Our Canberra project's DA was lodged in October 2026 but the building approval won't land until mid-2027. The certifier says we can still choose NCC 2022. Is that right?

Yes, your certifier is right. Because your DA was lodged in October 2026, before the 1 November 2026 cutoff, your project keeps the either-edition election, so you can still nominate NCC 2022 even though the building approval lands after 1 May 2027. [1]

How the ACT window works:

• The ACT is running a twelve-month either-edition window from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027. During it, a building approval may comply with either NCC 2022 (with the ACT 2022 Appendix) or NCC 2025 (with the ACT 2025 Appendix). One edition is nominated per project, and provisions cannot be mixed. [1]
• From 1 May 2027, building approvals must otherwise comply with NCC 2025.
• The exception that applies to you: a project whose Development Application was lodged before 1 November 2026 keeps the election until that DA expires. Your October 2026 lodgement sits inside that exception. [1]

Two things to manage:

• The election is tied to the life of the DA. If the DA lapses or expires before you obtain the building approval, the exception falls away and NCC 2025 becomes mandatory. Confirm your DA's expiry date with the certifier and the ACT planning authority.
• No mixing. If you elect NCC 2022, the whole approval must comply with NCC 2022 and the ACT 2022 Appendix; you cannot pull individual provisions from NCC 2025.

The election is governed by the ACT Building Act 2004, the Building (General) Regulation 2008, and the Building (ACT Appendix to the Building Code) Determination. Because this sits on a transition boundary with real consequences, get the election and your DA expiry confirmed in writing before you rely on it. [1]