If you’ve had electrical work done in Sydney — a switchboard upgrade, a new circuit, a consumer mains replacement — you should receive a CCEW. And if you’re buying, selling, or insuring a property, you may be asked for one. This guide explains what a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work is, when you need one in NSW, who can issue it, and how to get a copy. Sydney Electrical Service issues a CCEW on every job.

What is a CCEW?

A CCEW — Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work — is the document a licensed electrician completes to certify that electrical installation work complies with the wiring rules (AS/NZS 3000) and the NSW Service and Installation Rules. In plain terms, it’s your proof that the work was done by a licensed person and that it’s safe and to standard.

It’s not optional paperwork. In NSW, the electrician who carries out electrical installation work is required to complete a CCEW for that work and give you a copy. Where the job involves connecting to or working on the electricity network, a Level 2 Authorised Service Provider (ASP) completes and lodges the certificate as part of the connection process.

When do you need a CCEW?

A CCEW applies to electrical installation work — not just big jobs. Common situations where one is issued include:

Switchboard upgrades and the addition of safety switches (RCDs)
New or altered circuits — power points, lighting, dedicated appliance circuits
Consumer mains upgrades and other network-side work
New connections for granny flats, secondary dwellings, and new builds
Point of attachment, metering, and service-line work (Level 2 work)
Rectifying a defect notice issued by the network operator

You’ll often be asked for a copy when selling a home, making an insurance claim that involves electrical equipment, or satisfying a council or strata requirement. Keeping your CCEWs on file is genuinely useful for exactly these moments.

Who can issue a CCEW?

Only a licensed electrician can complete a CCEW, and only for work they (or their business) actually carried out. For work on the network side of your property — consumer mains, point of attachment, service fuse, metering, and new connections — the certificate must come from a Level 2 ASP, because only a Level 2 holder is authorised to do that work in the first place. If an electrician can’t provide a CCEW for installation work, that’s a red flag worth questioning.

Sydney Electrical Service holds contractor licence 236351C and is an accredited Level 2 ASP, so we can certify both standard installation work and network-side work, and we issue the CCEW on every job.

What’s on a CCEW?

A CCEW records who did the work and their licence details, the address and a description of the work, confirmation that it complies with the relevant standards, and the testing carried out (such as insulation resistance, earth continuity, and polarity). For network connection work, it also forms part of the record lodged with the network operator so your supply can be energised.

How to get a copy of your CCEW

The simplest path is to ask the electrician who did the work — they’re required to provide one and should be able to reissue a copy. If you’ve recently bought a property and want records of past work, the previous owner, your conveyancer, or the electrician they used are the usual sources. If you’re booking new work with us, your CCEW is issued as standard on completion — you don’t need to ask.

Frequently asked questions

Is a CCEW the same as an electrical safety certificate?

People often use “electrical safety certificate” or “certificate of compliance” loosely to mean the same thing. In NSW the formal document for electrical installation work is the Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW).

Do I need a CCEW to sell my house?

It isn’t always a strict legal condition of sale, but buyers, conveyancers, and insurers increasingly ask for evidence that electrical work — particularly switchboard and mains upgrades — was done compliantly. Having the CCEWs on hand makes the process smoother.

What if my work didn’t come with a CCEW?

Contact the electrician who carried out the work and request one. If that isn’t possible, a licensed electrician can inspect and test the existing installation and advise on what’s needed to bring it to a certifiable standard.

Get compliant electrical work in Sydney

Sydney Electrical Service is a licensed electrical contractor (licence 236351C) and accredited Level 2 ASP, family-owned, with $20 million public liability insurance and a 4.8-star rating on Google. Every job we complete comes with a CCEW. For network-side work, see our Level 2 electrician Sydney page, or call 0433 462 902 for a quote.