Pick up where you left off.
Course Content
Fire Separation for Townhouses and Units
Most fire separation faults are not in the wall. They sit at its edges.
Separating walls, boundary walls and small Class 2 buildings, clause by clause, with the Tasmanian position as at November 2026. Settle the class and the edition first, carry the separating wall from footings to roofing, measure the boundary triggers, and set the Type of construction and ratings for a small unit building.
Secure card checkout. Tax invoice emailed.
4 modules, 2 case studies, final quiz and certificate.
Introduction and objectives
Why most fire separation failures sit at junctions, where the states part ways, and the four objectives.
Classify the Building Before You Detail It
Which NCC edition applies in each state, where Class 1a ends and Class 2 begins, garages and basements, the H3P1 chain, and how to prove an FRL.
Separating Walls Between Townhouses
The wall from footings to roofing, what may cross it at the roof line, services and outlets, horizontal projections, roof lights and garage-top dwellings.
External Walls, Boundaries and Encroachments
The 900 mm and 1.8 m triggers and how to measure them, fire-resisting external walls and openings, garages and carports, eaves and other encroachments.
Small Class 2 Unit Buildings
Type of construction and the two storey concession, Type C walls and floors, unit entry doors, penetrations, the Tasmanian notification stage and documentation.
The Launceston terrace and the Hobart fourplex
Continuous trusses over separating walls in a Launceston terrace, and a shared stair that changed the Type of a Hobart fourplex.
Key takeaways
The checks to carry onto your next townhouse or unit job.
Final quiz and certificate
Ten scenario questions. Pass and the certificate goes straight into your dashboard.
Intermediate. For practitioners who already document attached houses or small unit buildings. Reflects NCC 2022 Amendment 2, NCC 2025, the ABCB Housing Provisions and the Tasmanian Building Act 2016 and Building Regulations 2016 as published in November 2026; confirm the edition, any state variation and your licence scope for each project with your building surveyor and your regulator. General professional education, not legal advice.
Written for the people who design, check and build fire separation in attached housing.
Building Designer
You document townhouses and small unit buildings and decide where every rated wall goes.
Architect
Your sections and details carry the separating walls, boundary walls and Type of construction.
Building Surveyor
You assess fire separation at the certificate stage and at the notification stages.
Licensed Builder
You build the roof junctions, packing and penetrations the drawings call for.
Fire Safety Engineer
You see where a deemed detail ends and a Performance Solution begins.
Where this hour goes on your record.
National Standard of Competency for Architects (NSCA 2021) performance criteria this course aligns with:
Building codes, standards and fire safety
Building science in conceptual design
Integrating materials and construction systems
Tested performance of components and systems
Documentation that complies with codes
| If you are | How it is recorded |
|---|---|
| A building designer | 1 formal CPD point. Your certificate, the learning outcomes, the module outline and your quiz result are kept in your dashboard, so you can show what you studied if your CPD is audited. |
| An architect | 1 formal CPD point. Aligned with NSCA 2021 performance criteria PC12, PC28, PC39, PC45 and PC46. |
| A building surveyor, licensed builder or fire safety engineer | 1 hour of CPD on fire separation in townhouses and small unit buildings, recorded on your certificate for your registration or licensing body. |
CPD On Demand is not a registered training organisation and courses are not accredited by any registration body. Each course is aligned with the relevant competency frameworks and gives you the records to evidence it. CPD rules differ by registration body and state, so check with yours if you are unsure.
Pairs well with.
Fire Safety in Residential Design: Understanding Passive and Active Systems
Passive and active fire systems for design documentation and coordination.
Fire Safety in Class 2 to 9 Buildings for Architects
Fire safety in larger buildings, beyond the small unit building.
How the NCC Actually Works: Structure, Responsibility & Compliance Pathways
Performance requirements, deemed-to-satisfy solutions and who decides.
Before you enrol.
Get fire separation right on your next townhouse or unit job, in one self-paced hour.
$99, 60 minutes, certificate on completion.