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Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 (NSW)

The NSW Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 regulates plumbing, drainage, and gasfitting work and licensing. The Notice of Work, Certificate of Compliance, and who inspects.

By Chalkline. Last updated 25 May 2026. Verified 25 May 2026.

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The Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 (NSW) is the NSW legislation that regulates plumbing, drainage, and gasfitting work and licensing. It sets who can do the work, the notification and inspection regime, and the regulator’s enforcement powers. For a builder, it is the Act that sits behind every plumbing rough-in and final on a NSW job, and it is separate from the Home Building Act 1989, which covers builder licensing (verified 2026-05-25, NSW legislation).

What it covers

The Act governs three things on a NSW site:

  • Who can do the work. Plumbing, draining, and gasfitting work must be done by a person holding the right licence or certificate. Eligibility is qualification- and experience-based, and doing the work unlicensed is an offence.
  • The work itself. It must comply with the plumbing and drainage requirements (the Plumbing Code of Australia and the relevant standards).
  • The notification and inspection regime. The Act requires the work to be notified and certified (see below), so it can be inspected and recorded.

Notice of Work and Certificate of Compliance

The two documents a builder will see on a NSW plumbing job:

  • Notice of Work (NoW): the licensed plumber notifies the plumbing regulator before starting the work.
  • Certificate of Compliance (CoC): on completion, the responsible person gives the regulator a written certificate that the work is code-compliant, and a copy to the owner (verified 2026-05-25, Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 s 15). The two are commonly lodged together on a combined Notice of Work and Certificate of Compliance form, which prints copies for the licensee, the owner, and the regulator.

The CoC is the document that proves the plumbing was done by a licensed person to code. Keep it: it is part of the building’s compliance record and the owner’s evidence of compliant work.

Who inspects and enforces

The plumbing regulator under the Act is the Secretary of the administering department, and the regulator role is exercised by Building Commission NSW (verified 2026-05-25). In practice:

  • In the metropolitan and coastal areas (Sydney, the Illawarra, the Blue Mountains, and the Newcastle-Hunter region), the Building Commission audits and inspects plumbing and drainage work.
  • In regional NSW, inspection and enforcement are delegated to local councils and water authorities.

The Act also gives the regulator powers over defective or uninspected work, so plumbing that was never notified or certified, or that fails inspection, can be ordered rectified.

For a builder

  • Use a licensed plumber and confirm the lodgements. The plumber must hold the right NSW licence and lodge the Notice of Work and Certificate of Compliance. Do not let plumbing be covered until you know the NoW is in.
  • Collect the Certificate of Compliance. It is the proof the plumbing is compliant; file it with the job records and hand a copy to the owner.
  • Know who inspects your area. Metro and coastal work is audited by Building Commission NSW; regional work is inspected by the local council. The path differs by location.
  • Do not conflate the Acts. Builder licensing is the Home Building Act 1989; plumbing licensing and compliance is this Act. They are separate regimes with separate regulators’ roles.

Also known as: NSW Plumbing and Drainage Act, PDA 2011 NSW.

See also

Last updated: 2026-05-25. Verified: 2026-05-25. Quarterly review for currency.

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