Plumbing compliance certificates
A compliance certificate is issued by a licensed plumber to certify the work they carry out complies with the relevant plumbing standards, codes and regulations. Only a licensed plumber may issue a compliance certificate – registered plumbers cannot issue them.
A licensed plumber is required to lodge a compliance certificate with the VBA within five days of completing any of the following work:
- has a total value of $750 or more, including labour, materials, appliances and fixtures (regardless of who purchased them)
- was carried out on below-ground sanitary drains
- involved the installation, relocation, replacement or conversion of any gas-using appliance
- involved the installation, modification or relocation of consumer gas piping
- involved the construction, installation, relocation, alteration or replacement of cooling towers.
Your plumber should issue you with a signed compliance certificate within five days of the plumbing work being completed. You should keep a copy of the compliance certificate, as it is an important record that helps protect you against faulty workmanship.
If you terminate the appointment of the licenced plumber that you have engaged before the plumbing work is complete, you may be entitled to a compliance certificate for the incomplete work. It will be necessary to terminate the contract and requested the compliance certificate in writing to the licenced plumber.
See a sample plumbing compliance certificate (PDF, 1750.18 KB).
If your plumber fails to issue or lodge a compliance certificate within five days, you can lodge a complaint with the VBA, using our online customer service portal VBA360.
For more information on complaints, see the VBA complaints process.