Form 21 is the permit authority's certificate of completion for plumbing work under the Building Act 2016. The permit authority issues it when the plumbing work is complete; the finished PDF is the official CBOS layout for that record.
This is the current Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (Tasmania) Form 21 Certificate of Completion - Plumbing Work. Tradie Forms follows the official section order and maps your answers onto the official PDF layout.
Need the plumber's standard of work certificate rather than the permit authority's completion certificate? Use TAS Form 71B
Still notifying the start of work rather than completion? Use TAS Form 60
Most Form 21 problems come from filling it from memory or from an old job file. Have these in front of you.
The current permit or notifiable-work record
The source for work type, permit numbers, and the property the certificate covers.
Owner or agent details
The name and address for the To block, as they appear on the permit file.
Permit authority contact details
The council or permit authority that issues this certificate for the site.
The licensed plumber's current details
Name, class and category on the licence, address, and licence number.
A clear work description
What was completed, written so an owner or authority can read it without the job file.
Who will sign for the permit authority
Print name, title, and signature ready only after the rest of the certificate is checked.
Owner, permit authority, work type, property address, work description, plumber, and sign-off gate the download. Permit number is also required when the work type is permit work.
Identifies who receives this certificate of completion. Use the owner or agent on the permit file, not a billing contact that only appears on an invoice.
Owner / AgentTextRequired
The person or entity named as owner or agent on the permit record. For an agent, property manager, or builder acting for the owner, use the name the authority has on file, not a site nickname.
Street addressAddressRequired
The owner or agent postal address for the To block. Address search is limited to Tasmania and fills the street line, suburb, state and postcode. Check the result against the permit file when the owner has moved or uses a postal address that differs from the work site.
PostcodeAddressRequired
Four digits. Filled by address search; confirm it when typing manually.
StateAddressOptional
Starts on TAS. Leave it unless you are typing a non-Tasmanian postal address for the owner or agent.
Save this section as Owner to prefill it on your next Form 21 for the same owner or agent.
Records which council or permit authority issues the certificate. This has to match the authority for the site, not the last council your business dealt with.
Permit AuthorityTextRequired
The issuing entity name as the authority publishes it, for example Hobart City Council. Do not put an individual officer's name here.
Street addressAddressRequired
The authority's street address. Address search is limited to Tasmania and fills suburb, state and postcode. Confirm against the council letterhead or the contact block on the permit.
PostcodeAddressRequired
Four digits. Filled by address search; confirm it when typing manually.
StateAddressOptional
Starts on TAS. Leave it for a Tasmanian permit authority.
Phone No.TelOptional
The published authority phone, such as 03 6238 2711. Useful when the owner needs a contact without hunting the council site.
Fax No.TelOptional
Only when the authority still publishes a fax number on its forms or letterhead.
Licence No.TextOptional
When the permit authority carries a licence or building-surveyor reference that belongs on this certificate. Leave blank rather than inventing a job number.
EmailEmailOptional
The authority email used for plumbing or building services correspondence for this site.
Save this section as Permit Authority to prefill it on your next Form 21 for the same council or authority.
If you work across Hobart, Launceston, Devonport, Burnie or regional councils, confirm the authority against this job's site before prefilling a saved block.
Sets the pathway the certificate belongs to, the property it covers, and what work is complete. One wrong tick here puts the rest of the certificate on the wrong legal footing.
Type of WorkChoiceRequired
Choose Permit Work when the job needed a plumbing permit before it started, or Notifiable Work when the work was notified to the permit authority. The Certificate section wording changes with this choice. Match the pathway on the permit or notification record, not how the job felt on site.
Street addressAddressRequired
The property where the plumbing work was done. Address search is limited to Tasmania and fills suburb, state and postcode. Match the site on the permit or notification, including rural or multi-dwelling wording the authority used.
PostcodeAddressRequired
Four digits for the work site. Filled by address search; confirm it when typing manually.
StateAddressOptional
Starts on TAS. Leave it for Tasmanian sites.
Permit No.TextOptional
Required when Type of Work is Permit Work. Take it from the current permit document, not an invoice or quote that may still carry a superseded number after amendment. On notifiable work, leave it blank unless the file carries a related permit reference the authority expects here. The same value is printed again on page 2 of the PDF beside sign-off.
Associated Special Plumbing Permit No.TextOptional
Only when the job has a special plumbing permit linked to the main permit. Take the number from that permit document. Leave blank when none applies.
The WorkTextareaRequired
Describe the completed plumbing work so an owner or authority can connect this certificate to the drawings, Form 71B, and permit file without a phone call. Name the system or area, the kind of work, and the property context. Do not write claims that belong in another certification.
Useful
Sanitary plumbing and drainage to rear bathroom addition, permit PL-2026-0042
Records the licensed plumber who performed the work. These details should match Form 60 and Form 71B for the same job when those forms are on file.
