SafeWork NSW Demolition Notification: Who Lodges It and When

If your NSW demolition job involves a load-bearing structure at least 6 metres high, load shifting machinery on a suspended floor, or explosives, the contractor must notify SafeWork NSW at least five calendar days before work starts. Licensed asbestos removal has its own notification, also five calendar days ahead. The contractor lodges it, but as the owner or developer you need to know what it covers, because a missed notice can stop your job.

This guide explains the triggers, the lodging process, the details SafeWork asks for, the emergency exceptions and the penalties. It is written for property owners, developers, builders and project managers in NSW.

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TL;DR

Notifiable demolition work needs written notice to SafeWork NSW at least five calendar days before work begins. The triggers are structures 6 metres or taller, load shifting machinery on a suspended floor, and explosives.
Licensed asbestos removal (any friable asbestos, or more than 10 m² of non-friable) needs a separate notification, five calendar days ahead.
Notifications are lodged through the SafeWork NSW online system. SafeWork sends an acknowledgement email, not an approval letter.
Emergencies follow a different path: phone SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50, and lodge asbestos notifications within 24 hours.
Unlicensed appointments and missed notices can bring on-the-spot fines, so confirm your contractor’s licence and notification plan before signing.

Which demolition work must be notified
Who is responsible for lodging
Asbestos removal notifications
Timeline at a glance
How the notification is lodged
What the notification asks for
Emergencies and special circumstances
What happens if notification is missed
A practical checklist for owners and project managers
Our perspective
Plan your demolition or asbestos removal with Mission Demolition
FAQ
Sources

Which demolition work must be notified

Not every demolition in NSW needs a SafeWork notification. SafeWork NSW lists the notifiable work as licensed demolition work involving:

a load-bearing structure, or one whose integrity affects stability, that is at least 6 metres high
load shifting machinery used on a suspended floor
explosives

Interstate demolition contractors working in NSW must notify for that work too. The Australian Business Licence and Information Service describes the same triggers and the same five-day lead time.

How the 6-metre height is measured

A two-storey house can come close to the threshold, so measurement matters. SafeWork NSW’s Code of Practice for demolition work says height is measured from the lowest level of the ground immediately next to the base of the structure up to its highest point. On a sloping Sydney block, the downhill side can add a metre or more compared with the street frontage.

Notification is separate from council approval

A SafeWork notification does not replace a development application, complying development certificate or other council approval. Those deal with planning. SafeWork deals with work health and safety. Both may be needed on the same job. Our Sydney demolition permits guide covers the approvals side, and heritage-listed or conservation-area sites have further requirements, set out in our guide to Section 60 and DA approvals.

Who is responsible for lodging

Under clause 142 of the WHS Regulation, a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) who proposes notifiable demolition work must make sure written notice reaches the regulator, in the form required, at least five days before work starts. This is set out in the Code of Practice for demolition work.

In practice, the licensed demolition contractor lodges the notice, because the notification requires licence details and a named supervisor. Safe Work Australia explains that everyone in a workplace has duties under the model WHS laws, with specific duties for PCBUs, demolition contractors or principal contractors, and officers.

What that means for you as the owner:

Ask the contractor who will lodge the notice and when.
Ask for the notification confirmation before work begins.
Do not push a start date that leaves less than five calendar days after lodging.

Asbestos removal notifications

Asbestos is the part most owners get wrong, because older Sydney homes, garages and fibro sheds often contain it. SafeWork NSW requires notification five calendar days before licensed asbestos removal work involving:

any amount of friable asbestos, or
more than 10 m² of non-friable asbestos

These map to the licence classes. A Class A licence is needed for any amount of friable asbestos, and a Class B licence for more than 10 m² of non-friable asbestos. Applicants must complete training with a SafeWork-approved registered training organisation and have the required experience.

If your demolition includes asbestos removal, the asbestos notice is lodged separately from the demolition notice. The SafeWork demolition notification form says a separate asbestos removal notification must also be lodged where the demolition involves asbestos removal.

For the full process, see our guides on five days’ notice for asbestos removalists and removing asbestos before demolition. Our NSW asbestos removal regulations overview gives wider context.

