Material or fire-safety concern
Available records, sampling or specialist assessment identifies combustible, banned, unsuitable or uncertain façade products or assemblies.
Assessment, design, construction records and handover
Cladding Replacement Compliance NSW: Process and Responsibilities
Cladding replacement should follow a building-specific assessment and a defined compliance pathway. Removing and replacing panels is only one part of the process: the complete external wall system, approved design, evidence, practitioner responsibilities, inspections and handover records also matter.
This guide is for strata committees, owners corporations, building owners, asset managers and project teams planning replacement or remediation work in NSW.
When Cladding Replacement Becomes a Defined Pathway
Replacement may be considered after a façade, fire-safety, condition or compliance assessment identifies a problem that cannot be resolved reliably through maintenance or limited repair. The issue may involve material composition, fire performance, deterioration, water entry, support systems, interfaces, incomplete records, a regulatory direction or a planned asset upgrade.
The presence of a particular material does not by itself determine the building’s risk or the required extent of replacement. The material, quantity, location, configuration, installation and wider building systems require project-specific review.
The decision should move from evidence to scope—not from a product label or visual assumption directly to construction.
Common Triggers for Further Assessment or Replacement Planning
Regulatory or insurer requirement
A council notice, fire-safety order, audit finding, insurer request or due-diligence review requires further evidence or remediation.
Widespread defects
Recurring leakage, failed joints, corrosion, damaged panels, inadequate flashings or interface failures affect more than an isolated area.
System deterioration
The existing panels, supports, membranes, fixings, coatings or adjoining elements have reached a condition where continuing local repair is not practical.
Incomplete or conflicting records
Drawings, approvals, product evidence, test reports or alteration records cannot be matched reliably to the installed façade.
Planned façade upgrade
The owner is considering a coordinated replacement because of condition, appearance, maintainability, risk, capital planning or another verified project objective.
Compliance Is a Documented Project Sequence
Cladding compliance is not established by describing a panel as “approved”, “certified” or “non-combustible”. The project must address the complete wall system and the applicable performance, approval, design, construction and documentation requirements.
| Project element | What requires confirmation | Typical record or outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Existing building evidence | Building class, façade construction, material, support system, fire-safety context, defects, previous alterations and information gaps. | Drawings, reports, photographs, sampling, test records and assessment findings. |
| Defined remediation scope | Whether the evidence supports repair, targeted replacement, full replacement or further investigation. | Scope report, responsibility matrix and procurement brief. |
| Design and approvals | Replacement wall build-up, structure, fixings, fire, weatherproofing, drainage, movement, insulation, interfaces and statutory pathway. | Approved construction information, declarations, approvals and inspection requirements. |
| Product and system evidence | Whether the proposed products and complete assembly have suitable evidence for their intended project use. | Technical data, test reports, certificates, schedules and traceability records. |
| Construction delivery | Access, protection, removal, substrates, installation, temporary weatherproofing, tolerances and hold points. | Site records, photographs, delivery records, inspections, variations and non-conformance close-out. |
| Completion and handover | Whether the completed work accords with the approved scope and the required declarations, certification and maintenance pathway. | Completion records, declarations, warranties, manuals, defect close-out and retained asset information. |
A test report for one material or assembly should not be represented as automatic approval of every product, detail, substrate, fixing arrangement or building application.
NSW DBP Requirements Must Be Confirmed Before Work Starts
NSW Government guidance states that remedial building work on class 2 buildings, including mixed-use buildings with a class 2 part, is regulated under the Design and Building Practitioners framework unless the work is excluded or follows a valid emergency pathway.
Building class and scope
Confirm the building classification, the elements affected, whether the work is remedial building work and whether any exclusion applies.
Registered design practitioners
The required design practitioner classes depend on the actual façade, fire, structural, waterproofing and other regulated design components.
Construction-issued designs
Construction should proceed against the current approved and declared information, including details sufficient to define the work and interfaces.
Building practitioner obligations
The appointed registered building practitioner must perform the project-specific lodgement, construction and declaration functions applying to the work.
Changes during construction
Variations affecting regulated designs or performance solutions require controlled review, updated documentation and the required declarations before the changed work proceeds.
Completion records
Required designs, declarations and supporting documents must be lodged and retained through the applicable NSW Planning Portal and handover pathway.
Review the current NSW Government guidance on remedial building work in regulated buildings.
What AS 5113 Does—and Does Not—Establish
AS 5113 sets out procedures and criteria for classifying external walls according to reaction-to-fire performance. Within the NCC, it may form part of a Performance Solution assessment pathway for a complete external wall assembly.
- It concerns an external wall assembly, not a marketing description applied to one panel.
- The tested or assessed configuration must be compared with the proposed project configuration.
- Other NCC conditions, evidence-of-suitability requirements and building-specific fire-safety measures may also apply.
- An AS 5113 report does not appoint the contractor as designer, fire engineer, certifier or approval authority.
- It should not be described as a universal “AS 5113 approved product” or an automatic whole-building compliance certificate.
See the ABCB guidance on demonstrating NCC compliance using AS 5113.
A Controlled Cladding Replacement Sequence
Collect records
Gather drawings, approvals, reports, notices, product data, fire-safety information and repair history.
Assess the façade
Confirm accessible conditions, material and system evidence, defects, risks and information gaps.
Define the outcome
Determine whether repair, targeted replacement or broader replacement is supported by the evidence.
