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Water, Sewerage and Stormwater Approvals (Section 68)

Section 68 activities that are managed by the Development and Environment are:-

  • Undertaking of water supply works
  • Undertaking of stormwater works
  • Undertaking of sewerage works
  • Disposal of trade waste into a Council sewer
  • Installation an onsite sewage management system
  • Operating an onsite sewage management system
  • Installation, alteration, disconnection or removal of a meter connected to a service pipe

Section 68 Approval and Inspection Process

Prior to the commencement of any of the works described above, you must obtain a written Section 68 approval from Council.

For works related to a Complying Development Certificate, it is recommended that you lodge your Section 68 applicationto undertake water, sewer or stormwater works at the same time as lodging the CDC Application.

For works subject to a Development Application, your development consent will generally require that a Section 68 approval be obtained prior to the issue of a Construction Certificate.

The Section 68 application form contains a checklist which outlines the minimum documentation that is required to be submitted with a Section 68 application.

Download the Section 68 Application Form

For example, in the case of a single dwelling or dual occupancy, you are required to submit the following at a minimum:

  • Copy of DP/SP images
  • Copy of your Basix certificate (where relevant)
  • Floor plans and site layout including levels.
  • Location and type of point of connection to Council's stormwater drainage and sewage infrastructure.
  • Position of any sewer/water/stormwater easements/pipelines traversing the site.
  • Completed application for water meter hire form (where new meter(s) required)

If your Section 68 application is approved, Council will issue you with a Section 68 approval containing conditions that must be complied with during construction.

Key standard condition requirements are as follows:

Inspections

There are two different types of inspections that will be listed on any Section 68 approval. In this regard, your approval will list both mandatory and notifiable inspections.

You must notify Council upon reaching either a mandatory or notifiable inspection hold point before 8am on the day that the inspection is required.

Council will inspect all mandatory hold points as prescribed by your approval, and will audit those classed as notifiable.
You will be verbally advised by Council on the day of the inspection as to whether your 'Notifiable' inspections will be audited.

Regardless of Council's involvement however, it is the plumber/installers responsibility to certify that all works at each hold point are compliant with the requirements of the Plumbing and Drainage Code of Practice, prior to covering and proceeding to the next hold point.

Please note that Council's Section 68 approvals and compliance accreditation scheme has no effect on the above requirements, ie: regardless of your involvement in the scheme, all inspections as outlined above still must be booked with Council.

All inspection requests relating to plumbing works approved under s68 of the Local Government Act should be lodged via one of the following means:

Please remember to provide your s68 approval number, location of inspection, name, contact details and type of inspection requested.  Same day inspection requests must be lodged by 8am on the day.

Final sign-off

At the end of your job, you will be required to obtain a Certificate of Completion from Council in relation to all water, sewer and stormwater works undertaken. The Certificate of Completion must be obtained prior to the issue of an Occupation Certificate.

Council will not issue a Certificate of Completion until such time as it is satisfied that all requirements of any Section 68 approval have been compiled with (including the provision of all required certifications e.g. Certificate of Compliance with technical standards that has been included in the Section 68 Approval, WAX (Works As Executed),  plans etc).

The following is a link to the application for Certificate of Works Compliance under Forms - S68 Application Forms 

 

 

 

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