Who else must be told before asbestos work

Notifying SafeWork is only one duty. Before licensed asbestos removal, the licence holder must also notify:

the person who commissioned the work
the PCBU at the workplace
the occupier and owner of domestic premises
immediate neighbours

That last group is a common source of complaints. Telling neighbours early, in plain language, saves friction later.

Timeline at a glance

Situation	Who notifies	Lead time
Notifiable demolition (6 m+ structure, load shifting machinery on suspended floor)	Demolition contractor / PCBU	At least 5 calendar days before work starts
Demolition using explosives	Demolition contractor / PCBU	At least 21 calendar days before the proposed start
Licensed asbestos removal (friable, or more than 10 m² non-friable)	Licensed asbestos removalist	5 calendar days before work starts
Emergency asbestos removal	Licensed asbestos removalist	Phone 13 10 50, then lodge online within 24 hours
Emergency demolition by an emergency service organisation	The organisation	Phone 13 10 50 as soon as possible, before or straight after the work

The 21-day figure for explosives comes from the SafeWork demolition notification form. The emergency rows come from SafeWork NSW’s asbestos and demolition notification pages.

How the notification is lodged

SafeWork NSW runs an online notification system for both demolition and asbestos work. The SafeWork online notification system guide walks users through it. In outline:

Set up a user profile if you are new to the system.
Enter the notification details for the work.
Enter the work start date.
Acknowledge the declaration and enter the declarant’s details, company position and 10-digit daytime phone number.
Select Lodge, and fix any validation errors that appear.

After lodging, SafeWork sends an acknowledgement email. Work can start five calendar days after notification. No approval letter is issued, but you can download a PDF of the notification. Keep that PDF with the site file.

If the online system is not working

For asbestos, a manual form can be emailed to asbestosdemolitionservices@safework.nsw.gov.au. No acknowledgement comes back in that case, but work may start after the five-day period if the form is correctly completed. For demolition, the application form has no fee and can be emailed to adu@safework.nsw.gov.au or posted to the Asbestos & Demolition Unit, SafeWork NSW, PO Box 1291, Liverpool, NSW 1871.

Lodging late

If the start date is before today, or within five days of the date lodged, the system requires a reason why work will start or has started inside five days. SafeWork then holds the notification as pending until it reviews it. That is not a shortcut, and it can push your programme back.

For licensed asbestos work, a waiver is needed if you lodge within five calendar days of starting. The removalist must use the online system and email the reference number to asbestosdemolitionservices@safework.nsw.gov.au. Work must not start until SafeWork NSW grants the waiver.

What the notification asks for

Having the details ready is the quickest way to avoid delays.

Demolition

The Code of Practice lists the information a demolition notice normally includes:

name and contact details of the PCBU
name and contact details of the principal contractor, where the work is part of a construction project
name and contact details of the person directly supervising the work
date of the notice
the nature of the demolition
whether explosives will be used, and the licence details of the person using them
when work will start and finish
where the work will be carried out

The application form asks for additional details if the demolition work is valued above $250,000.

Asbestos removal

Service NSW explains that an asbestos notification needs licence and business details including the ABN, supervisor details, clearance inspector details, the asbestos assessor licence number where applicable, details of the site owner or controller, and details of the work site and work type.

For friable asbestos, the online system guide says the notification must detail how the removal area is isolated, the decontamination unit, and waste storage and removal arrangements. It also states a minimum of a fit-tested P3 full-face respirator should be used. These are the kinds of controls a licensed removalist plans before the five days start counting.

The asbestos removal control plan template adds that the notification, worker training records, first aid certificates and health monitoring confirmation must be available for inspection on site.

Emergencies and special circumstances

Sometimes work cannot wait five days.

Emergency asbestos removal. The licensed removalist must phone SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50 and lodge electronically within 24 hours. Emergency removal applies to a sudden, unexpected event that may expose people to respirable asbestos fibres, or an unexpected essential-service breakdown needing immediate rectification.

Emergency demolition. An emergency service organisation carrying out or proposing demolition must phone 13 10 50 as soon as possible, before or immediately after the work. An emergency exists where a structure or plant is structurally unsound or collapse is imminent.

