How to Pass Your CCC Inspection for Office Fitouts

Why Office Fitouts Fail CCC

(and how we stop that happening)

Code Compliance Certificate for an office fitout

Code Compliance Certificates are where office projects either finish cleanly or drag on for weeks with frustration RFIs and finger pointing.

Most CCC delays do not come from big design mistakes. They come from small details missed on site.

This is exactly why we run a pre CCC site checklist on every office interior project.

Below is a plain English breakdown of what council actually checks and where projects most often fall over.

Fire and exits come first

This is non negotiable.

Council will always start with

• Exit routes matching the approved drawings

• No furniture or joinery blocking egress

• Doors opening freely and swinging the right way

• Travel distances unchanged

Late furniture moves are one of the biggest CCC risks. If desks creep into exit paths CCC stops.

Relevant clausesC2 ObjectivesC3.5 Means of escape

Access control doors are a major risk

This is one of the most common fail points we see.

Any access controlled door must

• Unlock on fire alarm

• Unlock on power failure

• Have a working manual override

If one of these fails CCC fails. There is no negotiation here.

This is why we flag access control doors early and check them again before council arrives.

Relevant clausesC3.5 Means of escapeF6 Visibility

Partition walls are never just partitions

Even non structural walls affect

• Fire separation

• Escape routes

• Accessibility

• Acoustics

Council checks that

• Walls match the approved layout

• No extra walls were added on site

• Fire rated partitions are built exactly as designed

• Penetrations are properly fire stopped

A small change on site can quietly trigger a CCC delay later.

Relevant clauses Building Act section 17C3.5 Means of escapeC3.9 Fire and smoke separationD1 Access routes

Tracklock is a big one and often missed

Tracklock or head of wall detailing is critical in office interiors.

Full height partitions must allow for building movement over time. If walls are hard fixed to the slab above they crack and fail.

Council expects

• Proprietary tracklock systems

• Visible movement allowance

• No plastering hard up to the slab

This sits under durability not structure and it is one of the details that protects the building long term.

We treat missing or incorrect tracklock as a red flag item.

Relevant clausesB2 DurabilityB2.3.1Building Act section 17

Fire rated walls and ceilings

Fire separation only works if it is continuous.

Council checks

• Fire walls go where shown

• Fire doors are tagged and working

• Fire stopping is complete and neat

• Head of wall details do not compromise fire ratings

One unsealed penetration can undo an entire wall.

Relevant clausesC3.4 Fire safety systemsC3.9 Fire and smoke separationB2 Durability

Accessibility is measured not guessed

Council will not eyeball accessibility.

They measure

• Entry thresholds max 20 mm

• Door clear widths

• Accessible routes

• Accessible WC layouts and fittings

Small last minute changes are often what cause problems here.

Relevant clausesD1 Access routesD1.3.3 ThresholdsG1 Personal hygieneF8 Signs

Glass safety and finishes

Offices fail CCC on surprisingly simple things

• Missing glass manifestation

• Incorrect safety glass

• Slippery floors

• Incomplete ceilings

These are easy to get right if they are checked early.

Relevant clausesF2 Hazardous building materialsF6 VisibilityD1 Access routes

Wet areas and hot water

Council will test

• Hot water temperatures at basins max 50°C

• Floor gullies

• Sealing to walls and floors

• Traps and vents

These are routine checks but they still need to be right.

Relevant clausesG1 Personal hygieneG12 Water suppliesG12.3.5 Hot water temperaturesG13 Foul water

Why we do a pre CCC site walk

Our approach is simple

• We walk the site before council

• We check it like a council inspector would

• We flag red risk items early

• We avoid last minute surprises

Most CCC delays are avoidable with the right process.

The bottom line

Office interiors are not just about how a space looks. They are about safety durability and compliance.

A structured site checklist

• Protects the client

• Protects the programme

• Protects the designer

  
  

And it is one of the quiet reasons our projects reach CCC smoothly.

If you are planning an office fitout or nearing completion talk to us early.