Borehole Certificate of Compliance (COC) in Johannesburg

"Getting a borehole COC" sounds like one form you can simply order. It is not, and it is not always even a legal must. Here is the honest, complete picture: the City's drilling consent, the water-use rules, the water test, and the backflow-safe plumbing certificate that actually protects you, from the Johannesburg plumber who issues that certificate.

Backflow-safe to SANS 10252-1

Plumbing COC issued

SANS 241 water testing

Complete borehole water system with storage tank and multi-stage filtration connected at a Johannesburg home

Compliant Connection

Pump & Pressure

Multi-stage borehole water filtration and UV treatment on a face-brick wall at a Johannesburg home

Tested & Treated

A buyer's attorney asked me for "the borehole COC" and I had no idea what they meant. Was it the drilling permit, the water test, or something my plumber signs? It turned out to be three different jobs wearing one name.

A Blairgowrie homeowner phoned us mid-sale, rattled. Her conveyancer had asked for the borehole COC and she assumed it was a single certificate she could request and pay for in an afternoon. It is not. When we unpacked it on the phone, what she actually needed was proof the borehole was connected to the house without any cross-connection to the municipal supply, plus a recent water test. Two days of straightforward work, not the bureaucratic nightmare she had been dreading.

We get this call almost every week, because "borehole COC" is shorthand for four separate things that people quietly assume are one. Working out which one you actually need is half the battle, and it is usually far less daunting than it first sounds.

So before you spend a cent or panic about a deadline, here is the whole picture, laid out plainly.

That is what this page gives you.

The Untangle

A Borehole COC Is Really Four Different Things

This is why the phone keeps ringing. People say "borehole COC" and mean one of four separate things, each with a different owner. Here they are, and which one is actually ours.

1. Permission to Drill

Before a borehole is sunk, the City of Johannesburg must give written consent. This is a municipal approval you apply for up front, not a certificate handed to you afterwards. The owner applies, then the driller drills.

Applied for before drilling starts
Granted by the City of Johannesburg
The owner's responsibility
We guide you, we do not drill

2. Water-Use Registration

Under the National Water Act you register the water use, not the borehole, and only when use is large. Ordinary household use is a Schedule 1 permissible use and needs no licence at all. This sits between you and the Department of Water and Sanitation.

Governed by the National Water Act
Domestic use is licence-free
Only large or commercial use registers
Handled with national, not City, offices

3. The Driller's Own Certificate

Your driller documents how the borehole was constructed and how much water it yields, sometimes called a construction or yield certificate. This is the driller's deliverable, in their scope, not ours. We pick up once the hole is in the ground.

Covers construction and yield
Issued by your borehole driller
Separate from the plumbing certificate
Outside our pump-onwards scope

4. The Plumbing Certificate of Compliance

This is the one most people actually mean, and the one we issue. It certifies that the borehole is connected to your home correctly: backflow prevention, non-return valves, an air gap, and no cross-connection to the municipal supply, to SANS 10252-1. This is our lane.

Certifies a safe, separated connection
Backflow prevention to SANS 10252-1
No cross-connection to the City supply
Issued by Andy Plumbers, a Master Plumber

Real Borehole Connections We've Certified

We are the team that takes over after the drill rig leaves: pump, treatment, a backflow-safe connection and the Certificate of Compliance. A few of our borehole systems across the northern suburbs.

Pump Installation

Randburg - Submersible pump fitted and connected to house plumbing

House Connection

Fairland - Complete borehole to house plumbing with pressure system

Filtration System

Randburg - Iron removal and sediment filtration for borehole water

Complete borehole water system with switchover valve in Fairland

Complete System

Fairland - Full borehole system with switchover valve and treatment

The Process

Exactly What To Do, Step By Step

From a bare stand to a certified, compliant borehole. Steps one to three belong to you and your driller. From step four, the work is ours.

Check Your Stand

Confirm your property is not on dolomite, where the City does not approve drilling. A quick check now saves a refused application later. This one is on the owner, and we are glad to point you to the right City contact.

Get the City's Consent

Apply to the City of Johannesburg for written consent before any drilling. Since October 2025 this goes to boreholeapplications@joburg.org.za, with a fee of around R1,185 and roughly 14 working days to a decision.

