All plumbing and drainage work in Queensland is regulated by state government legislative requirements and is categorised as:
All plumbing and drainage work, except unregulated work, must be performed by an appropriately licenced and endorsed person. Only permit work is approved by Council and further information on permit work, how to lodge applications and the services offered by the Hydraulics Team is provided below.
Further information on plumbing and drainage can be found in our Plumbing and Drainage Frequently Asked Questions.
Permit work is any work that is not defined by regulation as one of the other categories of work. Generally, permit work is plumbing and/or drainage work for a new building, work for an existing commercial premise that includes sanitary drainage or trade waste, and any work within a property serviced by a combine house drain.
Permit work must be assessed by Council with approval given before commencing Plumbing and drainage work. Council will inspect permit work for compliance with the code requirements and the permit conditions before the work is covered. Once the permit work has been satisfactorily completed, Council will issue a final inspection certificate for the work.
Notifiable work extends the amount of work a plumber or drainer can perform without a local government permit or mandatory inspections. Notifiable work is defined in Schedule 2 of the Plumbing and Drainage Regulation 2019. It includes most plumbing and drainage work performed in existing homes including:
For more information on notifiable work visit the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) website.
The Hydraulics Services fee structure uses fixture numbers to calculate assessment and inspection fees, the below information will help you to understand which fixtures are counted to calculate fees for the plumbing and drainage applications:
A receptacle with necessary fittings designed for a specific purpose, the use or operation of which results in a discharge into the sanitary drainage installation.
To assist applicants in calculating fees, Townsville City Council will consider the fixtures and appliances listed on this page as chargeable fixtures. For applications involving civil works, early-stage work, or permit work that do not include fixtures, the City will calculate fees based on a meterage rate for:
Fixtures A-M | Fixtures N-Z |
|---|---|
Autopsy table | Pan sanitiser |
Backflow Prevention Device (testable) | Points capped for future use |
Bain-marie | Pump well |
Basin | Sanitary napkin disposal unit |
Bath (foot, baby, shower) | Shower (single/multiple) |
Bedpan washer/steriliser | Sink |
Bidet, bidette | Sink/bar |
Boiling water unit (includes under bench) | Sink cleaner |
Circular wash fountain (jug wash) | Sink laboratory |
Clothes washing machine (commercial only) | Sink (pot or utility) |
Coffee machine | Sink/tea |
Combi oven | Slop hopper |
Dental unit/chair | Sub-water meters |
Dishwashing machine (commercial only) | Temporary building/site shed |
Diversion valve | Trade waste pretreatment device |
Dog Wash | Trough (ablution) |
Drinking fountain | Trough (laundry) |
Eyewash/safety shower | Tundish |
Floor waste gully without fixture connected | Urinal stall, or each 600mm length of slab |
Glass washing machine/glass cleaner | Urinal - wall hung (includes waterless) |
Ice maker | Water closet pan (WC) |
Inspection chamber/manhole | Wok burner (wet) |
Applications to Council for Permit work, use the Queensland state government Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 forms, found on the Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works website.
Use this form to apply to Council before commencing Permit work:
Use this form to notify us of the licenced person performing your permit work:
An application can be submitted to Council by one of the following methods:
The Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 requires Council to approve applications within 2 business days for Fast Track applications and 10 business days for all other applications for permit work.
To find out more, please contact Council, or view the Planning fees and charges schedule.
To request an as constructed drainage plan, please complete this online form. For more information, read our As Constructed Drainage Plans factsheet, or contact Council.
As well as assessment and inspection of permit work, the Hydraulics Unit at Council also offers searches of Council's electronic records of plumbing and drainage installations within a property (Plumbing and Drainage Record Request).
These services are provided at a competitive price. For more information on fees, refer to the Planning Services schedule of fees and charges.
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