Plumbing inspections and as-constructed plans

All permit work must be inspected by Council. During construction, the plumbing contractor must contact Council to arrange for the work to be inspected. In most situations, an as-constructed plan of the installed plumbing and drainage will be required.

Inspections

Prior to booking an inspection:

a permit must be issued by Council for the related work
a completed Form 7 – Notification of responsible person (PDF - 274kb) must be submitted by the responsible person for the work being inspected
all relevant fees paid
the installed plumbing needs to be visible and under test
review all permit conditions including identifying if plumbing pre-start meeting is required prior to work commencing.

To book an inspection, please contact Council’s Plumbing Hotline on 07 3403 9999 between 7.30am and 4.30pm at least two working days before the date of the required inspection.

Limits on the number of inspections

The number of inspections included with the initial inspection fee is limited for the following application types:

New dwelling house/secondary dwelling/class 10a building – 5 inspections
Alterations to dwelling house/secondary dwelling/class 10a building – 3 inspections
Minor commercial installation – 4 inspections
Drainage works and pre-fabricated pods - 1 inspection
Alterations limited to external on-site sewage or greywater facility works - 2 inspections
Building type other than dwelling – No inspection limit

Inspection limits include cancellations made after 9am the day prior to the scheduled date.

Further inspections may be requested. Fees apply - see Plumbing and drainage fees (PDF - 793kb).

Pre-start meeting

To identify if a plumbing pre-start meeting is required, refer to the plumbing permit conditions. These meetings are only relevant where inspections are required for a building type other than a dwelling house. This service is not available for dwelling house permits.

You are required to have a pre-start meeting (if identified in the conditions) prior to requesting inspections.

The purpose of this meeting is to set expectations about the inspection process and provide guidance for any questions. To request a pre-start, contact Council’s Plumbing Hotline on 07 3403 9999 between 7.30am and 4.30pm at least two working days before the date of the required inspection.

Virtual inspections

Council offers the option of a virtual plumbing inspection. Virtual plumbing inspections are conducted remotely by an officer from Council’s Plumbing Services team. This option offers increased flexibility to the booking time on the day of the inspection. Standard booking timeframe requirements apply, and virtual inspections are only available for inspections on dwelling house projects.

Requests for virtual inspections for other project types may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Council reserves the right to determine a virtual inspection may not be suitable in some cases. After-hours and extended inspections are not available to be conducted virtually.

For further information regarding the types of virtual inspection being offered, please contact Council’s Plumbing Services team on 07 3403 9999 during business hours.

For steps on how to book and conduct a virtual plumbing inspection, you can download the:

After-hours inspections

Council offers inspections outside of business hours upon request, subject to availability. Fees apply - see Plumbing and drainage fees (PDF - 793kb).

After-hours inspections may be requested for a time prior to 6.30am or after 4.30pm on working days, or for anytime on a weekend or public holiday. Requests for after-hours inspections must be made prior to 2pm for same-day afternoon or evening bookings on working days, and by 2pm the previous working day for morning, weekend or public holiday bookings.

After-hours inspections can be requested using the online request form.

Priority inspections

Council offers short-notice inspections during regular business hours, for the same day or following working day, subject to availability. Fees apply - see Plumbing and drainage fees (PDF - 793kb).

Priority inspections may be requested for either the morning or afternoon on working days, with no guaranteed time. Requests for priority inspections must be made prior to 2pm for same-day afternoon or following morning bookings.

Priority inspections can be requested using the online request form.

Extended inspections

Council now offers longer inspections (up to three hours and 15 minutes) upon request, subject to availability. Fees apply - see Plumbing and drainage fees (PDF - 793kb).

Extended inspections begin at 8am on working days only. Requests for extended inspections must be made prior to 4pm two working days prior to the inspection date. There is a limit of one extended inspection per development per day.

Extended inspections can be requested using the online request form.

Final inspections

Before booking a final plumbing inspection, the installation must be complete and ready, with all legislated or Council requirements met.

Final inspections for buildings other than dwellings

Council requires:

all Form 9’s (PDF - 224kb) submitted, and payment made for any installed testable backflow prevention devices
the Commissioning Certificate for any installed on-site sewage facilities
a full set of as-constructed drawings on site
a PDF version of the as-constructed drawings to be submitted to Council.

The as-constructed drawings are required to be submitted in the same format as Council’s stamped approved set with the same number of drawings/pages.

Download the final inspection fact sheet:

Final inspections for dwelling houses

Council requires:

all Form 9’s (PDF - 224kb) submitted, and payment made for any installed testable backflow prevention devices
the Commissioning Certificate for any installed on-site sewage facilities.

As-constructed drainage plan requirements for dwelling houses

Council requires the licensed plumbing contractor to provide an as-constructed drainage plan to the Council Plumbing Inspector at the sanitary drain inspection.

The as-constructed plan is to indicate the sewer connection details and all in-ground sanitary drainage, plus the location of the water meter and in-ground water service to the point of entry.

The as-constructed plan must be drawn on the Council template provided below and be either A4 or A3 size. The fact sheet below contains an example indicating the minimum standard required.

Failure to provide the as-constructed drainage plan at the sanitary drain inspection or to the required standard may result in the inspection being failed, which may incur additional charges.

Download the fact sheet and template:

Licensed plumbers

All plumbing and drainage work, other than unregulated work, must be carried out by a licenced plumber or drainer. To confirm a plumber or drainer is in possession of a current suitable licence, visit the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) website or phone the QBCC on 13 93 33.

Last updated: 1 August 2023