Which document is which
| Who issues it | For which work | When you get it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas Safety Certificate | The gasfitter who connects the work, or their supervisor | All gasfitting, once it's finished and connected | Issued within 20 working days of connection; your copy within 20 working days of issue |
| Gas certificate of compliance (CoC) | Someone who did or supervised the work and is authorised to certify that kind of gasfitting | General and high-risk gasfitting; optional for low-risk work | A copy goes to whoever contracted the work |
| Self-certification certificate of compliance | A certifying plumber or drainlayer holding PGDB's self-certification endorsement | Eligible consented plumbing and drainlaying, never gas | Within 10 working days of finishing, and lodged with PGDB |
| Code compliance certificate (CCC) | The council, as building consent authority | Work done under a building consent | After all the consented work is finished and you apply |
Gas work: the Gas Safety Certificate
Every gasfitting job ends with a Gas Safety Certificate once the work is complete and connected to the gas. The person who connects it, or their supervisor, issues it only if satisfied the installation is safe. If they aren't satisfied, they must disconnect it from the supply immediately. For Building Act purposes, the certificate confirms the gasfitting complies with the Building Code.
It must be issued no later than 20 working days after connection, and whoever contracted the work should get a copy within 20 working days of its issue. The issuer keeps a copy for at least 7 years.
Gas work: the certificate of compliance
WorkSafe sorts gasfitting into three risk classes. Low-risk covers replacing an appliance with an equivalent model where nothing else changes: same pipework and flue, same pressure, gas type, ventilation, energy use and operation. A brand-new appliance installation is general. Adding to or altering an existing installation is high-risk.
A certificate of compliance is required for all general and high-risk gasfitting, and that work isn't complete until one is issued. For low-risk work it's optional, so a like-for-like swap may come with a Gas Safety Certificate alone. High-risk work is also entered on the Electricity and Gas High-risk Database within 20 working days of the certificate.
You may also see gas paperwork called an Energy Works Certificate, which is how the Building Act recognises gas certificates.
Plumbing and drainlaying: self-certification
Self-certification is new. The law took effect on 30 June 2026, and from Monday 7 September 2026 certifying plumbers and certifying drainlayers could apply to PGDB for the endorsement. It covers plumbing and drainlaying only, not gas, and it isn't automatic: the tradie needs the endorsement and must have done the work while holding it.
When plumbing or drainlaying needs a building consent, eligible work can be signed off either by a council inspection or by an endorsed plumber or drainlayer certifying it. Self-certified work skips the council inspections for that work, but you still need the consent, the work must still meet the Building Code, and a code compliance certificate may still be required. Which jobs qualify is set by regulations, so ask the tradie whether yours does.
Your part as the owner: on the consent application, list the work to be self-certified and give the tradie's name and registration number if you know them. If an endorsed person who wasn't named in the application will issue the certificate, tell the council their name in writing as soon as practicable. The tradie must lodge the certificate with PGDB and give it to you, with its supporting documents, within 10 working days of finishing. Include it in your application for the code compliance certificate: without it, the council can refuse the CCC for that work. Certificates under the scheme can be looked up on PGDB's self-certification property register.
Council: the code compliance certificate
When work needs a building consent, you as the owner must apply to the council for a code compliance certificate once all the consented work is finished. For plumbing or drainlaying that isn't self-certified, PGDB notes the CCC can't be issued until the council's building inspector has signed off the work.
Work that doesn't need a consent gets no CCC, but it must still meet the Building Code. If urgent work went ahead without a consent that would normally be needed, to protect life or health or prevent serious damage, the owner must apply for a certificate of acceptance as soon as practicable afterwards.
A certificate is only as good as its signer
PGDB reported in October 2026 that a repeat offender had installed a gas water heater at a home and handed the homeowner a Gas Safety Certificate signed as "Certifier", though he wasn't authorised to issue one. He was fined $14,000. Look up the name on any certificate on the PGDB register before you file it.
When a certificate arrives, check
- It's for your address.
- It names the person who did or supervised the work, and that person has a current licence on the register.
- For a gas CoC, the signer is authorised to certify that kind of gasfitting.
- For a self-certification certificate, the tradie holds the endorsement.
- The work described matches the work done.
- You've saved a copy somewhere safe.
Keep them, and what to do if one is lost
Keep gas certificates safe. You may need them when you sell or for insurance, and a gas supplier may want a copy before it supplies gas or refills LPG bottles. If one goes missing, a certifying gasfitter can check the installation and issue a certificate of verification; PGDB no longer holds gas certificates issued after 1 October 2013.
File any self-certification certificate and its supporting documents with the council's CCC and the rest of your property papers.
Ask before the job starts
- What documents will I receive when the work is completed?
- Is this gas work low-risk, general or high-risk, and will I get a certificate of compliance?
- Is a building consent needed here? If so, who applies?
- Will you self-certify it, and do you hold the endorsement?
- Who will sign the certificates?
What we would do
Ask about paperwork when you ask about price, not after the invoice arrives. A gasfitter should know straight away which gas certificates the job needs, and a plumber or drainlayer should know whether it needs a consent and whether they can self-certify it. When the documents come, look the signer up on the PGDB register and file them with your house papers. If you'd like a tradie who does this kind of job properly, paperwork included, we can match you with an authorised local specialist.