The Burnie City Council has a number of roles to play under the new system.
- We must assess, inspect, and approve medium and high risk plumbing work.
- We must assess and determine whether to grant a permit for high risk building and demolition work.
- We must maintain a register of, and record the details for all building, demolition and plumbing work in the Burnie municipal area.
- We must advise owners of their responsibilities in relation to the construction and maintenance of buildings.
- We must enforce compliance to the rules which apply for building work and maintenance.
The Council has adopted a set of fees in relation to these services. All applicable fees must be paid before the Council can perform the required function.
There are many aspects of building work for which the Council is not responsible.
Most building, demolition and plumbing work must be designed by a licensed designer. The assessment, certification and inspection of building and demolition work must be undertaken by a licensed building surveyor. Almost all building, demolition and plumbing work must be performed by an appropriately licensed building practitioner.
The Council cannot provide advice or information in relation to design criteria, likely compliance of proposed building and demolition work, or the manner in which work on a building should be performed. You will need to talk to a relevant private licensed building services provider or practitioner.
The Burnie City Council has a statutory obligation to ensure that building, demolition and plumbing work is carried out in compliance to the applicable building regulations, codes and standards.
The Council must make itself aware of, and keep a record of, the building and plumbing work occurring within the Burnie municipal area.
The Council must initiate proceedings against a person who has undertaken building, demolition or plumbing work without a required approval or permit to ensure the work is made compliant to the Act. Penalties may also apply.
While there is a process for bringing unlawful work into compliance, retrospective approval can be expensive, and does not provide the building with the same level of confidence in relation to structural, accessibility, health, safety, efficiency and sustainability matters as is achievable if all required approvals or permits are obtained before work begins and all inspection and certification is conducted as the building, demolition or plumbing work progresses.
It is suggested that prior to committing to any building or plumbing work, a person intending to authorise or undertake building or plumbing work on their property make enquiries of the Council or of a building surveyor in regard to what design, permit, and inspection processes may be required in order to ensure that such work can be carried out lawfully.
If you are unsure as to whether an approval or permit is required an enquiry may assist to quickly resolve any uncertainty.