What inspections are mandatory when building a house in Australia?

Four stages apply in every Australian state and territory: footings or piers before concrete is poured, slab before the pour, frame before anything covers the framing, and a final inspection before handover. New South Wales adds two more critical stages — waterproofing before the membrane is covered, and stormwater before drainage is covered. Queensland lists excavation as a separate stage but does not treat waterproofing as its own hold point.

Who carries out mandatory building inspections?

A registered building surveyor or building certifier, depending on the term your state uses. As an owner builder you engage them directly, and depending on your state you may be able to choose between a council (municipal) surveyor and a private one. They are not your employee — their job is to certify compliance with the National Construction Code, and they can and will require work to be rectified.

What happens if I miss a mandatory inspection?

You may be ordered to uncover or demolish completed work so the stage can be inspected, which means exposing footings or stripping linings at your own cost. You can also face fines, an inability to obtain your occupancy permit, problems selling the property, and voided insurance. There is no retrospective approval for a stage that was never inspected.

How far in advance do I need to book a building inspection?

Give your surveyor at least 48 hours notice, and more in busy periods. Inspections at footings and slab stage must happen before concrete is poured, so a late booking stops the pour and idles a concrete crew. Build the inspection into the trade's schedule rather than treating it as an afterthought.

Do I need a frame inspection on every level of a two-storey house?

Commonly yes, but it is set by your permit rather than a single national rule. On multi-storey builds a frame inspection is usually required at each floor level before proceeding upward. Your building surveyor or certifier determines the hold points that apply to your build, so confirm them in writing at the start of the job.

Mandatory Building Inspections in Australia, by State

Four inspection stages apply everywhere in Australia: footings, slab, frame and final. Beyond those, the list depends on your state — NSW adds waterproofing and stormwater, and Queensland adds a separate excavation stage but does not treat waterproofing as its own hold point.

Each one is a hold point. Work cannot continue past it until a registered building surveyor or certifier has inspected and passed the stage. Miss one and you may be ordered to uncover finished work at your own cost.

The mandatory stages

1. Footings / piers

Must happen before concrete is poured. The surveyor checks the excavation — depth, width, bearing, and that the trenches match the engineer's design and the soil classification.

Applies in every state. This is the first hold point on almost every build, and it stops a concrete pour dead if it hasn't happened.

2. Slab / base stage

Must also happen before the pour. This inspection covers the reinforcement — mesh, bar chairs, placement, laps — plus the vapour barrier and any penetrations or set-downs.

Some states treat this as a distinct stage from footings; elsewhere the two are inspected together where the footing and slab are poured monolithically. Your building surveyor will tell you which applies to your build.

3. Frame

Before anything covers the framing — no insulation, no cladding, no plasterboard. The surveyor checks structural members, bracing, tie-downs and fixings against the engineering and AS 1684.

On a multi-storey build, a frame inspection is commonly required at each floor level before you go up — but this is set by your surveyor and your permit, not by a single national rule. Confirm it with them at the start.

4. Waterproofing

Before the membrane is covered. Membranes in bathrooms, laundries and other wet areas are inspected for correct falls, upstands and junction detailing.

A mandatory critical stage inspection in NSW. It is not a standalone mandatory stage in Queensland — the Building Regulation 2021 lists excavation, footings, slab, frame and final, and waterproofing is picked up under damp and weatherproofing at the final inspection.

Have it inspected regardless of where you build. Waterproofing failure is among the most common and most expensive defects in Australian housing, and rectifying it later means demolishing a finished bathroom. Work must comply with AS 3740 (waterproofing of domestic wet areas), and some states require the membrane to be applied by a licensed waterproofer — check your state’s licensing rules.

5. Stormwater drainage — NSW

Before drainage connections are covered. NSW lists stormwater as its own critical stage inspection. No other state treats it separately, though the work still has to comply everywhere.

6. Final inspection

The full compliance review before handover: structural work, safety items such as handrails and smoke alarms, accessibility, and energy-efficiency provisions. In Queensland this is also where damp and weatherproofing is assessed.

Passing this issues your Occupancy Permit or Certificate of Final Inspection. Without it you cannot legally occupy the house, and you will struggle to sell it or settle a construction loan.

Quick reference

Inspection	When	Mandatory in
Excavation	After excavation, before footing/slab pour	Listed as its own stage in NSW and QLD
Footings / piers	Before concrete pour	All states
Slab / base	Before concrete pour	All states — a separate stage in some
Frame	Before covering framing	All states — commonly each level on multi-storey, per your permit
Waterproofing	Before the membrane is covered	NSW — recommended everywhere else
Stormwater	Before drainage is covered	NSW
Final	Before occupation	All states

What differs by state

The four core stages apply everywhere in Australia. What changes between states is the terminology, who does the inspecting, and whether waterproofing is legally mandatory or merely strongly advised.

State / territory	Regulator	Notable variations
NSW	Building Commission NSW / NSW Fair Trading	Six critical stages: piers/footings, slab, framing, waterproofing, stormwater, completion. Extra requirements for new strata buildings.
VIC	Building and Plumbing Commission (formerly the VBA)	Your Relevant Building Surveyor sets the notification stages and lists them on the permit. You may appoint either a municipal (council) or a private building surveyor.
QLD	Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)	Building Regulation 2021 prescribes excavation, footings, slab, frame, final. Waterproofing is not a separate stage — it is assessed under damp and weatherproofing at final.
SA	Consumer and Business Services	Core stages apply; confirm the schedule with your certifier.
WA	Building and Energy	Core stages apply; confirm the schedule with your certifier.
TAS	Consumer, Building and Occupational Services	Core stages apply; confirm the schedule with your building surveyor.
ACT	Access Canberra	Core stages apply; confirm the schedule with your certifier.
NT	NT Building Practitioners Board	Core stages apply; confirm the schedule with your certifier.

Do not take this table as the final word. Inspection schedules, terminology and thresholds are set by state legislation and change. Your building surveyor or certifier determines the exact hold points for your build, and confirming them in writing at the start is the single conversation that prevents most inspection problems.

What happens if you miss one

This is where owner builders get hurt, so it is worth being blunt.

You may have to uncover the work. Poured footings can be ordered exposed. Linings can be ordered stripped. At your cost.
Fines apply, and they vary by state.
No occupancy permit. You cannot legally move in.
Sale and finance problems. Missing certification surfaces in conveyancing and can block a construction loan drawdown.
Insurance may be void. An insurer can decline a claim on uncertified work.

There is no retrospective approval for a stage that was never inspected.

Practical advice for owner builders

Engage your building surveyor before you start. They are your first appointment after you have plans.
Get the hold points in writing at the start, specific to your build.
Book at least 48 hours ahead. Longer in peak periods. A missed inspection idles a concrete crew you are paying for.
Never let a trade talk you past a hold point. "We'll be fine, just pour it" is the most expensive sentence on an Australian building site.
Keep every certificate. You will need the full set at handover, at sale, and if there is ever a dispute.
The surveyor is not on your side or the trade's side. They certify compliance. Treat them as the referee, and the process gets much easier.

SiteForeman tracks these checkpoints against your build timeline, so the inspection appears as a blocking item before the next trade can start rather than as something you remember too late.