Ask around and you'll hear it stated as plain fact: a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) for an electrical installation is only good for two years. Plenty of property listings and even some contractors say the same thing. It isn't quite true, and getting it wrong either way costs someone money — either an owner paying for a certificate they didn't need, or a buyer inheriting a problem nobody caught.
Where CoCs actually come from
Certificates of Compliance are governed by the Electrical Installation Regulations, 2009, made under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 — specifically Regulation 7, titled "Certificate of Compliance." That's the regulation everything below comes from.
No expiry just from time passing
A CoC doesn't lapse on its own. The Electrical Contractors' Association of South Africa is direct about it: "A CoC is valid for the lifetime of an installation unless alterations have been done, in which case, a supplementary CoC must be issued." They specifically call out contractors who tell owners to renew every two years regardless — "this is not true."
A legal explainer from Cluver Markotter puts it the same way: "A Certificate remains valid from its date of issue and does not lapse by the mere passing of time."
Where "two years" actually comes from
The two-year figure is real — it's just narrower than people assume. Regulation 7(5) says a property may not be transferred if its CoC is older than two years. That's a rule about selling, not about how long you're allowed to keep living in your own house. Stay put, and your existing CoC keeps its validity indefinitely, alterations aside.
This is likely how the myth spreads: a real estate explainer like Property24's own guide states that "most compliance certificates will be valid for a period of two years" — true for a sale, but easy to misread as a blanket rule.
When you actually need a new one
Solar doesn't get a different rule
A new solar PV or SSEG (Small Scale Embedded Generation) installation needs its own CoC too, to SANS 10142-1, issued by a registered electrician — the City of Cape Town's own SSEG requirements confirm this. It's the same instrument as any other electrical CoC, covering the new work — not a separate document with its own shorter validity period.
General information, not legal advice — check your specific situation against the regulations, or with a legal adviser, before a property transaction.