Form 5 records that plumbing or drainage work, or the relevant part of it, has been tested or commissioned. The competent person who carried out the testing prepares and signs it, then gives it to the responsible person so it can reach the local government. It is used for section 77(2) of the Plumbing and Drainage Regulation 2019, and the official form says completion of all applicable sections is mandatory.
This is the current Queensland Form 5. Tradie Forms follows the official section order and maps your answers onto the official PDF layout.
Recording inspection or testing of a testable backflow device rather than general plumbing testing or commissioning? Use QLD Form 9
Certifying that permit work is complete and fit for use rather than reporting testing? Use QLD Form 19
Almost every Form 5 problem comes from filling it after the test sheets have left site. Have these in front of you.
The test or commissioning records
The source for every installation date, including which types were actually tested.
The current permit and any amendments
The source for the land description and the permit number.
Any action notice that applies
Reference number and date when the testing relates to an action notice, otherwise leave that section blank.
Who holds each party role
Responsible person, contractor if different, and the competent person who did the testing.
Licence and contact details for those people
Occupational and contractor licence numbers, phone, email, and postal address for the responsible person.
A decision on handover timing
The competent person must give the signed report to the responsible person within 5 business days after testing finishes.
Nothing on an untouched Form 5 blocks download in the app. The official form still expects every applicable section filled before the report moves up the chain, so treat blank rows as deliberate, not unfinished.
Identifies the land where the testing or commissioning was carried out. The official form says the description must identify all land the application covers, and that lot and plan details (for example SP or RP) are on title documents or a rates notice. Match the permit, not the job nickname.
Street addressAddressOptional
The site address on the permit or action notice. Address search is limited to Queensland and fills the street line, suburb, state and postcode. Check the result against the permit, because search returns the current postal address and a permit can predate a street renaming or a subdivision. Do not use the customer's job name (Bakery fit-off) as the land description.
Lot and PlanTextOptional
The legal land description. It is on the permit, the title documents, or the property's rates notice, which is usually the quickest source if the owner is on site. On new estates the street address may not exist in any council system yet, so lot and plan is the only reliable identifier. Fill it whenever the permit carries it.
Useful
Lot 12 on SP 123456
Too vague
Lot 12, new estate
Shop / Tenancy NumberTextOptional
Fill this on multi-tenancy sites so the report can be tied to the unit that was tested.
Storey / LevelTextOptional
Fill this on anything above one storey, for the same reason.
Local Government AreaTextOptional
The council area the report will be given to. Address search may fill this. Confirm it near a boundary, because the LGA determines which local government receives the report.
Links the report to the permit the tested work was done under. Where the work is permit work, this is how the local government matches the testing result to the approval.
Permit NumberTextOptional
From the current permit document. Do not take it from an invoice, a quote, a text thread or an old job record, because those often carry a superseded number after an amendment. If you are on site without the permit, the permit holder or the council's plumbing team can confirm it.
Date Permit Issued (if Known)DateOptional
The date on that same permit. Fill it when you have it: it is how the authority confirms you tested against the current permit rather than a replaced one. The field does not accept a future date.
If the permit was amended during the job, confirm which permit record the tested work sits under before you date the testing rows.
Complete this section only when an action notice applies to the work being reported.
Reference NumberTextOptional
The reference on the action notice from the local government or relevant authority. Leave it blank when no action notice applies. Do not invent a number or drop in an unrelated job reference.
Date Issued (if Known)DateOptional
The date on that same notice when you have it. Leave it blank with the reference when the section does not apply.
Leave both fields empty because the notice does not apply, not because nobody checked. A blank section that should have been filled is one of the fastest ways a report comes back.
Records the date each relevant installation type was tested or commissioned. This is the core of the form. The layout notes that testing and commissioning is done in accordance with the relevant part of AS/NZS 3500, and that you should leave any non-relevant rows blank.
Enter a date only against the installation types that were actually tested or commissioned. Different types are often tested at different stages of the job. Copying one date across every line makes the report look complete when a section was never tested that day.
Water Plumbing InstallationDateOptional
The date the water plumbing installation was tested or commissioned. Use your test sheet or commissioning record, not the job start date. Today and Yesterday shortcuts are available because this is usually filled on site or the next morning. No testing date accepts a future date.
Hot Water ServiceDateOptional
The date the hot water service was tested or commissioned. Keep this separate from water plumbing when they happened on different days.
Hot Water <50°CDateOptional
The date delivery temperature below 50°C was verified, such as tempering or thermostatic mixing valve commissioning. Leave it blank when that check was not part of this report.
The date sanitary plumbing such as stackwork or elevated pipework was tested. Name only this row when that is what was tested; do not use it as a catch-all for drainage.
Sanitary DrainageDateOptional
The date sanitary drainage was tested. Keep it separate from sanitary plumbing and floor waste gully branches when those were tested on other days.
Floor Waste Gully BranchesDateOptional
The date floor waste gully branches were tested. Leave blank when they were not part of the testing covered by this report.
Reticulated Water Static Pressure Tested <500kPa (Other Than Fire Service)DateOptional
The date static pressure on the reticulated water service was tested below 500 kPa, other than a fire service. Leave blank when that test was not done for this report.
Other (Insert Details)TextOptional
Free text for testing or commissioning that does not fit the listed installation types. Name what was done and keep the date in the relevant row above when one applies, or describe the work and date clearly here when it does not.
Useful
Commissioned rainwater changeover device and verified mains backup on 10 Jun 2024
Too vague
Other testing complete
On the finished PDF each dated row maps to its own field on page 1. Blank rows stay blank rather than printing a placeholder date, which is why an empty row must mean "not tested under this report", not "I will fill this later".
