Section 73 Compliance Certificates

Update on wastewater servicing for some new developments
Affected developers have been advised that an operational issue is temporarily affecting new developments in parts of the North West Growth Area. See our latest update on wastewater servicing at Windsor Road.

Proof we can provide the services you need

If you're developing or subdividing land, your council or certifier will tell you if you need to apply for a Section 73 Compliance Certificate from us. This is to ensure your development or subdivision has adequate water, wastewater and stormwater services.

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Before we can issue your certificate

Major or minor works: it makes a difference

How to apply

Approval milestones

How long it will take

Cost

When you're building granny flats

Before we can issue your certificate

We'll assess the plans for your subdivision or development when we receive your application. Then we'll send you a Notice of Requirements letter that outlines any requirements or works you'll need to complete before we can issue your certificate. For example, you might need to:

  • install additional connections or pipes
  • pay developer fees
  • take steps to protect our existing assets, such as encasing pipes in concrete or relocating our sewer pipes on your property.

Generally, councils won't provide occupancy certificates for new properties unless we've issued Section 73 Compliance Certificate.

Major or minor works: it makes a difference

We categorise construction works for developments as either major works or minor works depending on how complex they are and how they may impact our pipes and assets.

Which category your development falls into determines how you need to apply for your Section 73 Compliance Certificate.

Find out more about Sydney Water Developer Direct.

If you have a small to medium sized development where water and wastewater (sewer) services are available already, you'll probably only need minor changes to water and wastewater services. Call us on 1300 082 746 if you're unsure.

Minor changes may include:

  • installing a connection to the wastewater system (sewer) for each new lot in your development
  • extending our wastewater (sewer) main less than 25 metres to provide a connection for your property
  • installing new water service pipes from our water main to provide water to your development (a main-to-meter service)
  • installing a locked and tagged water service for your development
  • concrete encasing wastewater pipes if your building is too close to them
  • inspecting concrete piers.

If you have to extend the wastewater main less than 25 metres or insert a new junction, you can probably do this under minor wastewater (sewer) works.

If you have to extend our water main or move our assets, your development requires major works.

These are common examples of developments that may require major works:

  • unit blocks of more than 4 storeys
  • new land releases or newly rezoned areas
  • Torrens-titled subdivisions involving 5 lots or more
  • developments in pressure sewer or vacuum sewer areas
  • developments where our water or wastewater (sewer) pipes have to be moved.

How to apply

You have 2 choices: engage a water servicing coordinator or apply with the Sydney Water Developer Direct team.
 

Water servicing coordinator

Water servicing coordinators are accredited providers who can manage your application for you. They can also provide design services and project management, including constructing the works in your Notice of Requirements. They can help with all kinds of developments that need major and minor works, and with building plan conditions. For example, if your new building is near a wastewater (sewer) pipe, you may need to encase it in concrete before you can get building plan approval.

Find a water servicing coordinator.
 

Sydney Water Developer Direct

With the Sydney Water Developer Direct team, you're talking directly with Sydney Water. We can help with small to medium developments that need only minor changes to meet our requirements.

Find out more about Sydney Water Developer Direct.

Approval milestones

  1. Assessment
    When you apply for a Section 73 Compliance Certificate, we'll assess your development against our servicing requirements.
  2. Notice of Requirements
    If we find that you need to construct something to provide water or wastewater connections, or to protect our pipes and assets, we'll send you a Notice of Requirements letter. It will be valid for 12 months, but after that you'll need to reapply and pay your application fees again.
  3. Construction
    Do the works outlined in your Notice of Requirements. Companies that do work on our pipes and assets must be listed with us, so any works will need to be built and supervised by a listed constructor. You can use Sydney Water Developer Direct for minor works.
  4. Certificate and approvals
    We'll issue the certificate and building plan approval for you to take to council when all the works from your Notice of Requirements have been constructed and inspected, and any fees have been paid. If the development is large or complex, or needs major works, there may be other requirements before we can issue your certificate.

How long it will take

Water servicing coordinator applications

We'll send your Notice of Requirements letter to your water servicing coordinator within 60 days.
 

Sydney Water Developer Direct applications

You can expect a response within 14 days of us receiving your application if you meet our requirements. We'll then send your Notice of Requirements letter within 60 days.

Track your application
If you applied through a water servicing coordinator, go to developer application progress. If you applied through Sydney Water Developer Direct, log in to Sydney Water Tap in.

Cost

Your application

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART). regulates our development application fees. See our prices for developers.

You may need to pay other costs before we can assess your application. These may include design services, project management and coordination costs, compliance inspections, negotiating entry to neighbouring properties, locating any assets or pipes on your property, administration costs.

  • Water servicing coordinators charge market rates for their services. We recommend you call more than one before you decide.
  • An application through Sydney Water Developer Direct has a fixed cost.

Required construction

Construction costs are charged at a market rate and aren't included in your application fees. Costs that you'll need to consider include building new pipes to connect into your property, equipment hire, clearing your site, road opening permits and inspection fees, and concrete encasement of pipes and concrete piering fees.
 

Other costs

You may need to pay for other applications or services to complete your application, for example:

  • Pegouts (Service Protection Reports)
    You may need a pegout if your development is close to one of our assets. A pegout tells you exactly where our pipes and assets are, and what the soil conditions are on the site. We use this information to work out if you need to take extra protection steps, such as concrete encasing a wastewater main or installing concrete piers.
  • Statement of available pressure and flow
    This is used to check if there's enough water or pressure available in the nearest water main to serve your new development.

When you're building granny flats

If you're building a secondary home or granny flat approved by council under the complying development provisions through the State Environmental Planning Policy (Affordable Rental Housing), the AHSEPP, you don't need a Section 73 Compliance Certificate. You can find more detail in Our Section 73 requirements for secondary homes fact sheet. However, you still need to apply for full building plan approval for building or excavation work on your property.

Apply at Sydney Water Tap in.