ServiceM8 form
ServiceM8 plumbing certificate of compliance form for NSW
This is a ServiceM8 Form for the certificate of compliance a responsible person must give after plumbing and drainage work in NSW. It records the work, whether it is code compliant, the network utility operator (Sydney Water, Hunter Water or a local council), and confirms a copy went to both the customer and the plumbing regulator, matching s15 of the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011.
Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
Free form
Plumbing certificate of compliance form for plumbing
A certificate of compliance PDF matching s15 of the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 (NSW), plus a checklist confirming both required copies were issued.
The form: 16 questions
| Section | Question | Type | Req. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job | Property address | Text | Yes | |
| Job | Owner name | Text | Yes | |
| Job | Responsible person name and licence number | Text | Yes | The person who carried out or supervised the plumbing and drainage work. |
| Job | Network utility operator | Choice Sydney Water / Hunter Water / Licensed network operator (Water Industry Competition Act) / Local council or county council / Water supply authority (Water Management Act) | Yes | Depends on the property's location, not the trade doing the work. |
| Work | Description of plumbing and drainage work carried out | Text (Multi-line) | Yes | |
| Work | Work type | Choice Water supply / Sanitary plumbing / Sanitary drainage / Stormwater drainage / Other | Yes | |
| Work | Includes work on a sanitary drainage system | Choice Yes / No | Yes | If yes, a plan must also be supplied under s16, separate from this certificate. |
| Work | Date work completed | Date | Yes | |
| Compliance | Was the work physically inspected before completion | Choice Yes / No | Yes | Determines whether the certificate to the regulator is due on completion or within the prescribed period after. |
| Compliance | Work is code compliant | Choice Yes / No, with notes | Yes | |
| Compliance | Notes on any non-compliance | Text (Multi-line) | ||
| Compliance | Photo of completed work | Photo | ||
| Distribution | Certificate given to plumbing regulator | Choice Yes / No | Yes | |
| Distribution | Certificate copy given to person work was carried out for | Choice Yes / No | Yes | |
| Distribution | Certificate copy passed to owner (if you contracted someone else to do the work) | Choice Yes / No / Not applicable | Yes | |
| Sign off | Responsible person signature | Signature | Yes |
Set it up in ServiceM8
- In ServiceM8 open Settings > Forms > Add Form and name it Plumbing certificate of compliance (NSW).
- Add each question above, matching the type (Choice means Multiple Choice) and ticking Mandatory where required is true.
- Set the Network utility operator choice as a required field so the office knows which body the certificate copy needs to reach for that job.
- Use ServiceM8 Automation to send the customer their certificate copy automatically once the form is signed, since s15(1)(b) requires that copy regardless of whether the job was inspected.
- If the job also included gasfitting, run a separate compliance record for that work, since this Act's certificate does not cover it.
Who this applies to, and who it does not
The Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 (NSW) covers plumbing and drainage work: water supply, sanitary plumbing and sanitary drainage, stormwater drainage connected to a network utility operator's system, and similar. It does not use the word gasfitting anywhere in its definitions, so a certificate of compliance under this Act is not evidence of compliant gas work. If your job included both plumbing and gasfitting, this form covers the plumbing side only, and the gas work needs whatever separate compliance process applies to it.
Section 15 puts the duty on the responsible person for the work, defined elsewhere in the Act, and section 3 defines the plumbing regulator as the Commissioner for Fair Trading (or, if that role is vacant, the Secretary of the department). The certificate itself goes to two places: the plumbing regulator, and the person the work was carried out for, whether as contractor or employee.
What section 15 actually requires
Section 15(1) requires the responsible person to give the plumbing regulator a certificate of compliance, either on completion of the work if a physical inspection was conducted, or otherwise within the period the regulations prescribe, and to give a copy to the person the work was carried out for within the period the regulations prescribe. The maximum penalty for either failure is 100 penalty units. Section 15(2) adds a separate duty: a person who contracted someone else to do the work, and who is not the owner, must pass a copy of the certificate on to the owner or the owner's agent within the prescribed period after receiving it, again with a 100 penalty unit maximum. Section 15(3) defines a certificate of compliance as a written document, in an approved form, certifying that the work is code compliant.
Which network utility operator gets involved
Section 3 defines network utility operator to include the Hunter Water Corporation, the Sydney Water Corporation, a licensed network operator under the Water Industry Competition Act 2006, a water supply authority under the Water Management Act 2000, and a local council or county council exercising water or sewerage functions. Which one applies depends on where the property sits, which is why the form asks the tradie to name the operator rather than assuming it is always Sydney Water. Work on a sanitary drainage system also triggers a separate obligation under section 16 to supply a plan to the owner and, where relevant, the network utility operator, which this form does not replace.
What this form will not do
- The exact period the regulations prescribe for giving each copy of the certificate is set in the Plumbing and Drainage Regulation, not the Act, and is not reproduced on this page. Check the current Regulation before setting a deadline in your workflow.
- This certificate does not cover gasfitting. The Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 (NSW) does not use that term in its definitions.
- The form assumes the tradie knows which network utility operator serves the property. Where that is unclear, confirm it before lodging rather than guessing.
- ServiceM8 Forms do not automatically escalate an overdue certificate copy. A missed Yes or No on the distribution questions needs a human to notice it.
Sources
- The responsible person for plumbing and drainage work must give the plumbing regulator a certificate of compliance (on completion of the work if physically inspected, otherwise within the period the regulations prescribe) and give a copy to the person the work was carried out for within the period the regulations prescribe; maximum penalty 100 penalty units. Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 (NSW), s 15(1), checked 25 Sep 2026.
- A person who contracts with another person to carry out plumbing and drainage work, and who is not the owner of the premises, must give a copy of the certificate of compliance to the owner or the owner's agent within the period the regulations prescribe after receiving it; maximum penalty 100 penalty units. A certificate of compliance is a written document, in an approved form, certifying that the work is code compliant. Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 (NSW), s 15(2)-(3), checked 25 Sep 2026.
- The plumbing regulator under the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 (NSW) means the Commissioner for Fair Trading, Department of Finance, Services and Innovation, or, if that role is vacant, the Secretary of the Department. Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 (NSW), s 3 definitions, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Network utility operator under the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 (NSW) means the Hunter Water Corporation, the Sydney Water Corporation, a licensed network operator under the Water Industry Competition Act 2006, a water supply authority under the Water Management Act 2000, and a local council or county council exercising water or sewerage functions. Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 (NSW), s 3 definitions, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- ServiceM8 Forms question types are Text, Text (Multi-line), Number, Date, Multiple Choice, Multiple Choice (Multi-answer), Signature and Photo; a question can be made compulsory; completed forms are converted to PDF and saved to the job diary. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.