Drill and Case

Your registered driller sinks and cases the borehole and gives you their construction and yield details. This is the driller's scope, not ours. We work alongside good drillers and can recommend one.

Pump and Pressure

Now we step in. We size and install the submersible pump, pressure tank and booster so the borehole delivers steady pressure to the house and garden. This is where our pump-onwards scope begins.

Test and Treat

We test the water against SANS 241, read the results, and fit only the treatment it needs: iron and manganese removal, sediment filtration, UV or softening. Clear water is not proof of safe water.

Connect and Certify

We tie the borehole into your home with a proper switchover, non-return valves and backflow prevention so it never cross-connects to the municipal supply, then issue your plumbing Certificate of Compliance.

City of Johannesburg

The Drilling Consent, In Detail

Of the four pieces, the City's drilling consent is the one firm municipal rule, and the one people most often trip over. Here is how it works as of 2026.

Apply Before You Drill

Consent is required before a single metre is drilled. Since October 2025 applications go to boreholeapplications@joburg.org.za or 011 082 7970. Expect a fee of around R1,185, invoiced once the application is processed, and a decision in roughly 14 working days.

Written consent, before any drilling
boreholeapplications@joburg.org.za
Fee around R1,185
About 14 working days to a decision

Dolomite Stands Are Excluded

Stands that fall on dolomite are not approved, because drawing groundwater there raises the risk of sinkholes. A geologist assesses this as part of the City's review. If your stand is affected, a backup tank is the sensible alternative.

Dolomite stands are refused
Sinkhole risk is the reason
Assessed during the City review
A tank is the practical fallback

It Is Consent, Not Just a Notice

This is a genuine approval step, not a quick heads-up. The City reviews the application across several departments before granting consent, so build the lead time into your plans rather than assuming a rubber stamp on the day.

A real approval, properly reviewed
Several City departments weigh in
Plan for the lead time
Keep the approval on file

Drilling Without It Is Costly

Drilling without consent can lead to fines, an immediate stop to the work, and even impoundment of the rig. It is not worth the risk, and a reputable driller will ask to see your consent before they so much as unload.

Fines for unapproved drilling
Work can be stopped on the spot
Equipment can be impounded
Good drillers check for consent first

Straight Talk

So Do You Actually Need One? The Honest Answer

Here is the part some plumbers skate over. A borehole Certificate of Compliance is not automatically required by law the way an electrical or a gas COC is. There is no countrywide rule that forces one onto every borehole. So the honest answer to "do I need one" is a qualified no, with conditions worth understanding.

In practice the need usually comes from one of three places: your sale agreement asks for it, your buyer's bank wants it before granting a bond, or your conveyancer requests it during transfer. Each of those is a contractual or lender requirement, and each is reasonable, because nobody wants to inherit a borehole that is plumbed into the municipal line or feeding untested water to a family.

What is genuinely non-negotiable, sale or no sale, is two things. First, the borehole must never be cross-connected to the municipal supply, with proper backflow prevention in place. A private supply that can flow backwards into the mains is a real contamination risk, which is why the standard takes it seriously. Second, if anyone is drinking the water, it should be tested against SANS 241 and treated to suit. Get those two right and the certificate is simply the paperwork that records it.

To be clear about our scope: Andy Plumbers handles a borehole from the pump onwards, the pump and pressure system, water testing, filtration and treatment, the backflow-safe connection to your home, the plumbing Certificate of Compliance, and ongoing maintenance. We do not drill, survey or run the geohydrological yield testing, that is your driller's craft, and we are glad to work alongside one you trust or to suggest one.

Borehole water also changes from suburb to suburb. Iron is common in Blairgowrie and parts of Fairland, leaving a metallic taste and staining fittings; older pockets near former septic systems in Linden and Parkhurst can show raised nitrates; and some stands to the south and west fall on dolomite, where drilling is not approved. None of this is a problem once the water is tested and the connection is done correctly, which is routine work for us.

Explore the detail: our borehole overview, the full installation process, pump installation, water testing, water filtration, our COC certificates page for plumbing and gas certificates, and the Johannesburg water-independence guide if you are still weighing a borehole against a tank.

