Who may move a power point above the bench
In NSW, by law, any electrical wiring work must be done by, or under the supervision of, a licensed electrician.
The page for the consumer says the same in plainer words: by law, any electrical wiring work must be done by a licensed electrician, and you can check your electrician is licensed online.
- 1Power points, rangehoodLicensed electrician (NSW)
- 2Gas line and cooktopLicence at any cost (NSW)
- 3The benchtopEngineered stone: banned since 1 July 2024 (NSW)
- 4The cabinet runLicence over $5,000 (NSW)
- 5Sink trap and water linesLicence at any cost (NSW)
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Who may open the wall
A power point above a kitchen bench is wired work, and the NSW rule on who may do it is short. By law, any electrical wiring work must be done by, or under the supervision of, a licensed electrician.
The consumer pages put the same rule in the reader's direction, and add the check: by law, any electrical wiring work must be done by a licensed electrician, and you can check your electrician is licensed online.
The certificate the work produces
The document at the end of the job has a name, and Building Commission NSW uses it precisely. Electricians must provide you with a Compliance Certificate to show that the electrical work carried out has been tested and is safe.
The formal version is the Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work, and its role is wider than the piece of paper. Whenever electrical work has been undertaken, electricians in NSW must submit Certificates of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW) to prove compliance and installation safety inspections have taken place, and penalties apply for non-compliance or unsafe installations.
It is also a document with a use years later: a CCEW can assist a customer for warranty purposes for the electrical article that has been installed.
The two dates that matter
The tester works to a clock. The person who carries out the electrical test must submit a CCEW as soon as practical, but no later than seven days after the electrical test has been completed.
And the submission route changed this year: from 1 July 2026, all Certificates of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW) must be submitted via the portal, and handwritten and PDF forms are no longer accepted.
How to check a licence
Licensing requirements include:
- tradespeople and builders carrying out residential building work valued at more than $5,000 must be licensed by Building Commission NSW, and you can check a licence on the Public Register or by calling 13 27 00.
That check covers the tradesperson as a whole; the electrical rule above is separate, and applies to any electrical wiring work, which must be done by or under the supervision of a licensed electrician.
The short version
One rule, one certificate, two dates. The rule: any electrical wiring work must be done by, or under the supervision of, a licensed electrician. The certificate: a CCEW, submitted by the person who carried out the test to prove compliance and installation safety inspections have taken place. The dates: submitted no later than seven days after the electrical test, and, from 1 July 2026, through the portal only.
The gas line has its own certificate and its own two dates, in the cooktop guide; the sink and its paper are in the sink guide.
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