Notice of Work (NSW plumbing)
A Notice of Work (NoW) is the pre-work notification a NSW licensed plumber lodges with NSW Fair Trading before starting notifiable plumbing or drainage work.
Ask Chalkline about this →A Notice of Work (NoW) is the pre-work notification a NSW licensed plumber lodges with NSW Fair Trading before commencing notifiable plumbing or drainage work. It is paired with the Certificate of Compliance (CoC) the plumber lodges at completion. Together, the two documents are how NSW Fair Trading sees what plumbing work is happening and what has been certified by a licensed practitioner.
When it is required
A NoW is required for notifiable plumbing and drainage work, the categories of work the NSW Plumbing and Drainage Act and Regulation specify. The recurring residential triggers:
- Connection or alteration of a new dwelling’s water service.
- Drainage installation or alteration that connects to sewer.
- Stormwater drainage works connecting to a system.
- Hot water and gas-related plumbing within the licensed plumber’s scope.
Minor maintenance and like-for-like repairs typically do not require a NoW, but the licensed plumber on the job makes the call.
How it works
The lodgement process replaced the older paper-based council inspection notification path:
- Plumber lodges the NoW online with NSW Fair Trading before work starts. The notice records the location, the licensed practitioner, and the type of notifiable work.
- Work proceeds under the licensed plumber’s responsibility.
- At completion, the plumber lodges the Certificate of Compliance (CoC) certifying the work meets AS/NZS 3500 and the relevant standards. The CoC is the document a certifier, conveyancer, or future owner relies on.
The NoW + CoC pair is the audit trail that NSW Fair Trading uses for compliance monitoring and that the building approval process can rely on for plumbing sign-off.
Why it matters
For a builder running a NSW residential job, the NoW is the plumber’s responsibility, not the builder’s, but two practical points:
- Coordinate the timing: a plumber needs to lodge the NoW before starting the notifiable work. Late lodgement is a compliance breach that can come back to the builder via certifier queries.
- Get the CoC at handover: the matching CoC at completion is what closes the plumbing file. A NoW without a CoC is an open record. Make the CoC part of the handover-pack checklist.
Also known as: NoW, Plumbing Notice of Work, NSW plumber notification.
Category: Plumbing / NSW notifications
Related
See also
Last updated: 2026-05-29. Verified: 2026-05-29. Quarterly review for currency.