Paper COES

The Electricity Safety Act 1998 and Electricity Safety (General) Regulations 2019 require a Certificate of Electrical Safety (COES) to be issued for all electrical installation work.

It is the duty of the Responsible Person (REC Technical Nominee, A Grade Licence holder, REL holder or Switchgear licence holder) and LEIs to understand the legislation. All provisions of the Act and Regulations pertaining to COES and electrical inspections are mandatory.

Failure to comply with these requirements is a criminal offence and licensed workers who do so may be subject to disciplinary action which could result in the suspension or cancellation of their licence.

A guide to using Paper COES

ESV has produced Paper Certificates of Electrical Safety (COES) system booklet, to assisting the electrical industry in understanding the requirements for purchasing, lodging and issuing Paper COES as specified by the Electricity Safety Act and the Electricity Safety (Installations) Regulations.

Paper Certificates of Electrical Safety (COES) system booklet also provides a brief outline of time frames for the lodgement of the different types of certificates (prescribed and non-prescribed) and frequently asked questions.

Paper COES can only be lodged through ESV’s IVR (interactive voice response) system on 1300 360 366.

Types of Paper COES

There are three types of certificates:
1. Prescribed
2. Non-prescribed
3. Periodic

Purchasing paper COES

Refer to the COES fees page for current COES fees.

Paper COES purchases

• Prescribed and Non Prescribed COES – ESV authorised COES agents i.e. authorised electrical wholesalers. Refer to the list below.
• Periodic COES – can only be purchased from Energy Safe Victoria.
  • Mail/Email – send a completed COES order form with credit card/cheque details to:
    Energy Safe Victoria
    PO Box 262
    Collins Street West VIC 8007

COES agents

• Active Electrical
• Aerial Industries
• AWM
• CNW Pty Ltd
• Delta Electrical Distributors
• Electrical Inspections Victoria Pty Ltd
• Lawrence & Hanson/Auslec
• Lecky’s Electrical Wholesale
• Middendorp Electric Co
• Rexel
• Titan Trading

Lodging Paper COES

Paper COES can only be lodged through the IVR phone system (interactive voice response) on 1300 360 366. Lodgement of paper COES through Online Services is no longer be available.

Have your User ID and PIN at hand along with the Certificate/s to be lodged.

NOTE: Use only the telephone keypad to enter information. DO NOT attempt to speak the numbers into the telephone.

• Call 1300 360 366 – the service is available 24 hours, 7 days.
• Enter your 6-digit User ID and your 4-digit PIN.
• Select option 1—Lodge Certificate.
• Enter the ‘Certificate number’, followed by the # key.
• Enter the electrician’s User ID who performed the work.
• Enter the correct information for the remaining prompts.

Distribution of Paper COES

This process applies to:

• RECs who are also the LEIW
• REC as employer of LEIW
• a LEIW who completes electrical installation work for no profit or gain
• a LEIW employed by a company to perform work at the company’s premises
• REL holder (non-prescribed only).

Once a paper COES has been lodged, the Responsible Person must send all copies of the paper COES to the relevant parties identified on each copy of the COES.

The tables below advise the relevant parties each copy of a COES must be sent to.

Prescribed COES

Non-prescribed COES

Periodic COES

Key links

• Prescribed and non-prescribed electrical installation work
• Multiple electrical installation certificate requirements
• Defect list

Contact us

For advice and information about COES or using ESVConnect for COES, contact our COES team in the following ways:

• Fill in our contact form
• ‘Ask A Question’ in ESVConnect
• Email: coes@energysafe.vic.gov.au
• Call our COES team on 03 9203 9700 – select option 3.