Council plumbing inspections

Box 2 · The inspection

Council’s plumbing and drainage inspections on the Central Coast

On-site plumbing work on the Central Coast needs an inspection by Central Coast Council. Council’s page sets out five steps: an inspection application and payment, the plumber’s notice of work, booked inspections, and then, within two days of finishing, a certificate of compliance and a drainage diagram for any sanitary drainage work.

General information, not legal advice. Central Coast Council’s plumbing and drainage page holds the current steps and forms, and Building Commission NSW publishes its own combined notice of work and certificate of compliance.

The five steps

  1. Before anything is booked

    1. The inspection application, and payment

    The job starts with Council’s application for a plumbing and drainage inspection, sent to Council by email. Council’s team assesses it within 48 hours and sends an invoice. The application does not have to come from the plumber: Council accepts it from an owner, a builder, a plumber or another relevant person. Inspections cannot be booked until Council has received the payment.

  2. At least two days before work starts

    2. The notice of work

    The plumber gives Council a notice of work no later than two days before starting on the property. It has to be signed by a licensed plumber. If the fees are still unpaid, they are paid when the notice goes in; if they are already paid, the receipt number is written on the notice.

  3. At least 48 hours before each inspection

    3. Booking the inspections

    Council asks for bookings at least 48 hours ahead of the preferred inspection time. Its page lists three ways to book, by email, through an online booking form or by phone, and says its team will try to find a time and date that fits the job’s requirements.

  4. Within two days of finishing

    4. The certificate of compliance

    Once the plumbing work is complete, the plumber has two days to submit a certificate of compliance. Council gets a copy, the owner gets a copy, and the plumber keeps one.

  5. Within the same two days

    5. The drainage diagram

    Where the job included sanitary drainage work, the plumber also gives Council and the customer a drainage diagram of that work, drawn on Council’s template, within two days of completion.

The time limits, side by side

An illustration only: the three clocks in Council’s steps, set out in the order a job meets them.

2 days beforeThe notice of work reaches Council at least two days before the plumber starts.
48 hours aheadEach inspection is booked at least 48 hours before the preferred time.
2 days afterThe certificate of compliance, and any drainage diagram, follow within two days of finishing.

What the owner ends up holding

Two documents come back to the owner at the end of an inspected job. The first is a copy of the certificate of compliance, which the plumber gives to Council and the owner within two days of finishing.

The second, where there was sanitary drainage work, is the drainage diagram, drawn on Council’s template and given to Council and the customer within the same two days.

The forms Council points to

Council’s page links a notice of work, a certificate of compliance, and a sewer service diagram template for the drainage diagram. It also links a file that combines the notice of work and the certificate of compliance, which can be filled in on screen but still has to be printed. Every form can be printed from Council’s site, and printed booklets can be bought from Council.

Building Commission NSW publishes a combined notice of work and certificate of compliance of its own, with separate copies for the licensee, the owner and the regulator.

Checking whether a job needs an inspection

Council’s page states the general rule: on-site plumbing work in the Central Coast region requires a Council inspection.

If you are unsure whether a job needs an inspection, the commission’s advice for council areas like the Central Coast is to check with the council so that every inspection requirement is identified.

Where an owner comes in

Most of the steps belong to the plumber, but two are open to an owner: lodging the inspection application and paying Council’s invoice. The notice of work, the certificate and the diagram stay with the licensed plumber, as the licences guide sets out step by step. Where an existing septic tank or other on-site system is being altered, Council asks for the same plumbing and drainage inspection application for works to the internal plumbing and drainage, alongside the approvals in the on-site sewage guide.