SA plumbing, gas and electrical certificates of compliance

What is a certificate of compliance in SA?

An eCoC is a legal document for plumbing, gas fitting or electrical work in South Australia, subject to the exceptions described by the OTR and SA.GOV.AU below. The OTR’s eCoC page calls them “legal documents required by law.”

The SA.GOV.AU page on certificates of compliance, provided by the Department for Energy and Mining, says the tradesperson, and any contractor involved in the work, must both sign off on the eCoC, and that the certificate confirms that the tradesperson is correctly licensed; that the completed work has been tested, is safe and meets the Australian Standards; and that the contractor has informed the owner of any existing safety concerns.

The OTR pages name a different Act for each trade: the Water Industry Act 2012 and the South Australian Public Health Act 2011 for plumbing, the Electricity Act 1996 for electrical work, and the Gas Act 1997 for gas. The OTR’s 2018 plumbing advisory note says “Licensing requirements are under the Plumbers, Gas Fitters and Electricians Act 1995.”

Who issues a certificate of compliance, and who gets a copy?

The licensed tradesperson issues it. The OTR’s trade pages say only people with an appropriate licence “can legally fill out an eCoC and certify work.”

The OTR says members of the public cannot access the eCoC system directly, but “will be able to receive electronic certificates of compliance from their licensed tradesperson by email”. Where a customer has no email, certificates “can be printed by the contractor from the eCoC system and sent by post.”

For plumbing, the OTR plumbing page says the copy goes to “the customer and the OTR”. Once a certificate is submitted, the OTR says it “can be emailed and/or printed but can’t be changed”; errors need a replacement certificate.

For a later owner, the OTR says new property owners or other interested parties “can request copies of previously issued certificates of compliance from previous owners, or by contacting the OTR”.

Do you need a plumbing certificate of compliance?

The OTR plumbing page states: “Plumbers must issue an eCoC to customers after completing any plumbing work.” It says plumbers must provide a copy to the customer and the OTR “within seven days of finishing plumbing work”, except for changing tap washers; clearing blocked sanitary drainage pipework not exceeding 50 mm in diameter; and replacing, altering, repairing, maintaining or disconnecting domestic tapware.

The SA.GOV.AU page lists plumbing work that needs an eCoC, including pipework and fixtures from the mains water supply or sewer, sanitary plumbing and drainage, and installing or replacing a water heater. Its list of work that does not need one differs from the OTR page and includes installing stormwater systems.

Where in-ground sanitary drainage pipework is installed or altered, the OTR says the plumber must also give the customer and the OTR an “as-constructed drainage plan” within seven days. The advisory note says owners “should keep certificates of compliance”.

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What does an electrical certificate of compliance do?

SA.GOV.AU says electricians must provide an eCoC for most electrical work, excluding minor maintenance such as replacing lightbulbs; its words are “for most of their work”. The OTR electrical page gives the purpose of an eCoC as to enable self-certification of electrical work; to “assure the customer that the work is installed, examined and tested to the required Australian Standards”; to protect the electrician by limiting their liability to the work they have carried out; and to allow the OTR to audit electrical installations.

On timing, the OTR eCoC page says electrical certificates “must be certified before making the installation available for energisation”, and then submitted and provided to the owner or operator within 30 days.

When is a gas certificate of compliance required?

The OTR gas page states: “Gas fitters must issue an eCoC to customers after completing any gas installation work.” The work it lists includes installing, replacing, removing or repairing gas pipework; installing new, pre-owned or replacement gas appliances; relocating appliances; installing flue pipes; commissioning appliances; and converting appliances between natural gas and LPG. It says a gas eCoC “is not required for repairing broken-down appliances, or for maintenance service work where the appliance is not modified from the manufacturer’s specifications.” The OTR eCoC page says gas certificates must be submitted within 30 days of completing the job.

How is it different from the Statement of Compliance and the certificate of occupancy?

They are different documents from different schemes. The eCoC is a trade certificate for plumbing, gas or electrical work, issued by the licensed worker under the trade legislation named above.

The Statement of Compliance and the certificate of occupancy belong to the planning and building approval process, not to the trade certificate scheme. For those separate planning documents, see the linked notes on the Statement of Compliance and the certificate of occupancy.

The OTR and SA.GOV.AU pages read for this note do not say whether a trade certificate must accompany either.

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What if a certificate is not provided or the work looks wrong?

The SA.GOV.AU page says to “Contact the Office of the Technical Regulator if a tradesperson is refusing to provide you with an eCoC.” It also states: “Without an eCoC for these works, insurance companies could refuse claims if the related works cause a fire or damage.”

For concerns about the work itself, the OTR plumbing page offers a customer request for investigation where an installation “has not been completed to relevant codes and standards”, and the OTR electrical page offers a Complaints Pack for complaints about “the safety or technical compliance of an electrical installation”.

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