NameTextareaRequired
The licensed plumber or plumbing business name as it appears on the licence, such as Alex Smith Plumbing Pty Ltd. Use the name the authority and owner already have on the job file.
Class and Category (Specified on Licence)ComboboxRequired
The class and category printed on the licence. Pick from the list when it matches, or type the exact wording from the licence card. Common values include Plumber, Drainer, Gasfitter, and the combined classes.
Street addressAddressRequired
The plumber's business address. Address search is limited to Tasmania and fills suburb, state and postcode. Check a saved block when the business has moved since the last Form 21.
PostcodeAddressRequired
Four digits. Filled by address search; confirm it when typing manually.
StateAddressOptional
Starts on TAS. Leave it for a Tasmanian business address.
Phone No.TelOptional
The business phone published to owners and authorities, for example 03 6234 5678.
Fax No.TelOptional
Only when the business still uses a fax number on its letterhead or licence correspondence.
Licence No.TextRequired
The plumber licence number from the current licence card or CBOS record. Do not copy from an old Form 71B or invoice footer that may lag a renewal. If you are on site without the card, confirm it from the licence record before download.
Email AddressEmailOptional
The contact email for the plumber or plumbing business on this job.
Save this section as Plumber to prefill it on your next Form 21 for the same licensed plumber.
Shows the legal basis for this certificate of completion. There are no fields to enter here. The notices follow the official PDF, including the instruction to delete the section that does not apply.
When Permit Work is selected, the form states that the permit authority is satisfied that permit conditions are met, the work is complete, it complies with the Building Act 2016 and the National Construction Code, and that any required water and sewerage compliance certificate under the Water and Sewerage Industry Act 2008 has been issued.
When Notifiable Work is selected, the form states that the completed notifiable plumbing work has been performed in accordance with the Building Act 2016.
Both pathways also show that the certificate is issued under section 178 (permit work) or section 115 (notifiable work) of the Building Act 2016. Confirm Type of Work before sign-off so the wording on the PDF matches the job pathway.
Records who signs for the permit authority and when. Sign only after the owner, site, work type, permit references, plumber, and certificate wording have been checked against the completed work and permit file.
Name (Print)TextRequired
The signatory's printed name for the permit authority, not the plumber who did the work unless that person is authorised to sign in that capacity.
DateDateRequired
The date of sign-off. Today and Yesterday shortcuts are available because this is often finished on the day of final check. The field does not accept a future date.
SignedSignatureRequired
The permit authority signature that attests the certificate wording for the selected work type. Use a saved signature when it belongs to the same signatory; do not reuse another person's mark.
TitleComboboxOptional
The signatory's role, such as Building Surveyor or Permit Authority. Pick from the list when it matches, or type the title the authority uses on its own correspondence.
The permit number entered under Work is repeated on page 2 of the PDF beside this sign-off. Preview both pages so the reference and signature land correctly.
Form 21 is the permit authority's certificate of completion. Form 71B is the plumber's standard of work certificate. They often sit in the same job file, but one does not replace the other.
Selecting the wrong work type.
Permit work and notifiable work change the certificate wording and the Building Act section on the PDF. Match the pathway on the permit or notification record before you sign.
Taking the permit number from an invoice.
Invoices are raised early and often keep a number that was later amended. Take permit and special plumbing permit numbers from the current permit documents.
Writing a thin work description.
Plumbing completed cannot be tied to drawings, Form 71B, or a future buyer question. Name the system or area, the work type, and a permit reference when you have one.
Prefilling the wrong permit authority.
A saved council block from the last job is easy to leave in place when you work across multiple municipalities. Confirm the authority against this site's permit file.
Copying plumber details without checking the licence.
Saved licence blocks save typing, but an expired or renewed number still gets through if nobody looks. Check the class, category, and licence number against the current licence before download.
Signing before the certificate matches the job file.
Sign-off is the last step, not a way to finish faster. Wrong owner, site, or pathway on a signed certificate is harder to unwind once copies have gone out.
Forward a copy of the finished certificate to the owner. Keep a copy with the permit authority and plumber records you rely on for the job, as required under the Building Act 2016.
Name the file so the site and pathway are obvious. Use something like Form 21 - 8 Battery Point Rd - PL-2026-0042.pdf rather than a bare address that will be hard to find next to Form 71B.
File it with Form 60, Form 71B, the permit or notification, and inspection notes. The certificate alone does not show the full start-to-completion trail.
Keep the same site and permit references across the set. A mismatch between Form 21 and Form 71B is the first thing an owner or authority notices later.
Note anything still outstanding. If part of a larger project remains, record what is left so the next completion certificate is not missed.
Check the current CBOS and permit authority requirements for your job. Retention and any lodgement expectations sit with the authority, not with Tradie Forms.
