How to Lodge a Certificate of Compliance in Tasmania (Plain-English Guide)

A Certificate of Compliance is the document that says the work you did meets the standards and regulations for your trade. In Tasmania, licensed electrical and plumbing work generally requires one (for plumbing it’s called a certificate of the standard of work), and lodging it is the licensed practitioner’s responsibility — not the customer’s.

Here’s what tradies actually need to know, without the regulator-speak.

What is a Certificate of Compliance?

A Certificate of Compliance is a formal record that a piece of licensed work — electrical or plumbing — was carried out to the required standard by a licensed person. It protects you, the customer, and anyone who works on the property later. It’s proof the job was done right.

Who has to lodge it?

The licensed practitioner who did the work lodges the certificate. If you’re the sparky or the plumber on the job, that’s you. You can’t hand the responsibility to the customer, and “the other bloke was going to do it” won’t stand up if there’s ever a question.

When does it need to be lodged?

Certificates are time-sensitive, and in Tasmania the deadlines are set in regulation. Confirm the current detail with TechSafe or CBOS before you rely on this list:

• Electrical: notifiable work needs its Certificate of Electrical Compliance lodged with TechSafe Australia within three days of energising (Occupational Licensing (Electrical Work) Regulations 2018, reg 15). Like-for-like repairs and replacements are generally exempt.
• Gas: the certificate of compliance is due within 48 hours of commissioning (Gas Safety Regulations 2021, reg 58).
• Plumbing: for notifiable work, you notify the council on completion and give it the certificate of the standard of work within five business days (Building Act 2016 and Building Regulations 2016).

Keep your records too: electrical, plumbing and gas work all carry a ten-year minimum. Leaving certificates stacked up is one of the most common ways tradies fall behind on compliance, and it’s the kind of thing that only becomes a problem when it’s already a problem.

How do you actually lodge one?

For electrical work, Certificate of Electrical Compliance books are free from Service Tasmania or TechSafe; you’ll need your licence number. Each page is in triplicate: the white copy goes to the customer, the blue copy to TechSafe and the green copy stays in the book. You lodge the TechSafe copy by email, post or drop box, and the current details are on the CBOS website.

Whatever the trade, it’s the same routine: fill out the certificate with the job details and your licence information, then send it to the right body. For a busy tradie, this usually means a pile of forms waiting for a night at the desk — which is exactly why so many fall behind.

The modern way is to let your job software start it for you. When your system already knows the job details and your licence number, you finish the job, add the few details the law needs, sign it, and copy it onto the regulator’s own form. Tasmania has no online lodgement system yet (the Government called tenders for an electrical and gas system in February 2026), so lodging it is still your job; no software can do that part for you.

Stop filling them in by hand

This is a heavy paperwork load for licensed tradies, and part of it can be taken off your plate. TradieO starts your certificate from the job record when you mark a job complete, with the job’s details already in. You add a few details, sign it, and it’s filed, with the lodging deadline counted down and reminders before it’s due. No blank forms, and no losing track of what’s due.

Frequently asked questions