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Form 35 and Form 55 engineering certificates in Hobart
Your building surveyor needs certificates from the right people before issuing a Certificate of Likely Compliance or accepting finished work. We provide the structural engineer's Form 35 for our designs and Form 55 certificates for assessable items, including as-built and retrospective certification of work already done.
For your building surveyor
The right form, signed by a licensed engineer, with what it covers spelled out.
Fixed quote in 1–2 business hours
Get a fixed quote for a certificate
Tell us what the certificate is for and, if you have it, forward your building surveyor's request.
From $350 + GST. No obligation. Or call 03 6146 4747
In short
A structural engineering certificate in Tasmania is usually a Form 35, Certificate of the Responsible Designer, for an engineer's design, or a Form 55, Certificate of Qualified Person – Assessable Item, for something the engineer has assessed, such as as-built framing or footings. Form 55 and as-built certification start from $350 + GST in Greater Hobart. Your building surveyor says which certificate they need.
- Fee
- Form 55 and as-built from $350 + GST
- Forms
- Form 35 for designs, Form 55 for assessed items
- Who asks
- Usually your building surveyor
Form 35 and Form 55 in Tasmania
What's the difference between a Form 35 and a Form 55?
A Form 35 certifies a design, and a Form 55 certifies an item someone has assessed. The building surveyor relies on both before issuing a Certificate of Likely Compliance or accepting finished work.
| Compare | Form 35 | Form 55 |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Certificate of the Responsible Designer | Certificate of Qualified Person – Assessable Item |
| Signed by | Each designer of the work: engineer, building designer, hydraulic designer | A qualified person who inspected, tested or assessed the item |
| Used for | Every application for a Certificate of Likely Compliance, including notifiable plumbing work such as stormwater | Assessable items the surveyor relies on, such as an inspection of built work, a geotechnical report or an independent check |
| Examples from us | Beam, deck, retaining wall, pool, footing, underpinning and stormwater designs | As-built footings or framing, an existing deck or wall, a landslip report, a check of another engineer's design |
| Price | Included with our design | From $350 + GST |
Form names as published by Building Standards Tasmania (formerly CBOS). Bushfire (BAL) assessments also use a Form 55, but a bushfire hazard practitioner prepares those; we don't. Your building surveyor decides which certificates they need.
Which certificate does your surveyor need?
Requests usually fit one of these four situations. If you're unsure, forward the surveyor's email and we'll tell you in the quote.
Is the work still to be designed?
A new beam, deck, retaining wall, pool or footing.
Yes → Our design comes with a Form 35No → Go to 2Is it built, or partly built, to someone's design?
The surveyor wants the structure checked as built.
Yes → We inspect it and issue a Form 55. Go to 4No → Go to 3Was it built without approval?
A deck, wall or opening that never had a surveyor.
Yes → Your surveyor runs the approval; we assess it. Go to 4No → Tell us what the surveyor asked forCan the hidden parts be checked?
Footing depth, bolts, tie-downs, reinforcement.
Yes → Form 55No → Opening up, testing or a fix designed with a Form 35
Approval categories
Which building work needs a surveyor and an engineer in Tasmania?
Tasmanian building work falls into low risk, notifiable or permit categories under the Director's Determination on categories of building and demolition work. The category decides whether a building surveyor is involved, and so whether certificates are needed.
| Category | Who's involved | Structural examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Low risk | Owner, competent person or builder; no building surveyor | Unroofed deck less than 1 m above the ground; retaining wall up to 0.5 m within 1.5 m of a boundary, or 1.2 m elsewhere; pergola up to 36 m² and 3.5 m high with an open or shade-cloth roof |
| 2. Low risk, licensed builder | A licensed builder; some items must be engineer designed | Retaining wall up to 1.8 m, engineer designed |
| 3. Notifiable | A building surveyor issues a Certificate of Likely Compliance and notifies council | Underpinning, major structural repairs, decks that are roofed or 1 m or more above the ground, larger retaining walls, pools and barriers |
| 4. Permit | A Certificate of Likely Compliance, then a council building permit | For example, Class 1 work in a High landslip band |
From the Director's Determination (v1.4). Check the current version with your building surveyor.
