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AS 1428.1:2009 vs 2021: which edition for your Construction Certificate (NCC Amendment 2)

Sydney Access Consultants · Updated September 2026

Which edition of AS 1428.1 goes on the Construction Certificate drawings and the access report? The answer is not “whichever note is already in the door schedule.” It is the edition referenced by the NCC edition that certificate is assessed against.

From 29 July 2025 the amended Premises Standards and NCC 2022 Amendment 2 reference AS 1428.1:2021. Certificates still assessed under NCC 2022 / Amendment 1 still call up AS 1428.1:2009 as Deemed-to-Satisfy. Nominating 2021 while the applicable NCC edition still references 2009 is generally a Performance Solution. This page is the decision tree. It is practitioner guidance, not legal advice. Confirm the applicable edition with the PCA for the specific application, especially staged multi-storey CCs.

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Official status: Premises Standards and NCC 2022 Amendment 2

What changed

This page does not invent a national or NSW grace period beyond those official pages. If a transitional rule is not written there, confirm it with the PCA. NSW’s later adoption of NCC 2025 (1 May 2027) is a different question. It does not undo Amendment 2.

Access Code numbering

ABCB notes that the Access Code still uses older BCA clause numbering while NCC 2022 uses the current system. Use ABCB’s BCA 2022 to 2019 reference table if you are mapping Access Code clauses to NCC Volume One. That is orientation only. It does not choose the AS 1428.1 edition.

Decision tree: which AS 1428.1 edition for this project?

Step 1. Confirm which NCC edition the CDC or CC is assessed against

NSW official rule, as published:

Development consent does not itself lock the BCA edition for the later CC. The certifier must be satisfied the plans comply with the relevant edition for that certificate application. A DA access report that cited 2009 does not automatically travel into an Amendment 2 CC. See DA vs CC access report.

Step 2. Map NCC edition to the AS 1428.1 DTS edition

The Standard edition follows the referenced documents of the applicable NCC edition. It does not follow whichever edition the architect prefers.

Step 3. Fork: wanting 2021 under an older NCC reference

Industry guidance (including the AGWA AS 1428.1 design guide) treats it this way: if the applicable code for the certificate is NCC 2022 or Amendment 1, DTS is the 2009 edition; using 2021 is a Performance Solution the certifier would need to accept. Nominate the edition in the documentation. Silence creates contractual and intent ambiguity.

That is secondary industry guidance, not a statute written by this firm. Raise it with the PCA early. If the path is a Performance Solution, use the Performance Solutions process (PBDB, assessment methods, final report). A Performance Solution still has to meet the same Performance Requirements. It is not an exemption from access.

The reverse risk after Amendment 2: drawings that still cite only 2009, when Amendment 2 applies, will not meet the current DTS reference unless they are corrected or justified by an accepted alternative path. Do not invent acceptance criteria.

Step 4. Contracts, stages and mixed packages

What to put on drawings and in the access report

Write the edition in one place the certifier cannot miss, for example: accessible paths, doors and sanitary facilities on continuous accessible paths of travel are to comply with AS 1428.1:[year] as referenced by NCC 2022 [Amendment X] applicable to this CC or CDC.

Align door, hardware, grabrail, threshold ramp, grate and glazing-indicator schedules to the same edition. The access report should state the NCC edition and the AS 1428.1 edition assessed. Mixing 2009 clause numbers with 2021 clause numbers on one sheet is a common RFI.

High-impact differences (not a full Standard rewrite)

Most of the 2021 edition clarifies and renumbers 2009 content. These are the details that commonly force a drawing update. Verify dimensions and carve-outs in the Standard before you specify them. This list is not a substitute for the Standard.

  1. Door reveal depth. 2021 states a 300 mm maximum reveal (reinstated and clarified). A deeper reveal that passed an older note will not pass a 2021 DTS check.
  2. Door operating force / closers. 2021 applies force limits more broadly. Fire and smoke door carve-outs exist. Read the clause before you copy a 2009 hardware schedule.
  3. Threshold ramps. 2021 tightens edge and sharp-transition treatment.
  4. Grates and decking. 2021 clarifies opening size, orientation and timber decking.
  5. Ambulant WC grabrails. Geometry and length differ between editions and are a frequent specification conflict. Do not mix a 2009 raked or cranked rail with a 2021 layout. Check the Standard for the edition you nominated.
  6. Glazing visual indicators and viewing panels. 2021 clarifies both-sides marking, opacity and logo treatment.
  7. Clause numbers. The 2021 structure is not the 2009 structure. Cite one edition only on a given sheet.

For a millimetre-by-millimetre map use the Standard and a specialist detail guide. This page owns which edition applies to the certificate.

Performance Solution path when the edition is not DTS

If you nominate 2021 under a 2009-referenced NCC edition, or you otherwise depart from the referenced DTS edition, expect a Performance Solution: Performance-Based Design Brief, stakeholder agreement, assessment methods and a final report. That pathway is described on Performance Solutions.

How Sydney Access Consultants helps

GJ Finn & DW Wong trading as Sydney Access Consultants prepare DA, CC and CDC access reports aligned to the applicable NCC edition and AS 1428.1 edition. See disability access reports for DA, CC and CDC. Where the edition pathway or the geometry needs an alternative solution, we prepare Performance Solutions. Gap checks on door, ramp and sanitary detail libraries against the nominated edition are part of that work.

Work is based in Hurstville. Mid North Coast projects can involve Sandy Grey at Black Beach. Western Australian packages are assessed against the code in force in that State, not against NSW planning overlays.

Three-line restatement

  1. Amendment 2 certificates (NSW CDC, and most CCs, lodged on or after 29 July 2025): DTS is AS 1428.1:2021.
  2. Certificates still assessed under NCC 2022 / Amendment 1: DTS is AS 1428.1:2009.
  3. Using 2021 while the applicable NCC edition still references 2009 is generally a Performance Solution. Confirm with the PCA.

Frequently asked questions

Which AS 1428.1 edition applies to my Construction Certificate?

The edition referenced by the NCC edition your CC or CDC is assessed against. From 29 July 2025, NCC 2022 Amendment 2 references AS 1428.1:2021. In NSW, CDC applications and most CC applications lodged on or after that date are assessed against Amendment 2. Certificates still assessed under NCC 2022 / Amendment 1 continue to reference AS 1428.1:2009 as DTS. Staged multi-storey CCs can follow special rules. Confirm with the PCA.

When is using AS 1428.1:2021 a Performance Solution?

When the NCC edition applicable to the certificate still references AS 1428.1:2009. Nominating 2021 in that situation is generally treated as a Performance Solution the certifier must accept. After Amendment 2 applies, citing 2009 alone will not meet the current DTS reference.

What changed between 2009 and 2021 that most affects documentation?

Door reveal depth (300 mm maximum in 2021), threshold-ramp edges, grate and decking rules, glazing indicators and viewing panels, selected sanitary and ambulant grabrail geometry, and wholesale clause renumbering. Choose the edition for the certificate first, then detail to that edition only.

Ask about a CC access report or a Performance Solution on (02) 9586 3111. This page is informational for practitioners. It is not legal advice.