What is the PCA?
The Plumbing Code of Australia (PCA) forms Volume Three of the National Construction Code (NCC), which is produced and maintained by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) on behalf of the Australian Government and State and Territory Governments. The PCA is given legal effect by enabling legislation in each State and Territory which empowers the regulation of certain aspects of plumbing and drainage installations.
The PCA Goal
The goal of the PCA is to enable the achievement of nationally consistent, minimum necessary standards of relevant health, safety, amenity and sustainability objectives efficiently.
This goal is applied so that—
- there is a rigorously tested rationale for the regulation;
- the regulation generates benefits to society greater that the costs (that is, net benefits);
- the competitive effects of the regulation have been considered and the regulation is no more restrictive than necessary in the public interest; and
- there is no regulatory or non-regulatory alternative that would generate higher net benefits.
Proposals to change the PCA are subjected, as applicable, to a Regulatory Impact Assessment process.
What does the PCA cover?
The PCA contains the technical provisions for the design, construction, installation, replacement, repair, alteration and maintenance of—
- water services;
- sanitary plumbing and drainage systems;
- stormwater drainage systems;
- heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems;
- on-site wastewater management systems; and
- on-site liquid trade waste management systems
The PCA also contains materials and product certification procedures, such as the WaterMark Certification Scheme, for certification of plumbing and drainage materials and products so that they may be authorised for use in a plumbing or drainage installation.
PCA 2013 Update
On release of the final publication of the 2013 Plumbing Code of Australia it was noted that an outdated figure had been included in Section G. The figure is titled "Figure G1.5.3 - The WaterMark Certification Process" and is used for guidance only. A replacement figure, which is unchanged from the 2012 edition, is available in downloadable PDF form here.