Written report - BDC condition report

Amendments to the Fire and Rescue NSW Regulation 2023, including changes to fee structure and prices, come into effect from 1 February 2026. Under these regulations, an upfront assessment fee must be paid prior to submitting a fire safety application or request.

To facilitate the processing of the assessment fee ahead of the application, and not cause delay to your application timeframes, please commence the payment process four working days before the application is to be lodged. Applications may be lodged after the assessment fee has been paid in full.

Visit Pay upfront fee for further information.

AdvisoryPre-Occupancy

When the certifier has a disciplinary condition imposed upon their accreditation by NSW Fair Trading (or former accreditation bodies such as BPB) that requires written comment from FRNSW, the certifier must request a report from FRNSW.

Overview of service

Under Part 2 Division 3 of the Building and Development Certifiers Act 2018 and the Mutual Recognition Act 1992, a certifier’s registration may be subject to any condition/s imposed by NSW Fair Trading and the Building Commission NSW.

A schedule of conditions may require the certifier to seek written advice from FRNSW prior to issuing certain certificates (such as a construction certificate or complying development certificate, or occupation certificate) where a performance solution involving fire safety is proposed to achieve compliance with the relevant performance requirements of the Building Code of Australia.

Where building works involve a performance solution to which sections 25-29 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (EP&A(DCFS) Reg.)  applies, the certifier should apply for an initial fire safety report under section 27 or final fire safety report under section 50.

Where sections 25-29 of the EP&A(DCFS) Reg. do not apply, the certifier should follow the below application process to request a written report.

Note: In the absence of the specification of timeframes for notification and provision of a report within any schedule of conditions, legislative timeframes will apply.

Charges for service

The following charges apply to the provision of this service:

  • Assessment of application for advisory, assessment or consultancy service — $373
  • Provision of advisory, assessment or consultancy service — $192 per hour of labour

For a full description of the charges applicable including terms, payment options, and applying for a waiver or reduction of the charges, please refer to the fees and charges page.

Application process

From Monday 2 February, all applications and requests submitted to Fire Safety require the prescribed assessment fee to be paid in advance.

To facilitate the processing of the assessment fee ahead of the application, and not cause delay to your application timeframes, please commence the payment process four (4) working days before the application is to be lodged.

To request an assessment fee invoice prior to submission—regardless of whether you have an existing FRNSW SAP customer number—visit Pay upfront fee. Payment instructions will be provided with the issued invoice.

The ‘Agreement’ section of the form requires you to enter the payee’s SAP customer number and assessment fee receipt number.

Applications and requests will only be processed once these details have been provided and the assessment fee has been paid in full.

To apply for a written report regarding BDC conditions, the following must be completed and submitted to firesafety@fire.nsw.gov.au:

  1. FRNSW written report application form
  2. A copy of certificate of registration, including schedule of conditions.

Note: The application must include all relevant information. If any attachment exceeds 35 MB, please request a FRNSW SharePoint folder for uploading any large files.

Useful information

Further information on process