Does Victoria require a CES for LED mirror install?
Yes — in Victoria, all electrical work in a bathroom, including LED mirror installation, must be covered by a Certificate of Electrical Safety (CES). The CES is issued by the licensed electrician to the property owner upon completion of the work. The CES confirms that the installation complies with AS/NZS 3000 and the Electricity Safety Act 1998 (Vic). Keep the CES — it may be required for building inspection sign-off, property insurance claims, and when the property is sold.
What the CES covers
The Certificate of Electrical Safety covers the electrical installation work performed by the licensed electrician — not the product itself. For an LED mirror installation in Victoria, the CES covers: the wiring and circuit work (installation or confirmation of the GPO for plug-in mirrors, or hardwire connection for hardwire mirrors), confirmation that the circuit is RCD-protected, confirmation that the installation complies with the bathroom zone requirements under AS/NZS 3000, and the licensed electrician’s professional certification that the work meets Victorian electrical safety standards.
The CES does not replace the product compliance documentation — the mirror’s RCM certificate and IP44 test report remain separate documents. Together, the CES and the product compliance documentation constitute the full compliance record for the bathroom inspection.
Who issues the CES in Victoria
The CES is issued by the licensed electrical contractor who performs the work. In Victoria, electrical contractors must hold a current Victorian Electrical Contractor Licence (ECL) issued by Energy Safe Victoria (ESV). The individual electrician performing the work must hold a current Registration to Perform Electrical Work (REW). A builder who engages an unlicensed person to perform bathroom electrical work — including mirror installation — will have no CES and will be in breach of the Electricity Safety Act.
Energy Safe Victoria maintains the register of licensed electrical contractors. The ECL number should appear on the CES. For high-value or complex projects, verify the electrician’s licence status on the ESV website before engaging them. An electrician who cannot provide their ECL number on request is not appropriately licensed.
When the CES must be issued
Under the Electricity Safety (Installations) Regulations 2009 (Vic), the CES must be provided to the property owner within 7 days of completing the electrical work. For construction projects, the CES is typically issued to the builder (as the property owner or agent) at the time of the post-installation inspection. The builder retains the CES as part of the project documentation and provides it to the homeowner at settlement or handover.
For multi-unit developments, each unit requires a separate CES covering the electrical work in that unit. A single CES covering the entire development is not sufficient — the certificate must identify the specific property (street address and unit number) and the specific work performed. On large developments, CES collection and filing is an administrative task that should be assigned to the project manager.
CES and the building inspection in Victoria
The building surveyor (private or council) inspecting a Victorian bathroom renovation or new build will require evidence that electrical work was covered by a CES. For a certificate of occupancy application, the building surveyor typically requests a copy of the CES for the electrical installation. A bathroom inspection that cannot produce a CES will not result in a certificate of occupancy.
For domestic building projects in Victoria, the owner-builder must also retain the CES and provide it to any subsequent purchaser of the property within 7 years of the work being done, as required by the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 (Vic). The CES is a legally required document for the property — not merely a best-practice record.
Retaining the CES long-term
The CES should be retained indefinitely as part of the property’s electrical records. Practical reasons: the CES is required if the homeowner makes an insurance claim for fire or electrical damage (the insurer will ask for it), it is required when the property is sold (disclosure of electrical work history), and it is required if there is a subsequent compliance question about the installation — for example, if a later renovation requires the existing circuit to be modified and the new electrician needs to understand what was previously installed and certified.
For homeowners, keep the CES with the property title documents or in a dedicated folder with the fixtures and fittings warranties. For builders and developers, file the CES in the project documentation archive for the duration of the warranty period and beyond.
When CES is not issued — what to do
If an electrician completes bathroom electrical work in Victoria and does not issue a CES, request it in writing. Under Victorian regulations, the contractor is legally obligated to provide the CES. If the contractor refuses or cannot produce it — for example, because they were not appropriately licensed — report the matter to Energy Safe Victoria. Engaging an unlicensed electrician is an offence under Victorian legislation and creates both compliance and safety risks for the property owner and the builder.
For electrician licensing requirements across all Australian states and territories including Victoria, visit the electrician requirements page. For the full compliance overview including compliance documentation types by state, visit the compliance hub. For Victorian-specific builder and trade resources, visit the VIC hub.