Appoint the team
Confirm owner, consultant, designer, practitioner, contractor, certifier and authority responsibilities.
Design and approve
Complete the required design, evidence, declarations, approvals, access strategy and inspection plan.
Construct and record
Control access, removal, temporary protection, interfaces, installation, inspections and changes.
Close out and maintain
Complete defects and retain the required handover, warranty, declaration and maintenance records.
Occupied-Building, Access and Weather Controls
Cladding replacement can sometimes be delivered while a building remains occupied, but this must not be assumed. The approved work methodology should address the building use, fire and emergency arrangements, access system, daily workface condition and stakeholder requirements.
Resident and tenant communication
Provide practical notice of access, balcony and window restrictions, noise, dust, deliveries, work hours and temporary service impacts.
Public and worker protection
Coordinate scaffold, platforms, hoarding, exclusion zones, overhead protection, lifting, deliveries and emergency access.
Temporary weatherproofing
Define how open workfaces, membranes, flashings, penetrations and incomplete interfaces remain protected between stages.
Fire and egress arrangements
Maintain the project-specific controls for fire systems, exits, access routes, alarms, hot work and temporary conditions.
Daily completion conditions
Set minimum requirements for securing panels, openings, tools, materials, waste, barriers and temporary seals before the site is left.
Hidden-condition response
Stop, record and escalate concealed corrosion, damaged framing, missing membranes, incompatible details or other conditions outside the approved scope.
NSW Project Remediate confirms that cladding can be replaced on occupied buildings where the required professional, safety, quality and programme controls are established. Review the current Project Remediate information.
Design, Construction and Certification Responsibilities
A cladding replacement project may involve separate appointments and legal responsibilities. The actual contract and statutory pathway should identify each role rather than describing one party as providing every assessment, design, certification and approval function.
Owners and owners corporations
Provide available records, appoint the required parties, approve the scope and funding, and manage stakeholder and property obligations.
Façade, fire and design consultants
Assess and design the work within their appointment, competence and registration and provide the required project-specific information.
Registered practitioners
Prepare, declare, lodge or construct the regulated work within the scope of their registration and the applicable DBP pathway.
Contractors and subcontractors
Deliver the agreed construction work against current approved documentation, safety controls, quality requirements and contract responsibilities.
Certifiers, superintendents and authorities
Perform the approval, inspection, contract-administration, assurance or statutory functions assigned to them.
SCE Corp
SCE can assess project fit and deliver or coordinate suitable cladding replacement construction within its verified appointment and contracted scope.
SCE Corp is NSW DBP registered. SCE’s responsibility remains limited to its actual appointment and the work within its contracted control. Design, declaration, certification, approval and statutory functions remain with the appropriately appointed parties unless expressly included and verified.
Project Proof and Planning Pathways
Use the links below to move from this informational guide to the mapped assessment, service, project, planning and enquiry pathways.
Belmont Recladding Project Evidence
The mapped Belmont project page provides relevant SCE cladding and recladding project evidence. Review the page for its recorded scope, imagery and project-specific information rather than applying any project claim to a different building.
Cladding Replacement and Compliance FAQs
When should cladding replacement be considered?
Cladding replacement may be considered where a building-specific assessment identifies unsuitable, banned, combustible, damaged, deteriorated or non-compliant façade materials or interfaces. The extent of work should follow the available evidence, professional recommendations, approved design and statutory pathway.
Does combustible cladding automatically require complete replacement?
No. The material, quantity, location, wall configuration, installation and wider fire-safety measures require building-specific assessment. The outcome may be further investigation, targeted remediation or broader replacement, depending on the evidence and applicable requirements.
Does replacing the panels automatically make the façade compliant?
No. Compliance depends on the complete external wall system, approved design, evidence of suitability, declarations, approvals, installation, inspections, interfaces and completion records. A panel label or test report alone does not establish whole-of-façade compliance.
How can the NSW DBP framework apply to cladding replacement?
For remedial building work on a class 2 building, including a mixed-use building with a class 2 part, the NSW DBP framework generally applies unless an exclusion or valid emergency pathway is available. The project team must confirm the building class, scope, practitioner registrations, regulated designs, declarations and lodgement requirements before work starts.
What does AS 5113 establish?
AS 5113 provides procedures and criteria for classifying the reaction-to-fire performance of an external wall assembly. It is used within a project-specific NCC compliance pathway and should not be described as a universal product approval, contractor certification or automatic whole-building compliance certificate.
Can residents remain in a building during cladding replacement?
Sometimes. Occupancy depends on the approved staging, access method, fire and emergency arrangements, temporary weatherproofing, balcony and window restrictions, noise, dust, security and daily completion conditions. The project-specific safety and access plan controls the outcome.
What records should be retained at handover?
The handover record may include approved designs, declarations, approvals, product and system evidence, delivery records, inspection and hold-point records, photographs, variations, test results, defect close-out, warranties and maintenance information relevant to the completed scope.
What information should be provided to SCE for an initial review?
Provide the site address, building use and class where known, photographs, drawings, reports, notices, fire-safety and cladding records, known defects, access constraints, occupancy requirements, required programme, available budget information and the outcome being sought.
Provide the Building and Cladding Information
Send the property address, building use and class where known, photographs, drawings, reports, notices, fire-safety and cladding records, known defects, access constraints, occupancy requirements, programme and required outcome.