The responsible person is the licensed person who performs or supervises the performance of the work. This is not automatically the person who ran the test.
Name (in Full)TextOptional
Full legal name of the responsible person for the work. On a small job this may be the same person as the competent person; on a larger job it often is not. Check the role before pasting a saved contact.
Occupational Licence NumberTextOptional
The occupational plumbing or drainage licence for that person. Licence check against the QBCC register can fill the name from the licence number. Confirm the name still matches the person on the job.
Contractor Licence Number (if Applicable)TextOptional
The contractor licence when the responsible person also holds one for the work. Leave blank when it does not apply, rather than repeating a number from another party.
Phone NumberTextOptional
A number the local government or responsible person's office can use if the report needs clarifying.
Email AddressTextOptional
The working email for that person or their office, not a generic inbox nobody monitors.
Postal addressAddressOptional
Postal address for the responsible person. Address search is limited to Queensland. Use a PO Box when that is the address on their licence or business record.
Save this section as Responsible Person to prefill it on your next Form 5 for the same responsible person.
Complete this section when the responsible person is not the contractor for the work. The official form says the contractor's details must be provided in that case.
Full Name of Company (or Individual if Not a Company)TextOptional
The contractor company name, or the individual contractor when there is no company. Use the name on the contractor licence, not a trading nickname.
Contractor LicenceTextOptional
The contractor licence number. Licence check against the QBCC register can fill the name from the number. Confirm it matches the contractor on the job, not a previous subbie.
Phone NumberTextOptional
Contractor contact number for follow-up on the report.
Email AddressTextOptional
Contractor email for the same reason.
Save this section as Contractor Licence to prefill it on your next Form 5 where the same contractor applies.
Leave the whole section blank when the responsible person is the contractor, unless your process still records both. Do not paste the responsible person into this block to fill space.
The competent person is who carried out the testing or commissioning. For this form that means a person who holds a licence authorising the testing or commissioning, or whom the local government considers competent to carry it out. This is the person who signs the declaration.
Name (in Full)TextOptional
The person who actually completed the testing or commissioning, not the office contact who will file the PDF. When you did the test, put your own name here even if you are also the responsible person.
Occupational Licence Number (if Applicable)TextOptional
Occupational licence when the competent person holds one. Licence check can fill the name from the number. Leave blank only when the local government is treating the person as competent without that licence for this work.
Contractor Licence Number (if Applicable)TextOptional
Contractor licence when it applies to the competent person. Leave blank when it does not.
Phone NumberTextOptional
Direct contact for the tester if the report is queried.
Email AddressTextOptional
Working email for the competent person or their office.
Save this section as Competent Person to prefill it on your next Form 5 you prepare as the tester.
On a small job the responsible person and competent person can be the same licensed plumber, and the details will repeat. That is fine. Still fill both blocks so anyone reading the report can see who performed or supervised the work and who did the testing.
The declaration is the competent person putting their name to the test result. The form wording states that the work has been completed in conformity with the Plumbing and Drainage Regulation 2019, that the information on the form is a true and accurate record, and that the signer is a competent person.
Sign only after land, permit, testing dates, and party details are checked. Signing first and finishing the fields later is how blank rows and wrong dates leave site.
SignatureSignatureOptional
Signature of the competent person who carried out the testing or commissioning. Use a saved signature when it is yours. On the finished PDF the signature lands on page 2 with the declaration text.
DateDateOptional
The date of the declaration, usually the day you sign after the testing is finished. Today and Yesterday shortcuts are available. The field does not accept a future date. Fill it before you hand the report on, even though an empty date does not block download.
Copying one test date across every installation row.
Different installation types are often tested at different stages. Work from the test record so each dated row is true, and leave rows blank when that type was not tested under this report.
Swapping the responsible person and the competent person.
One role performs or supervises the work; the other carried out the testing and signs. Read the section descriptions before pasting a saved contact into both blocks.
Skipping the contractor block on subcontracted work.
When the responsible person is not the contractor, the official form requires the contractor's details. Leaving them out forces the office or council to chase them later.
Taking the permit number from an invoice or text thread.
Early paperwork often carries a number that was later amended. Take the permit number from the current permit document.
Identifying the site by the job nickname only.
Bakery fit-off means nothing when council or a later reader has to match the report to a permit. Use the street address and lot and plan from the permit.
Leaving action notice fields half-filled when none applies.
If there is no action notice, leave the whole section blank. A stray reference that belongs to another job is worse than an empty section.
Signing before the testing rows and party blocks are finished.
The declaration says the information is true and accurate. Finish the report, check it, then sign and date.
The regulation sets a reporting chain. The competent person must give the testing or commissioning report to the responsible person within 5 business days after the testing or commissioning is finished. Where the responsible person receives it, they must give it to the local government within the timeframe the regulation sets (resources for this form treat that as 10 business days from when testing finished, unless the local government agrees to longer). Both clocks run from when testing finished, not from when the PDF was downloaded.
Give the finished PDF to the responsible person inside the first window. Do not leave it on your phone for the office to discover later.
Name the file so the site and test date are obvious.Form 5 - 12 Cable St - 10 Jun 2024.pdf is easier to find than Form5-final.pdf.
Keep your own copy with the underlying test sheets. A query weeks later needs the report you signed and the readings behind it, not a reconstruction.
If you hold both roles, both duties still apply: get the report complete, then get it to the local government on time.
Check the current Business Queensland requirements and your local government's process for the permit or action notice. Tradie Forms does not lodge the report for you.
