The Latest NCC Updates at a Glance

14 June 2023

An overview of the changes that came into effect on 1st May

Another year, another round of National Construction Code updates. In a recent article, we went over the ins and outs of the liveable housing updates included in the 2022 edition. This is certainly a major concern for a lot of our readers, but there may be other changes that affect what you do. Let’s go over some major and minor updates included in NCC 2022.

Major changes include:

Restructuring of the code itself
NCC 2022 includes a complete renumbering and re-structuring for each and every clause in Volume Two. This has been done to deliver an NCC that is more user-friendly and modern than previous versions, with a streamlined reference system and improved web accessibility. The three Volumes have also been restructured for betterconsistency with one another.

Lead-free plumbing products
NCC 2022 specifies new requirements for any plumbing product containing copper alloy and intended for use in contact with drinking water from 1 September 2025. The aim of this major reform is to significantly improve the quality of Australians’ drinking water and, by extension, their overall health.

Other changes include:

New waterproofing provisions
Volume Two includes new DTS Provisions for waterproofing of wet areas, not previously covered by an ACP. Waterproofing in Volume One has been restructured into three parts to improve readability and accommodate future changes.

Clearer external weatherproofing requirements
Volume One provides new solutions for weatherproofing of external walls within additional DTS Provisions. These include references to weatherproofing provisions in Australian Standards for autoclaved aerated concrete, masonry and metal wall sheeting.

On-site wastewater management
Volume Three contains new provisions for on-site wastewater management, and a new Verification Method for sanitary plumbing and drainage pipe sizing. A new Verification Method for cross-connection control also allows the user to identify a hazard risk by using a simple-to-follow matrix.

Fire Safety of external walls
Volume One contains several amendments to the fire safety of external walls. Specifically, this clarifies interpretation of concessions from non-combustibility requirements. Also included is a new provision that prevents the fixing of certain bonded laminated cladding panels by adhesive only.

Falls to floor wastes
Volumes One and Two have been amended to require a fall of the floor in order to help drain the surface in any bathroom or laundry where a floor waste is installed. This also applies to floor wastes included voluntarily.