Compliance by state

How NSW plumbers lodge the Notice of Work and Certificate of Compliance

In NSW, plumbers lodge a Notice of Work before starting inspectable work, then a Certificate of Compliance at completion, confirming the job meets the Plumbing Code of Australia. Metro jobs go through Building Commission NSW's MyInspections Gateway; regional jobs go to the local council. Drainage on private sewer pipes also needs a sewer service diagram.

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

Official name: Certificate of Compliance for plumbing and drainage work, paired with a Notice of Work lodged before the job starts, and a sewer service diagram for private sewer drainage work
Regulator: NSW Fair Trading and Building Commission NSW
Who issues it: The licensed plumber or drainer who carried out the work
When: Notice of Work: any plumbing or drainage work needing an inspection, before it starts. Certificate of Compliance: completion of that work. Sewer service diagram: completion of drainage work on a private sewer pipe
Deadline: Notice of Work before work starts; Certificate of Compliance and sewer service diagram at completion, before the final inspection is booked
Lodgement: Sydney, Illawarra, Blue Mountains, Newcastle and Hunter: online via the MyInspections Gateway to Building Commission NSW. Elsewhere in NSW: the Combined Notice of Work and Certificate of Compliance form lodged with the local council as plumbing regulator
Keep records for: The property owner or builder who arranged the work receives a copy of the Certificate of Compliance and, where required, the sewer service diagram
Penalty: Fair Trading enforces breaches of the Home Building Act through a penalty notice, Local Court prosecution, Supreme Court injunction, or disciplinary action against the plumber's licence. No fixed dollar penalty specific to a late or missing Notice of Work, Certificate of Compliance or sewer service diagram is published in the guidance reviewed for this page.

Homeowner? If you had plumbing work done in NSW, ask for a copy of the Certificate of Compliance, and the sewer service diagram if the job touched your sewer pipes. You should have these once the final inspection has passed.

What the certificate must show

Address and description of the plumbing or drainage work carried out
Statement that the work complies with the Home Building Act, the Plumbing and Drainage Regulation and the Plumbing Code of Australia
Name and licence details of the plumber or drainer responsible for the work
For drainage on a private sewer pipe, a matching sewer service diagram showing the pipe layout

Produce it from a ServiceM8 job

In Settings > Forms > Add Form, create a form called NSW plumbing compliance.
Add a Multiple Choice question, Lodgement area, with options Sydney/Illawarra/Blue Mountains/Newcastle/Hunter (MyInspections Gateway) and Regional NSW (local council), so the office knows which pathway the job follows.
Add a Date question, Notice of Work lodged, and a Text question, Notice of Work reference, to complete before the job is scheduled, so a job cannot start without proof the notice went in first.
Add a Multiple Choice question, Sewer service diagram required, Yes or No, and where it applies, a Photo or File question to attach the diagram.
Add a Date question, Certificate of Compliance issued, and a Text question for the plumber's licence number, to complete once the final inspection is booked.
Attach the form to a job badge, for example Plumbing NSW, and require it before the job can be invoiced.
When the form is saved, the PDF lands in the job diary. Email the customer their Certificate of Compliance and sewer service diagram copies from there, and keep the MyInspections Gateway or council reference on file.

Two documents, in a fixed order

NSW splits plumbing and drainage paperwork into a before and an after. The Notice of Work is lodged before you start any plumbing or drainage work that requires an inspection, and names the work to be carried out and the licensed person doing it. It is not required for emergency work, or for minor jobs such as replacing tapware, swapping an existing hot water system, or a bathroom renovation that does not move any fixtures.

The Certificate of Compliance is completed at the end of the job. It confirms the work complies with the Home Building Act, the Plumbing and Drainage Regulation and the Deemed to Satisfy provisions of the Plumbing Code of Australia, and it names the plumber or drainer responsible.

Where it goes depends on the postcode

For work in Sydney, the Illawarra, the Blue Mountains, Newcastle and the Hunter, both documents are lodged online through the MyInspections Gateway to Building Commission NSW. Outside those areas, licensees use the Combined Notice of Work and Certificate of Compliance form and lodge it with the local council acting as the plumbing regulator. Either way, the Certificate of Compliance has to reach the regulator before the final inspection is booked.

The sewer service diagram is a separate document

Drainage work connected to a private sewer pipe also needs a sewer service diagram, submitted once the drainage work is finished. It is not folded into the Certificate of Compliance: it is its own record showing the pipe layout on the property, and it goes in alongside the certificate rather than instead of it.

Who ends up with a copy

The property owner or the builder who arranged the work gets a copy of both the Certificate of Compliance and, where one was needed, the sewer service diagram. The originals go to Building Commission NSW or the local plumbing regulator, which is what makes the job show as compliant on the public record rather than just finished on site.

If it never gets lodged

Fair Trading investigates alleged breaches of the Home Building Act and deals with confirmed offences by penalty notice, prosecution through the Local Court, injunctive action in the Supreme Court, or disciplinary action against the licence. The department's own guidance does not publish a fixed dollar penalty specifically for a late or missing Notice of Work, Certificate of Compliance or sewer service diagram, so treat the licence risk, not a set fine figure, as the real cost of skipping the paperwork.

Sources

A Notice of Work must be submitted before starting plumbing or drainage work that requires an inspection: through the MyInspections Gateway to Building Commission NSW for work in the Sydney, Illawarra, Blue Mountains, Newcastle and Hunter region, or on the Combined Notice of Work and Certificate of Compliance form to the local plumbing regulator elsewhere in NSW. NSW Government, Plumbing and drainage inspection documents, checked 25 Sep 2026.
A Notice of Work is not required for emergency work, or for minor works such as replacing tapware or an existing hot water system, or a bathroom renovation where fixture locations have not changed. NSW Government, Plumbing and drainage inspection documents, checked 25 Sep 2026.
A Certificate of Compliance is completed at the end of all plumbing and drainage work. It confirms the work complies with the Act, the Regulation and the Plumbing Code of Australia, and identifies the plumber or drainer responsible for the work. NSW Government, Plumbing and drainage inspection documents, checked 25 Sep 2026.
A copy of the Certificate of Compliance goes to the property owner or builder who arranged the work, and the certificate is submitted to Building Commission NSW (via the MyInspections Gateway) or the local plumbing regulator before the final inspection. NSW Government, Plumbing and drainage inspection documents, checked 25 Sep 2026.
A sewer service diagram is required for drainage work involving private sewer pipes, submitted at completion of the drainage work. A copy goes to the property owner or builder, and the original goes to Building Commission NSW or the local plumbing regulator. NSW Government, Plumbing and drainage inspection documents, checked 25 Sep 2026.
Fair Trading investigates alleged breaches of the Home Building Act, and deals with resulting offences by the issue of a penalty notice, prosecution through the Local Court, injunctive action in the Supreme Court of NSW, or disciplinary action. NSW Fair Trading, Home building compliance and enforcement, checked 25 Sep 2026.