Hazard areas move work up a category
Low-risk work in a landslip, bushfire, flood or coastal hazard area becomes notifiable. Class 1 work in a High landslip band becomes permit work. A wall in an easement or a landslip band is no longer low risk.
Our guides explain the categories in more detail: low risk, notifiable or permit work, retaining wall rules in Tasmania and do you need a structural engineer or a building surveyor?
As-built and retrospective
Can an engineer certify work that's already built?
Yes, if the engineer can inspect enough of it to be sure. An as-built or retrospective Form 55 certifies what the engineer has seen, measured or verified, not what they would have to assume.
As-built certification is for work built to a design, where the surveyor wants an engineer to confirm the structure matches it: footings before the pour, framing before linings, a beam once it's in. Timing matters, because hidden parts are easier to check before they are covered.
Retrospective certification is for work done without approval, often called a retrospective permit. Your building surveyor runs that approval. We inspect the structure, measure it and check it by calculation. If it's adequate, we certify it with a Form 55. If it isn't, we design a fix with a Form 35, and any licensed builder can carry it out.
Hidden items such as footing depths, bolt sizes, tie-downs and reinforcement may need a small excavation, some linings removed or construction photos. Your quote says what we'll need to see.
Building surveyor or engineer?
Building surveyor or structural engineer: who does what?
A building surveyor approves the building work; a structural engineer designs and certifies the structure the surveyor relies on. Many owners searching for a building surveyor in Hobart actually need both.
Your building surveyor
- Decides which category the work falls in
- Asks for the designs, reports and certificates the job needs
- Issues the Certificate of Likely Compliance and notifies council
- For permit work, issues the certificate council needs before its permit
Your structural engineer (us)
- Designs beams, footings, walls, decks and pools, with calculations
- Signs a Form 35 for each design
- Inspects built work and signs a Form 55 for assessable items
- Designs a fix where built work falls short
We aren't building surveyors and don't issue Certificates of Likely Compliance. We give your surveyor the engineering they ask for, whichever surveyor you choose. We hold the Tasmanian Engineer – Civil licence under the Occupational Licensing Act 2005 (licence [licence no.]).
Getting started
What do we need to issue a certificate?
To issue a certificate, we need to know what the surveyor asked for and enough about the work to check it. Usually that comes from three people.
The basics
- Address and council area
- What was built or is planned, and when
- Photos of the work, including during construction
- Any earlier approvals or drawings
The construction
- Drawings the work was built to
- Product details for beams, posts and fixings
- Access before linings or concrete cover the work
- Notice of when stages are ready
The request
- Which form they need: Form 35 or Form 55
- Which item it covers, and to what standard
- Any conditions on the Certificate of Likely Compliance
Certificate and design prices
| Service | From |
|---|---|
| Form 55 or as-built certification | $350 + GST |
| Deck, pergola or carport design, with Form 35 | $450 + GST |
| Wall removal and beam design, with Form 35 | $550 + GST |
| Retaining wall design, with Form 35 | $750 + GST |
| Swimming pool engineering, with Form 35 | $850 + GST |
| Underpinning, extensions and stormwater, with Form 35 | Fixed quote |
Prices exclude GST. Your fixed quote confirms what's included, whether a site visit is needed and the delivery date.
How it works
Send the surveyor's request
With drawings and photos of the work, built or planned.
Get a fixed quote
Within 1–2 business hours, with whether we need to visit and the delivery date.
Inspect, design or certify
Your Form 35 or Form 55 goes to you or straight to your surveyor.
Builders and designers who need certificates regularly can read how we work with builders and designers. We visit sites across Greater Hobart and certify from drawings and photos Tasmania-wide, including Launceston, where the work allows. See all areas.
Related services
Designs that come with a Form 35
Wall removal & beam design
Load-bearing wall removal designed properly: the steel or LVL beam, the posts and the footings, with drawings your builder can build from.
Learn more
Decks, pergolas & carports
Designs for decks, pergolas and carports, including elevated decks on steep blocks, with footings, bracing and tie-down to suit the site.
Learn more
Retaining wall design
Engineer-designed block, concrete, sandstone and gabion retaining walls for Hobart's sloping blocks, with the drawings your builder and building surveyor need.
Learn more