Who Must Receive a Copy of a Victoria COES After Electrical Work?

After a Certificate of Electrical Safety (COES) is completed, the Registered Electrical Contractor (REC) must electronically notify Energy Safe Victoria, give one copy to the customer and lodge one copy with Energy Safe Victoria. Energy Safe Victoria’s REC guidance, updated 20 August 2026, requires electronic notification each time a certificate is completed (figures checked 1 October 2026). Its REC responsibilities guidance, updated 17 December 2025, confirms the customer and Energy Safe copy requirements and sets the inspection points for prescribed electrical installation work.

Who receives a copy of the COES?

Energy Safe Victoria distributes the requirements across the following actions:

Here, “customer” means the person for whom the electrical work was carried out. The cited guidance presents the electronic notification, customer copy and lodged copy as separate requirements. It does not describe electronic notification as a replacement for either copy.

Who is responsible for distributing the COES?

The REC is responsible for the electrical installation work it undertakes and must ensure that a COES is issued for all work carried out.

Energy Safe Victoria also states that the technical supervisor must ensure COES are completed, lodged and sent to Energy Safe Victoria as the responsible person. This internal responsibility does not remove the REC’s obligation to provide the customer with one copy.

Does electronic notification replace the Energy Safe copy?

No. Energy Safe Victoria requires the REC to:

• electronically notify it each time a COES is completed;
• lodge a copy of the COES; and
• give another copy to the customer.

The notification records completion with Energy Safe Victoria, while the lodged copy remains a separate COES-distribution requirement.

When is prescribed electrical installation work inspected?

For prescribed electrical installation work, a Licensed Electrical Inspector (LEI) must inspect the work:

• before the installation is energised; or
• before the work is first used after completion if it is not disconnected from the electricity supply.

The cited guidance specifies these inspection points but does not state a number of hours or days. It also frames the inspection requirement around prescribed electrical installation work, so readers should check the current Energy Safe Victoria guidance when determining whether a particular job falls within that category.

Inspection and certification are separate obligations. An REC must ensure that prescribed work is inspected when required and that a COES is issued for the work.

Is there a stated notification or lodgement deadline?

The supplied Energy Safe Victoria guidance says an REC must electronically notify the regulator each time a certificate is completed. It also refers to completing the appropriate COES within the required times, but the cited material does not set out those underlying time periods.

Accordingly, “each time” should not be treated as a stated number of hours or days. Check the regulator’s current process before assigning or recording a lodgement deadline.

What should an REC check before closing out the work?

A practical compliance check based on the cited Energy Safe Victoria requirements is:

• Complete the appropriate COES.
• Electronically notify Energy Safe Victoria each time it is completed.
• Give one copy to the customer or person for whom the work was carried out.
• Lodge one copy with Energy Safe Victoria.
• If the work is prescribed electrical installation work, ensure an LEI inspection occurs before energisation or before first use after completion if the work is not disconnected from electricity supply.
• Ensure the technical supervisor follows the responsibility for completing, lodging and sending COES to Energy Safe Victoria.

This is general information, not financial or legal advice. Energy Safe Victoria describes its guidance as general information rather than a definitive guide to the law. Check the regulator’s current pages for the applicable COES and inspection process, and read your policy’s Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for any applicable insurance terms.

Sources

• Registered Electrical Contractors (REC) | Energy Safe Victoria
• Registered Electrical Contractors | Energy Safe Victoria

FAQ

Does the customer receive a COES or does Energy Safe Victoria keep it?

The customer receives one copy, and Energy Safe Victoria receives a lodged copy. The REC must also electronically notify Energy Safe Victoria each time the COES is completed.

Is an electronic notification to Energy Safe Victoria enough on its own?

No. The cited guidance lists electronic notification, the customer copy and the copy lodged with Energy Safe Victoria as separate requirements.

Does every electrical installation job need an LEI inspection?

The cited inspection requirement specifically concerns prescribed electrical installation work. Check the current Energy Safe Victoria guidance to determine whether the work falls within that category.

When must the LEI inspection occur?

For prescribed electrical installation work, the inspection must occur before energisation, or before the work is first used after completion if it is not disconnected from electricity supply. The cited material does not provide an additional hours-or-days deadline.