FAQ

Borehole Compliance: Straight Answers

What is a borehole Certificate of Compliance (COC)?

In everyday use, a borehole COC is a plumbing Certificate of Compliance that confirms your borehole is connected to your home safely and lawfully. It certifies backflow prevention, non-return valves and an air gap, and that borehole water cannot cross-connect with the municipal supply, in line with SANS 10252-1. It is a different document from the City's permission to drill and from the driller's construction or yield certificate. A qualified plumber issues it, and at Andy Plumbers this is exactly the part we handle.

Do I legally need a COC for my borehole in Johannesburg?

The honest answer is a qualified no. A borehole COC is not a blanket legal requirement the way an electrical or gas COC is. It usually becomes necessary because your sale agreement asks for it, your bank wants it before granting a bond, or your conveyancer requests it during transfer. What is genuinely non-negotiable, sale or no sale, is that the borehole is connected with proper backflow prevention and never cross-connected to the municipal line, and that anyone drinking the water knows it has been tested.

What is the process to get my borehole compliant in Johannesburg?

Step one, check your stand is not on dolomite and apply to the City of Johannesburg for written consent before any drilling. Step two, use a registered driller to sink and case the borehole. Step three, we size and install the pump and pressure system. Step four, we test the water against SANS 241 and add only the treatment it needs. Step five, we connect it to your home with backflow prevention and no cross-connection, then issue the plumbing Certificate of Compliance. Keep the City consent, the water test and the COC together as your record.

Do I need permission to drill a borehole in Johannesburg?

Yes. The City of Johannesburg requires written consent before any drilling starts. Since October 2025 applications go to boreholeapplications@joburg.org.za, the fee is around R1,185, and the City aims to finalise applications within about 14 working days. Stands on dolomite are not approved because of sinkhole risk, and drilling without consent can lead to fines, a work stoppage and impoundment of equipment. Always confirm the current requirements with the City before you start.

Do I have to register my borehole?

You do not register the borehole itself, you register the water use, and only if it is large. Drawing groundwater for reasonable domestic use is a Schedule 1 permissible use under the National Water Act, so most homes need no licence at all. Registration or a water-use licence with the Department of Water and Sanitation only applies to high-volume, commercial or large-scale abstraction. Our Johannesburg water-independence guide covers where that line sits.

Does a borehole COC prove the water is safe to drink?

No, and this catches people out. The plumbing COC is about a safe, correctly separated connection, not about water quality. Borehole water in Johannesburg can carry iron, manganese, hardness, nitrates or bacteria, and clear water is not proof of safe water. To know it is safe you need a separate water test against the SANS 241 drinking-water standard, then treatment matched to the results.

Do I need a COC to sell a house that has a borehole?

It depends on your Offer to Purchase and your buyer's bank rather than on a single law. There is no automatic countrywide rule that forces a borehole COC at transfer the way there is for electrical and gas. Even so, buyers and banks increasingly want proof that the borehole is safely connected and the water has been tested, so having the connection certified and a recent water test on file protects the sale and avoids last-minute delays.

Who issues a borehole COC, and can Andy Plumbers do it?

The plumbing Certificate of Compliance for the connection is issued by a qualified plumber, and yes, that is us. Andy Plumbers is a Master Plumber operation, and we issue the plumbing COC once the borehole is correctly and safely connected to your home. The borehole's construction and yield certificate is a separate document from your driller. We work with trusted drillers and can point you to one.

What does Andy Plumbers do for borehole compliance, and what do you not do?

We handle everything from the pump onwards: the pump and pressure system, SANS 241 water testing, filtration and treatment, a backflow-safe connection to your home, the plumbing Certificate of Compliance, and ongoing maintenance. We also guide you through the City's drilling consent paperwork. We do not drill, survey or carry out the geohydrological yield testing, but we work alongside drillers who do.

Need Your Borehole Made Compliant?

Tell us where you are in the process and we will tell you honestly what you need: a water test, a backflow-safe connection, the plumbing Certificate of Compliance, or just a steer through the City's paperwork. All handled during business hours.

Get Compliance Advice Call 011 477 1118