FOR YOUR BUSINESS · ELECTRICAL, SOLAR AND PLUMBING TRADES

Run an electrical, solar or plumbing business that can sign its own certificates.

The trades are regulated at the point where the work is signed off. An electrician who is not a registered person cannot issue a certificate of compliance. A solar system that is not registered with the supplier can be disconnected. A plumber who is not licensed cannot issue the certificate the insurer or the conveyancer asks for. This page lists what each trade needs, who issues it, what it costs and where the money is lost.

2 registrationsfor an electrical business: the contractor, every year, and at least one registered person

30 Sept 2026Eskom’s solar registration fee waiver ends for systems up to 50 kVA

R240 / R480annual contractor and registered person fees since the 2022 fee amendment, per the contractors’ association

12 monthsPIRB licence cycle for a plumber, with CPD points to renew

Electricians

A registered person. Under regulation 11 of the Electrical Installation Regulations, 2009, the Chief Inspector registers an electrical tester for single phase, an installation electrician or a master installation electrician, on Annexure 5, after a trade test and the relevant unit standards. Only a registered person may issue a certificate of compliance.
A registered electrical contractor. Regulation 6 requires every business doing installation work to register with the Chief Inspector every year on Annexure 3, and only a business with a fixed address, a telephone and a full-time registered person can be registered.
The certificate of compliance on Annexure 1 with its test report, for every new installation, every addition, and every property transfer where the existing certificate is older than two years. The certificate of compliance guide sets out the rules from the gazette.
SANS 10142-1, the wiring code the certificate is issued against, in its current edition.

Solar installers

Everything an electrician needs, because a solar system is an alteration to the electrical installation and needs a registered contractor and a registered person’s supplementary certificate.
SSEG registration for every system you connect. Eskom customers up to 100 kVA register with Eskom, municipal customers with the municipality, and above 100 kVA with NERSA as well. Eskom asks for three documents: the certificate, the NRS 097-2-1 inverter certificate and the installation test report, which an installation electrician may now sign. Fees are waived for Eskom systems up to 50 kVA until 30 September 2026. The SSEG registration guide has the detail and the municipal differences.
Inverters on the NRS 097-2-1 list. Check before you quote; an unlisted inverter is refused.
The SAPVIA PV GreenCard, voluntary, but increasingly asked for by banks, insurers and commercial clients.

Plumbers

Plumbing has no national equivalent of the electrical registered person. The Plumbing Industry Registration Board, PIRB, is a professional body recognised by the South African Qualifications Authority that registers plumbers at six levels, from learner to master, on a twelve-month cycle with continuing professional development points, and only a PIRB licensed plumber may issue a PIRB plumbing certificate of compliance. Registration is not required by national law, but a growing number of municipalities, insurers and conveyancers require PIRB registration or a PIRB certificate, and the City of Cape Town’s water by-law requires plumbing work to be done by a plumber on its register. The work itself is governed by the National Building Regulations and SANS 10252 for water supply and drainage and SANS 10254 for geysers, and the most common insurance dispute in the country is a geyser installed outside SANS 10254.

PIRB’s published fee table, still dated 1 April 2018 on its site, lists a licensed plumber’s new registration at R1 904.12 and renewal at R810.23, and a certificate of compliance at R171.15 on paper or R162.01 electronic; the 2026/27 rate card is on the PIRB website.

Every trade business

COIDA from the first employee, and a current letter of good standing, because falls from roofs and ladders are the Compensation Fund’s bread and butter. The COIDA registration service does it for R690.
UIF and PAYE for employees and apprentices; the tax threshold is R99 000 a year.
CIDB registration if you want government or larger contractor work; electrical and plumbing are their own classes. The CIDB registration service covers it.
VAT once turnover passes R1 million in any twelve months, which a solar installer reaches quickly.
Written quotes and a contract for every job, because the Consumer Protection Act and the disputes ombud both start with what was agreed in writing.

Where the money is lost

A certificate signed by a person who is not registered, or outside their category. Void, and the client’s insurer knows it.
A contractor registration that lapsed because it is annual and nobody diarised it.
Solar sold and connected without SSEG registration, discovered when the supplier changes the meter, with the customer’s anger aimed at the installer.
A geyser outside SANS 10254, with the insurer repudiating the water damage claim and the plumber facing the bill.
An apprentice injured with no COIDA, and the employer paying the medical costs personally.

The guides and services

Certificate of compliance and contractor registrationThe rules from the Electrical Installation Regulations: who holds it, who signs it, the two-year rule, the fees. Solar SSEG registrationEskom, municipal and NERSA rules, the three documents, and the fee waiver to 30 September 2026. Electrical contractor registration, R690Annexure 3 and Annexure 5 prepared and lodged with the department, renewal diarised. SSEG registration lodged, R890Documents checked against the supplier’s list, application lodged and chased to approval.

Frequently asked questions

I am a qualified electrician. Can I sign certificates?

Only if you are also a registered person under regulation 11. The trade test qualifies you to do the work; the registration with the Chief Inspector, in one of the three categories, is what lets you inspect, test and certify. Apply on Annexure 5 with your trade and training history and two photographs.

Do I need both the contractor registration and the registered person registration?

Yes, if you run a business. The registered person registration is personal. The contractor registration is for the business and is renewed every year, and the business can only be registered if it employs a registered person full time or the owner is one.

My client refuses to register the solar system. Is that my problem?

The registration duty sits with the customer as the supplier’s account holder, but the installer’s certificate and test report are what the application is built on, and a system that is later disconnected comes back to the installer. Most reputable installers now include the registration in the price, and the fee waiver makes that easy until 30 September 2026.

Is PIRB registration compulsory for plumbers?

Not under national law. It is required by some municipalities through their water by-laws, by many insurers before they accept a plumbing certificate, and by conveyancers in some areas. A licensed plumber can issue PIRB certificates of compliance; an unregistered one cannot.

Keep exploring

Certificate of compliance guide Solar SSEG registration guide CIDB registration COIDA registration Forklift licences Transport operators

Sources: the Electrical Installation Regulations, 2009 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act; the Electrical Contractors Association’s notice on the July 2022 fee amendment; Eskom’s SSEG page and its 26 March 2026 statement; the PIRB registration and fee pages; the National Building Regulations, SANS 10142-1, SANS 10252 and SANS 10254; the Budget 2026 tax guide for the tax threshold. This is information, not legal advice.