NCC 2025 Has Been in Force for Over a Year. Is Your Building’s Lift Still Compliant?
NCC 2025 has been in force for over a year, and a lift compliant under the previous code is not automatically compliant now. Which buildings carry the most exposure, and how to establish your position.
- Published
Quick summary
The National Construction Code 2025 is in force. A lift that was compliant under the previous code is not automatically compliant under NCC 2025. Building owners who noted the changes and planned to address them later have had their grace period. Those who were unaware have been non-compliant for months. The exposure is not theoretical: regulatory enforcement, insurance complications, and personal liability all follow the same documented pattern. An independent assessment is how the current position is established.
The code changed. Most lifts did not change with it.#
NCC 2025 introduced updated requirements across three areas relevant to vertical transportation: accessibility performance, energy efficiency for mechanical services, and emergency communication systems.
The changes apply to buildings in scope regardless of when the lift was installed. A lift certified as compliant under the previous code does not carry that certification forward automatically. The standard changed. The lift did not. The gap that creates is the building owner’s compliance exposure.
Which buildings carry the most exposure#
| Building Class | NCC Description | Key NCC 2025 Changes |
|---|---|---|
| Class 5 | Office buildings | Stricter accessibility requirements for car dimensions and controls |
| Class 6 | Retail / commercial | Updated door timing and landing accuracy thresholds |
| Class 9a | Health care | Enhanced emergency communication and evacuation requirements |
| Class 9b | Assembly / schools | Accessibility uplift for publicly accessible buildings |
| Class 9c | Aged care | Most significant changes: door timing, car dimensions, emergency systems |
Class 9c aged care buildings carry the most significant exposure. The NCC 2025 requirements for these buildings reflect a reality that cannot be ignored: residents may depend entirely on the lift for mobility within the facility. A non-compliant lift in an aged care building is not a filing problem. It is a safety and liability event waiting to occur.
The energy efficiency changes are being overlooked#
Most commentary on NCC 2025 focused on accessibility. The energy efficiency changes have received less attention and are affecting more buildings.
NCC 2025 sets minimum energy efficiency standards for building services including lift drive systems. Older hydraulic lifts are significant energy consumers compared to modern traction or machine-room-less systems. NCC 2025 does not mandate the immediate replacement of all non-compliant systems, but it changes the compliance calculation for buildings undergoing refurbishment or seeking development approval.
The decision to repair, modernise, or replace a lift now has an NCC 2025 energy efficiency dimension that did not exist under the previous code. For buildings going through that process, compliance with current energy standards may be a condition of approval, not just a recommendation.
Compliance is not self-certifying#
A building owner cannot determine NCC 2025 compliance by reading the code and inspecting the lift. The assessment requires a qualified person to measure the existing system against current requirements and produce a documented report.
This matters for two reasons. The building owner needs to know their actual compliance position, not their assumed one. And documented evidence of an independent assessment changes the legal exposure if an incident or regulatory inquiry follows.
What happens when a lift does not meet current Australian Standards covers the three outcomes that follow non-compliance. None are recoverable cheaply once in motion. All are avoidable with an assessment conducted before the event rather than after it.
AS1735 and NCC 2025 are not the same document#
NCC 2025 references AS1735 as the technical standard for lift compliance. AS1735 has been updated progressively. The version of AS1735 a lift was originally certified against may not be the version NCC 2025 references.
A building owner who believes their lift is compliant because it was certified at installation is relying on a certification that may refer to a superseded standard. What a lift compliance audit establishes is the current position against current requirements, not a historical position against a historical standard.
What the assessment covers#
An independent compliance assessment against NCC 2025 and current AS1735 requirements covers:
- Accessibility performance against current Premises Standards requirements
- Energy efficiency of the drive system against current code thresholds
- Emergency communication and evacuation system compliance
- Documentation of findings with a prioritised upgrade schedule
The output is a written report. That report establishes the current position and gives the building owner a defensible baseline if a regulator, insurer, or court asks what was known and when.
ILCPL provides independent lift compliance assessments against NCC 2025 and current AS1735 requirements across Australia. Call 0417 784 245 to arrange an assessment.
