Need to know: CodeMark update

Now that the 2019 edition of the BCA has been adopted by all States and Territories, there’s probably a few things you need to know about CodeMark.

Firstly, there are exclusions, conditions and transition periods that apply to some of the 2019 BCA provisions. To ensure you’re aware of these, you should read our recent Connect article.

The other thing you should know is that all Certificates of Conformity (CofC) that are issued after 1 May 2019 should now be assessed against the provisions of the 2019 BCA. One quick way to check this is to see if the CofC is issued using the orange and purple Certificate of Conformity template.

The short answer is, it depends.

Continued acceptance of a CofC issued to a previous edition of the BCA is at the discretion of the appropriate authority, taking into consideration whether any of the relevant provisions have changed. The obligations on building control authorities to accept a CofC is also determined by the relevant State or Territory legislation, policy or directive.

Simply put; if you have a CofC issued against the 2016 BCA, you should check with the appropriate authority to determine if the CofC is an appropriate form of evidence of suitability for the specific product and/or your project. If you’re not sure who to contact, you can check our website for more information.

There is a register of all CofC located on the JAS-ANZ website which can be filtered by organisation, certificate number, BCA version, certification body and certification scope. To find CofCs that have been issued to the 2019 BCA, you can use the filter “BCA version – Building Code of Australia (BCA) - 2019”.

You can also sort the register by status i.e. active, withdrawn or suspended.

You might be relying on a printed CofC that on the surface, doesn’t expire for a couple of years, but there is always the chance something could happen during that time that can impact the status.

To be sure, it is a good idea to check the status regularly. If the status of a CofC changes, the register is the first place where that change would be reflected. You should also keep an eye out for any revisions that may be issued to the CofC.

Once you know that you have an active CofC, you may be having trouble figuring out if it’s appropriate for your situation and/or project. If you’re unsure, you can get in touch with the relevant Certification Body. Their contact details will be available on the CofC or on the JAS-ANZ website.

Should you feel there is something wrong with a CofC there are processes for raising your concerns. Section 6 of the Scheme Rules will tell you everything you need to know.

If you have a question about CodeMark, visit our FAQ's and search ‘CodeMark’. Alternatively, you can get in contact with the Scheme Administrator, JAS-ANZ.