Compliance by state

SA's Form 3: the annual return that certifies essential safety provisions

In South Australia, an owner of a building with essential safety provisions completes Form 3, an ESP maintenance certificate, confirming the year's required testing and maintenance was carried out. Under regulation 94(11) of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure (General) Regulations 2017, it must go to the relevant council within 60 business days after the end of each calendar year.

Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.

Official name: Form 3, ESP maintenance certificate
Regulator: Local council, under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure (General) Regulations 2017
Who issues it: The building owner, or an agent certifying on their behalf
When: The building is classified as high risk and carries essential safety provisions under a development approval
Deadline: Within 60 business days after the end of each calendar year
Lodgement: Submitted to the relevant local council; the current Form 3 template is published by PlanSA
Keep records for: Owner keeps supporting maintenance and test records for the essential safety provisions the return certifies
Penalty: This page could not confirm a specific dollar penalty for a late or missing Form 3 return from PlanSA's published guidance; councils enforce essential safety provisions compliance under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016, and a trade preparing records for a client should confirm current enforcement action with the relevant council rather than assume a fixed figure.

Homeowner? If you own a high risk commercial or multi unit building in South Australia, Form 3 is your annual certification to council, due within 60 business days of the calendar year ending, not tied to when your fire contractor last serviced the building.

What the certificate must show

Building address and the essential safety provisions applicable to it
The maintenance standard each provision is checked against
Confirmation the required testing and maintenance was carried out for the calendar year just finished
Owner's or authorised agent's certification and signature

Produce it from a ServiceM8 job

In Settings > Forms > Add Form, create a form called ESP maintenance SA.
Add a repeatable section, ESP item, with Text for the provision, Text for the maintenance standard, Choice for Pass/Fail, and Date for the check.
Add a Signature question for the technician and a Text field for the council the building sits in.
Attach the form to an Essential safety provisions job badge and require it at every scheduled service through the calendar year.
In January, export the prior calendar year's completed forms for each high risk building from the ServiceM8 job diary.
Hand the export to the owner as the supporting record for their Form 3, well inside the 60 business day deadline.

SA's form has a different name and a different clock to QLD or VIC

Where Queensland uses an Annual Occupier's Statement and Victoria relies on an owner prepared essential safety measures report, South Australia's equivalent is Form 3, the ESP maintenance certificate approved for the purposes of regulation 94(11) of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure (General) Regulations 2017. The form lists every essential safety provision that applies to the building, alongside the maintenance standard each one is checked against, and the owner (or an agent acting for them) certifies the required testing and maintenance for the year just finished actually happened.

Only high risk buildings need one, and the deadline runs off the calendar year

Form 3 is not required for every building: it applies to buildings South Australia classifies as high risk under its essential safety provisions framework, generally class 2 to 9 buildings with fire or life safety systems installed under a development approval. The return is due within 60 business days after the end of each calendar year, so the reference period is 1 January to 31 December regardless of when the building's occupancy or last inspection happened to fall, which is a different rhythm to jurisdictions that run the annual clock off the building's own maintenance cycle.

Council is the recipient, not a state fire authority

Form 3 goes to the local council for the building's address, since it is councils, not a state fire authority, that administer building compliance under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 and its regulations in South Australia. The current version of the form is published by PlanSA, and councils have periodically revised the layout, so a trade preparing supporting records for a client should confirm they are working from the current Form 3 template rather than an older saved copy.

Sources

Form 3, the ESP maintenance certificate, is an approved form for the purposes of providing annual verification to council under regulation 94(11) of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure (General) Regulations 2017. PlanSA (South Australian Government), checked 25 Sep 2026.
Owners must send the completed Form 3 to council within 60 business days after the end of each calendar year, certifying that the required maintenance and testing of essential safety provisions has been carried out for the year prior. PlanSA (South Australian Government), checked 25 Sep 2026.
Form 3 lists all essential safety provisions applicable to the building and their relevant maintenance standards, and is only required for buildings classified as high risk; exempt buildings do not need to lodge one. PlanSA (South Australian Government), checked 25 Sep 2026.