Yes, many commercial plumbing jobs require formal compliance documents, and some require a Notice of Work and inspection. At completion, the responsible licensed plumber or drainer must provide the customer with the applicable Certificate of Compliance and drainage records. Council, certifier or planning approval is a separate question that depends on the wider project.
Council approval and plumbing compliance are separate
Council or certifier approval deals with planning and building requirements. It does not replace NSW plumbing notification, inspection and documentation requirements.
For regulated plumbing or drainage work, the appropriately licensed plumber or drainer must determine whether they need to:
- lodge a Notice of Work with Building Commission NSW
- arrange a required inspection
- complete and provide a Certificate of Compliance
- provide any other required drainage records.
The customer, builder or project certifier should separately confirm whether development consent, a construction certificate or another building approval is required. The company and attending workers must also hold the plumbing licence categories required for the commercial scope.
What should the customer receive?
The customer should receive the relevant NSW plumbing and drainage Certificate of Compliance from the licensed contractor and retain it with the property records. Drainage work may also require an updated sewer service diagram.
Submission requirements vary according to the work, location and whether it is inspected. The licensed contractor is responsible for lodging required documents with Building Commission NSW and arranging inspections, not the customer or an unlicensed tradesperson.
Are minor or emergency works exempt?
Some minor work has different notification or inspection requirements, while emergency work may be notified under modified timeframes. These provisions do not permit unlicensed people to perform regulated plumbing or drainage work.
Before appointing a commercial plumber, ask who will manage the Notice of Work, inspections, related building approvals and completion documents. Contact our commercial plumbing team to confirm the requirements that apply to your project and record them in the written scope.