Home › AFSS vs fire safety certificate: what is the difference?

AFSS vs fire safety certificate: what is the difference?

They sound similar and cover the same measures, but a fire safety certificate is a one-off at the end of building work, while the AFSS repeats every year.

A fire safety certificate and an annual fire safety statement both certify a building's essential fire safety measures, and both are issued by or on behalf of the owner. The difference is timing and purpose. The certificate is a one-off issued when new building work is finished. The statement is issued every year for the life of the building after that.

The fire safety certificate

A fire safety certificate is issued when new building work involving fire safety measures is complete. It confirms that a properly qualified person has installed each measure listed in the fire safety schedule and checked that it performs to the required standard. It is required before an occupation certificate can be issued, which means without it the building cannot lawfully be occupied.

There are two forms. A final fire safety certificate covers every essential measure on the schedule for the completed building. An interim fire safety certificate covers the measures for the part of a building being occupied early, where only part of the works is complete.

The annual fire safety statement

Once the certificate is issued and the building is occupied, the ongoing obligation begins. Each year the owner issues an annual fire safety statement certifying that an accredited practitioner has assessed and inspected the same measures and found them still performing. The certificate proves the measures were right at handover; the statement proves they have stayed right.

In short

Think of the certificate as the once-only sign-off at the finish of building work, tied to occupation, and the statement as the recurring annual proof of ongoing compliance. New work produces a certificate; every year after produces a statement. If you have taken over an existing occupied building, your obligation is the annual statement, not a certificate.

Sources

• Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (NSW).
• NSW Planning Portal, fire safety certification.

This is general information, not legal or compliance advice. Confirm current requirements and figures with your council and the FPAA register.

Keep reading

• What is an annual fire safety statement (AFSS)?The AFSS is the yearly document that certifies a NSW building's essential fire safety measures still perform. Here is what it covers and who it applies to.
• What is a fire safety schedule, and how does it drive your AFSS?The fire safety schedule is the master list of a building's essential fire safety measures. It defines exactly what the annual statement has to certify.
• Who can sign an annual fire safety statement in NSW?A common point of confusion: the accredited practitioner assesses the measures, but the owner signs the statement. There is a specific rule about who cannot sign.