NCC 2025 all-gender sanitary facilities: the optional deemed-to-satisfy path, and what NSW lodges until 2027
All-gender sanitary facilities are optional, not mandatory. NCC 2025 Part F4 provides a voluntary deemed-to-satisfy route for single-occupant all-gender compartments in lieu of a defined share of male and female fixtures. NSW still lodges under NCC 2022 Amendment 2 until NCC 2025 is adopted on 1 May 2027, so a design that reduces sex-specific counts today is often a Performance Solution. Edition timing is on NCC 2025 in NSW. Accessible adult change facilities are a different product: accessible adult change facilities.
Tell the certifier. Name the edition that applies. In NSW, until 1 May 2027, that is NCC 2022 Amendment 2. If the bank relies on the NCC 2025 optional all-gender substitution, say so, and treat the reduction in sex-specific fixtures as a Performance Solution unless the applicable edition already contains the optional deemed-to-satisfy path. State fixture counts: pans required, pans provided as male, female and all-gender, and whether each all-gender compartment is single-occupant with one closet pan and one washbasin.
Short answer
The Australian Building Codes Board describes a voluntary option so some buildings can provide separate self-contained all-gender bathrooms in lieu of a proportion of male-only and female-only facilities. It is not a direction to replace every sex-specific bank. Confirm the live ABCB sanitary-facilities key-changes page and NCC 2025 Part F4 on the day you document. A short companion note is on all-gender sanitary facilities (journal).
What the optional deemed-to-satisfy path requires
Under the NCC 2025 Part F4 pathway, as described by the ABCB, an all-gender sanitary facility is a single-occupant compartment with one closet pan and one washbasin in the same compartment, floor-to-ceiling partitions, signage that reads all gender, and entry that does not require a person to pass through a sex-specific area. Substitution limits depend on the total male and female fixture count. The published pattern is: where two pans are required, both may be all-gender; where three are required, one may be all-gender and one male and one female facility are retained; where four or more are required, up to half may be all-gender, with an equal proportion of male and female facilities retained. Verify F4D4(12) to (14) against the live NCC text before you lock a count. This page does not paste the clause.
Explanatory information also points to menstruation-product dispensers and sanitary disposal in facilities usable by females, which includes an all-gender compartment. Show those items on the CC drawings if the applicable edition or the project brief requires them. Do not assume a dispenser note replaces the accessible unisex sanitary compartment.
NSW timing: preview versus what you lodge today
| Instrument | What it allows | What to write in the access report |
|---|---|---|
| NCC 2025 Part F4 optional deemed-to-satisfy | Voluntary substitution of a defined share of male and female fixtures with single-occupant all-gender compartments, in jurisdictions that have adopted NCC 2025 | Use only if that edition applies to the approval. Quote the fixture arithmetic. |
| NSW current edition: NCC 2022 Amendment 2, until 1 May 2027 | No NCC 2025 all-gender deemed-to-satisfy path in the edition NSW is applying | Sex-specific minimums still apply as deemed-to-satisfy. An all-gender substitution that reduces those counts needs a Performance Solution, unless a consent or brief already sets another rule. |
| Performance Solution | An alternative way of meeting the performance requirement where deemed-to-satisfy is not met | Performance requirement, acceptance criteria, and evidence. Do not label it deemed-to-satisfy. |
Three sanitary products that are not the same
| Product | Typical instrument | Job |
|---|---|---|
| All-gender sanitary facility | NCC 2025 Part F4 optional deemed-to-satisfy, or a Performance Solution in NSW today | Inclusive use and substitution of a share of sex-specific pans |
| Accessible unisex sanitary compartment | Premises Standards, AS 1428.1:2021, NCC accessible sanitary provisions | Wheelchair-accessible sanitary facility on an accessible path |
| Accessible adult change facility | NCC F4D12 and Specification 27, where the trigger applies | Hoist, change table, peninsula pan and the Specification 27 package |
An all-gender compartment does not satisfy the accessible unisex compartment unless it is also designed to AS 1428.1:2021 and the Premises Standards. Specification 27 adult change is a different trigger and a different hardware package.
What the access report should say at DA and at CC
At development application, state that the sanitary bank is capable of meeting the edition that will apply, and flag if the client wants all-gender compartments ahead of NSW adoption. At construction certificate, give elemental status: fixture count against the applicable deemed-to-satisfy or the Performance Solution, compartment type, partitions, signage, entry that does not cross a sex-only area, and the separate accessible unisex compartment. Certifier status language is on what certifiers want in an access report. Lodgement reports are on DA and CC access reports.
When a Performance Solution is still the honest path
In NSW, before 1 May 2027, reducing sex-specific fixture counts in reliance on the NCC 2025 option is a Performance Solution unless the approval is under an edition that already contains the deemed-to-satisfy path. Heritage banks and existing shells that cannot deliver floor-to-ceiling single-occupant compartments without other concessions also belong on a Performance Solution. Constrained existing fabric is covered on heritage access Performance Solutions.
How Sydney Access Consultants helps
Sydney Access Consultants prepares plan assessments, DA, CC and CDC access reports, and Performance Solutions for sanitary banks, including the split between all-gender compartments, accessible unisex compartments and adult change facilities. The practice office is in Hurstville, serving Cronulla, the Sutherland Shire and Georges River. Call (02) 9586 3111. Engagement triggers are on when you need an access consultant.
Frequently asked questions
Are all-gender sanitary facilities mandatory under NCC 2025?
No. The ABCB describes a voluntary deemed-to-satisfy option. Confirm the live ABCB sanitary-facilities key-changes page on the day you document.
What must each all-gender compartment include under the optional path?
A single-occupant compartment with one closet pan and one washbasin, floor-to-ceiling partitions, all-gender signage, and entry that does not cross a sex-only area. Substitution limits depend on the fixture count. Verify F4D4(12) to (14) against the live NCC text.
What should NSW projects do before NCC 2025 is adopted?
NSW lodges against NCC 2022 Amendment 2 until 1 May 2027. If the design reduces sex-specific counts ahead of local adoption, treat that reduction as a Performance Solution unless the applicable edition already contains the optional deemed-to-satisfy path.
How is an all-gender compartment different from an accessible unisex toilet and from Specification 27?
All-gender is a substitution of sex-specific pans. An accessible unisex compartment is the wheelchair-accessible facility under the Premises Standards and AS 1428.1:2021. Specification 27 is the adult change package, with hoist and change table, where F4D12 applies.
What must drawings and the access report show?
Fixture arithmetic, compartment type, partitions, signage, entry route, menstruation-product and disposal provisions if required, and a separate status for the accessible unisex compartment. Name the NCC edition.
When is a Performance Solution still required?
When the edition in force does not contain the optional deemed-to-satisfy path, or when existing fabric cannot meet the compartment geometry. See Performance Solutions.