Different Building Classes Defined
Class 1
Domestic or residential buildings – single, standalone single houses and horizontally attached houses, such as terrace houses, row houses or townhouses. This class includes two sub-classifications:
Class 1a – a single dwelling or one of a group of attached dwellings, e.g. a terrace house
Class 1b – a boarding house, guest house or hostel with a floor area less than 300 m2.
Class 2
Domestic apartment buildings – a building containing two or more sole-occupancy units where people live above, beside or below each other. This class may also include single-storey attached dwellings with a common space below, such as a carpark.
Class 3
Residential buildings other than a Class 1 or Class 2 building providing long-term or transient accommodation for a number of unrelated persons. For example:
boarding house
hotel, motel or guest house
hostel or backpackers
student accommodation or workers’ quarters
residential care building.
Class 4
A single domestic dwelling within a building of non-residential nature (that is, a Class 5 to Class 9 building). For example, a caretaker’s residence within a hospital.
Class 5
Office buildings for professional and/or commercial purposes, such as offices for government agencies, accountants or lawyers.
Class 6
Buildings where retail goods are sold or services are supplied to the public, such as shops or restaurants. This class may include:
hairdressing salon
public laundry
shopping centre
funeral parlour
showroom.
Class 7
Buildings including carparks, warehouses or storage buildings. This class includes two sub-classifications:
Class 7a – carparks
Class 7b – warehouses, storage buildings or buildings for the display of wholesale goods.
Class 8
Factories – buildings used for production, assembling, altering, packing, cleaning etc. of goods or produce. This class may also include:
mechanic’s workshop
abattoir
laboratory.
Class 9
Public buildings – includes three sub-classifications:
Class 9a – healthcare buildings such as hospitals and day surgery clinics
Class 9b – buildings where people assemble for social, political, theatrical, religious or civic purposes, e.g. schools, universities, sports facilities, night clubs
Class 9c – aged care facilities.
Class 10
Non-habitable structures – includes three sub-classifications:
Class 10a – sheds, carports, private garages
Class 10b – fences, masts, antennas, retaining walls
Class 10c – private bushfire shelter.
The National Construction Code
(NCC) is Australia’s primary set of technical design and construction provisions for buildings. As a performance-based code, it sets the minimum required level for the safety, health, amenity, accessibility and sustainability of certain buildings. It primarily applies to the design and construction of new buildings.
Volume 1 covers Class 2-9 Buildings. Volume 2 covers Class 1 & 10 Buildings.