support of your application.

Talk to your builder or consultant about obtaining all the relevant trade certificates and documents required for your Occupation Certificate application.

Payment - Complete and upload a Credit Card Payment Form at the time of lodgement. 

Support available for our applicants

Should you encounter difficulties with logging in to the planning portal or registering your planning portal account, refer to the NSW Department of Planning, Industry & Environment's FAQ web page, call Service NSW on 1300 305 695 or email info@service.nsw.gov.au.

Phone us on 1300 434 434 and speak to the Business Support & Administration Team - If you have lodged your application and wish to enquire as to a status update or which Building Surveyor the application has been allocated to.