If you face a damaged structure after a storm or fire, the first step is to secure the area and call the right people. Our emergency demolition guide for NSW supervisors explains what happens next, and our emergency demolition service is there for urgent jobs.

What happens if notification is missed

SafeWork NSW inspectors can issue on-the-spot fines to individuals or businesses who appoint an unlicensed asbestos removalist. They can also fine licensed removalists who fail to notify, or who start inside the five-day period.

For owners, the practical risks go beyond the fine:

work stopping while paperwork is sorted out
crews and machinery standing idle
delays to the build that follows
trouble with neighbours and councils

Stop-work problems also come from approvals and site rules. Our six-step checklist to avoid stop-work orders and the guide to demolition noise rules cover them. Site signage is another thing inspectors look for, and our signage guide explains what to prepare.

A practical checklist for owners and project managers

Before you sign a demolition contract:

Confirm the scope. Work out whether the structure is 6 metres or higher, measured as the Code of Practice describes, and whether any machinery will work on a suspended floor.
Find out about asbestos. Pre-1990 buildings in particular may contain it. An asbestos inspection and testing before you plan the job tells you whether a removal notification will be needed.
Check licences. SafeWork NSW keeps a register of asbestos and demolition licence holders, so you can look up your contractor.
Agree who lodges what. Demolition notice, asbestos notice, and neighbour and occupier notices.
Build in the five days. Set your start date after the lodging date plus five calendar days, not on it.
Keep records. Save the acknowledgement email and downloaded PDF.
Plan for waste. Asbestos and demolition waste must go to appropriate facilities, and your contractor should be able to explain how.

Our perspective

Most notification problems we see are timing problems, not paperwork problems. Someone books a crew for Monday, then finds out the asbestos notice has to be in five calendar days earlier. By then the programme is already under pressure.

Our view is simple: treat the notification as the first milestone of the job, not a form the contractor sorts out at the end. That means testing for asbestos early, agreeing the scope and the start date together, and handling approvals, utility disconnections, hazardous waste and final site cleaning as one managed project.

That is how we approach residential, commercial and industrial work: licensed asbestos removal, safety compliance and environmentally responsible waste disposal planned from the start, so the five days are already built into the schedule when you sign.

Tarek

Plan your demolition or asbestos removal with Mission Demolition

Mission Demolition delivers demolition and licensed asbestos removal for homeowners, businesses, builders and developers in Sydney and across Australia. Our full-service project management covers approvals, utility disconnections, hazardous waste handling and final site cleaning, so the compliance steps sit inside one plan.

Start with the type of job you have: residential demolition, industrial demolition and site clearance, interior strip outs, or asbestos disposal, roof removal and concrete cutting. You can also contact us through the Mission Demolition site to talk through your timeline.

FAQ

Does every demolition in NSW need a SafeWork notification?

No. Notification applies to licensed demolition work involving a load-bearing or integrity-related structure at least 6 metres high, load shifting machinery on a suspended floor, or explosives. Smaller jobs may not trigger it, but council approvals and asbestos rules can still apply. Your contractor can confirm what applies to your site.

How many days before work must the notification be lodged?

At least five calendar days before work starts, for both notifiable demolition and licensed asbestos removal. Demolition using explosives needs at least 21 calendar days. Lodging inside the five-day window requires a stated reason, and for licensed asbestos work a waiver from SafeWork NSW before starting.

Does SafeWork NSW send an approval?

No. Through the online system you receive an acknowledgement email, and you can download a PDF of the notification. Work may start five calendar days after notification. There is no approval letter, so keep the acknowledgement on your site file.

Who has to lodge the asbestos removal notification?

The licensed asbestos removalist lodges it, using their licence and business details. As the owner, you should still expect to be told about it, because the removalist must also notify the person who commissioned the work, occupiers and immediate neighbours before the job starts.

What if asbestos is found during an emergency?

For a sudden, unexpected event that may expose people to respirable asbestos fibres, the licensed removalist phones SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50 and lodges the notification online within 24 hours. Keep people out of the area until a licensed removalist has assessed it.