First up — what is the NCC, quickly?

If you're across this already, skip ahead. But for anyone newer to it:

The NCC is put out by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB). It sets the minimum standards for how buildings get designed and built — structure, fire, energy, plumbing, the lot. It comes in three volumes:

• Volume One — Class 2 to 9 buildings (apartments, commercial, the bigger stuff)
• Volume Two — Class 1 and 10 buildings (houses, sheds, garages, carports)
• Volume Three — plumbing and drainage

Here's the part people miss, and it's the whole reason this article exists: the ABCB writes the code, but it only becomes law when your state adopts it. A new edition can be published nationally and still not apply on your site for years. That's exactly what's happening here.

So has NSW adopted NCC 2025?

Short version: no, not yet.

NCC 2025 was published on 1 May 2026, and from that date states could start adopting it. NSW — along with Queensland — has pushed adoption back to May 2027. As things stand, the edition actually in force across NSW is still NCC 2022 Amendment 2, same as it's been.

A few other states have gone a different way. Victoria's moved early and adopted in line with the national release. The ACT has adopted it with a six-month transition window. Tasmania's effectively frozen the 2025 changes altogether. So you've got the country running on a real mix of editions and dates right now, which is a headache if you work across borders.

But for NSW work? You're on the 2022 code, and you've got time.

Why is NSW dragging its feet on it?

The NSW Government's reasoning comes down to a few things:

• Give the industry breathing room. The idea is to let builders keep getting homes out of the ground without a code change throwing a spanner in the works mid-pipeline.
• Keep the important bits moving. They reckon deferring lets the key amendments still get applied to new work without major delays.
• Cut down compliance risk and disruption. Fewer surprises for everyone.
• NSW wants its own variations in. When NSW does adopt, it's flagged it'll put its own tweaks on top — including some apartment-related changes.

There's a bigger picture behind it too. There's a national push on at the moment to build more homes, faster, and lift productivity across the industry. The Building Ministers actually agreed to pause further residential code changes — bar the essential safety and quality fixes — until around 2029, to give everyone a stable ruleset to work to. Deferring 2025 fits neatly into that thinking: stop moving the goalposts while the whole industry's trying to get houses built.

Honestly? This is pretty on-brand for NSW

If you've been around the code a while, NSW going its own way won't surprise you.

We've always run BASIX for residential energy and sustainability instead of just applying the NCC's energy provisions straight off the page like other states. And when the rest of the country brought in the Livable Housing Standard under NCC 2022, NSW didn't pick it up. So NSW running a different timeline on the 2025 edition is, well… NSW being NSW. It's a state that's long preferred to do its own thing on the code.

What's actually in NCC 2025 anyway?

Worth knowing what you're "missing" — and what's coming down the line in 2027. The honest truth is NCC 2025 is mostly a commercial story. Nearly all the real changes sit in Volume One (Class 2 to 9). The headline ones:

• Commercial energy efficiency — the big one. Mandatory on-site rooftop solar PV for Class 3 and Class 5 to 9 buildings, tighter requirements on building envelopes and services, and better lighting controls.
• Water management — stronger provisions aimed at keeping water out of apartments and larger, more complex buildings.
• Carpark fire safety — sprinkler protection for open-deck carparks, and fewer situations where you get a concession on fire-resistance levels.
• Condensation — some refinements, including reduced ventilation requirements for small roofs (these touch both Volume One and the Housing Provisions).
• All-gender bathrooms — now an option in place of separate male and female facilities.
• A new way standards get referenced — changing how updated Australian Standards flow into the code.

And here's what didn't make the cut:

• No new residential energy efficiency push — Volume Two stays at the NCC 2022 Amendment 2 level.
• No new Class 2 energy efficiency (Section J) changes.
• No EV charging provisions.

So if you're a house builder working Class 1, there honestly isn't a heap in NCC 2025 for you anyway. The big-ticket items are all on the commercial and apartment side.

What this actually means for you on the tools

Cutting through it, here's where you land depending on what you build:

• Houses / Class 1 in NSW — keep doing what you're doing. NCC 2022 Amendment 2 is your code, and not much changes for you in 2025 regardless. Business as usual.
• Class 2 to 9 (apartments, commercial) — start getting across NCC 2025 now, even though it doesn't bite until 2027. The solar PV and energy stuff especially will change how you design and price jobs, so you don't want to be reading it cold in 2027.
• Always confirm the edition with your certifier. The version that applies is the one in force when your job hits approval or certification — and during a transition that can get murky. Don't assume; check it for each project.
• Watch for NSW's own variations. When NSW adopts, expect local tweaks on top of the national code. The detail of those isn't fully out yet.

When will NSW actually adopt NCC 2025?

The line right now is May 2027. But I'd hold that loosely — these dates have shifted before, and they could shift again. Keep an eye on NSW Planning and the ABCB's adoption page for the official word.