Private Certifier vs Council — Which Is Faster for Getting Your Development Approved

One of the first questions builders and owner-builders ask when they're ready to lodge is whether to go through a private certifier or straight to council. It sounds like a simple choice but it has a real impact on your timeline and your budget. Here's how the two paths actually compare.

What's the difference?

When you go through council, your local government assesses your development application, approves it, issues your construction certificate, and carries out inspections throughout the build. The whole process sits within one government body. When you engage a private certifier — known as a building surveyor in Victoria — they take over the certification and inspection role from council. For certain types of development, particularly complying development, they can assess and approve your project entirely without council involvement.

When can you use a private certifier?

Not everything qualifies. Private certifiers work best for complying development — projects that meet a set of pre-determined standards under the relevant state planning code. Think new homes on standard suburban lots, granny flats, straightforward dual occupancies, and commercial fit-outs that meet the code. If your project is more complex — heritage overlays, flood-affected land, bushfire prone areas, or anything requiring a merit-based assessment — you'll likely need to go through council regardless.

Which is faster?

For complying development, a private certifier is almost always faster. In NSW, a Complying Development Certificate (CDC) can legally be issued in as little as 10 business days. In practice most certifiers turn them around in two to four weeks. Council DA timelines in NSW average 71 days according to state government data, but complex applications regularly push past six months. In Victoria, the process is slightly different. Private building surveyors issue building permits but town planning permits still go through council for most residential developments. The building permit itself can be issued quickly once planning approval is in place, but you can't skip the planning stage for most projects. In Queensland, private certifiers can handle building approvals for code-assessable development and many certifiers are significantly faster than council assessment teams.

Which is cheaper?

This one is less clear-cut. Private certifier fees vary but are often comparable to or slightly higher than council fees upfront. However when you factor in the time saving, private is usually cheaper in practice. Every week a project sits waiting for council approval is a week of holding costs — finance, land, insurance. For a $1.5 million development, holding costs of $2,000 to $3,000 per week add up quickly.

The honest answer

If your project qualifies as complying development, use a private certifier. The speed advantage is real and the process is straightforward. If your project needs merit-based assessment or involves overlays and constraints, you're going through council regardless — but a good town planner can help you navigate that process faster and avoid the common mistakes that cause delays.

The key either way is finding someone who is actually available and knows your local council area. A certifier with deep experience in the Mornington Peninsula is going to get your permit through faster than a generalist based on the other side of the city. If you need to find an available private certifier or town planner in your state, lodgepath.com lets you search by discipline, state, and current availability.