Approvals · Hawkesbury City Council and Building Commission NSW
Checking a plumber, and the council’s approvals
Look the plumber up on the NSW Government’s Verify NSW register, by name or licence number. In the Hawkesbury the second question is who approves and inspects the work, and since 1 July 2026 that depends largely on whether the property is connected to Sydney Water’s sewer.
A guide published by Dotto about Richmond, New South Wales. General information, not legal advice.
The licence itself
The check is the same across NSW: Verify NSW shows whether a licence is valid. This page covers what is particular to the Hawkesbury.
The licence number turns up in the council’s own paperwork too. Its form for installing or changing a septic system asks for the installer’s licence number, and a request for a council plumbing inspection must give the plumber’s name and licence number.
Who inspects which work
Hawkesbury City Council’s page sets out the split from 1 July 2026, when its Windsor sewer scheme passed to Sydney Water.
| The work | Who |
|---|---|
| New plumbing and drainage connected to Sydney Water’s sewer in Bligh Park, McGraths Hill, Pitt Town, South Windsor and Windsor | Building Commission NSW, for work from 1 July 2026 |
| Work in those areas lodged, approved and paid for with the council on or before 30 June 2026 | Hawkesbury City Council |
| Work connected to Sydney Water’s sewer elsewhere, including Richmond and North Richmond | Building Commission NSW |
| On-site sewage systems and private sewer mains | Hawkesbury City Council |
| Approved work elsewhere in the council area, outside Sydney Water’s sewered areas | Hawkesbury City Council |
| Wastewater and recycled water service connection approvals | Sydney Water |
| Stormwater drainage | The job’s certifier, a private certifier or the council |
Where a property is connected to Sydney Water’s sewer, Building Commission NSW runs an audit-based system: plumbers make an inspection booking, but only some work is selected for one, and the plumber learns which at the appointment time. If you are unsure whether land is connected to Sydney Water’s sewer or unserviced, the council asks you to call its Customer Service Centre on (02) 4560 4444.
When the council inspects
Where the council is the inspector, it requires inspections of all plumbing and drainage work unless its inspector says otherwise, and the work must be passed before it is covered up. The plumber books at least 48 hours ahead, and if the work isn’t ready the council may charge a re-inspection fee.
- Internal drainage: once all the internal drainage pipe and any bedding is in, before backfilling.
- External drainage: once the pipe is in and the septic tank installed or the sewer connected, before backfilling.
- Final, and hot and cold water: only in areas with recycled water.
The papers the council expects
For work the council oversees, the plumber or drainer sends it a Notice of Work no later than 2 business days before the work, a Certificate of Compliance after the final inspection (with a copy to the person the work was done for), and, at the end of drainage work, a works-as-executed Sewer Service Diagram, which also goes to the owner. The council also notes that all plumbing and drainage work in its area must comply with the Plumbing Code of Australia and AS/NZS 3500.
A Drainage Diagram maps the service lines inside and outside a property, together with the council’s sewer mains, and the Conveyancing (Sale of Land) Regulation 2022 requires it to be attached to a contract of sale. The council’s drainage diagram page predates the 1 July 2026 handover and still describes the council as the sewer authority for Windsor and nearby areas; ask the council on (02) 4560 4444 which body now issues the diagram.