Ausgrid allows 21 days from notification before supply can be disconnected. We clear defect notices as a licensed Level 2 ASP, usually the same day you call.
An electrical defect notice is a written instruction from Ausgrid telling the property owner that part of the electrical installation does not comply with the AS/NZS 3000 Wiring Rules and must be repaired. Ausgrid states that defects not repaired within 21 days of notification may result in the electricity supply being disconnected until the repairs are done. Only a licensed electrical contractor or an Accredited Service Provider can clear one, and anything on the service line, the metering, or the consumer mains needs a Level 2 ASP. DM Electrical is a Level 1 and Level 2 ASP based in Brookvale and clears defect notices across the Northern Beaches, North Shore, Eastern Suburbs, Inner West, and Sydney CBD.
Ausgrid inspects the electrical installation and the service installation at properties across its network. Where the work does not comply with the AS/NZS 3000 Wiring Rules and the relevant NSW standards, it issues a defect notice to the property owner. The notice identifies what is wrong and sets the period you have to repair it. Notices are graded, with Ausgrid distinguishing between a minor defect and a major defect, and the more serious the safety risk the shorter the practical window.
A defect notice is not a fine and it is not a dispute. It is a repair instruction with a deadline attached, and the property owner carries the cost even when the fault was created by a previous owner or a previous contractor.
Ausgrid's published position is that any defects not repaired within 21 days after notification may result in the electricity supply to the property being disconnected until repairs are completed. Ausgrid also says an extension may be possible depending on the severity of the defect, and that it can refer the matter to NSW Fair Trading. Where the defect is an immediate safety risk, the network can act well before the 21 days are up.
The practical advice is to get the notice assessed in the first few days rather than the last few. Consumer mains and private pole work often need a network outage booked, and that booking is what sets the real timeline, not the repair itself.
Ausgrid requires all work relating to electrical connections on its network to be carried out by a licensed electrical contractor or an ASP. In practice that splits the work in two. Anything from the point of attachment through the metering to the consumer mains has to be done by a Level 2 Accredited Service Provider, because only a Level 2 ASP is permitted to break and re-seal the meter and to disconnect and reconnect from the network. Work downstream of the switchboard can be done by a general electrician.
Most defect notices touch both sides. That is why sending it to a general electrician usually costs you a week: they attend, find they cannot legally do half of it, and you start again with a Level 2. DM Electrical holds both Level 1 and Level 2 ASP accreditation, so one team handles the network side and the electrical side. If you want the distinction in plain English, see our guide to the difference between a Level 1, Level 2 and standard electrician.
There is no single price, because a defect notice is a category rather than a job. Re-fixing a point of attachment that has pulled away from a fascia is a short visit. Replacing perished consumer mains means a network outage, new cable from the attachment to the board, and often a switchboard that has to come up to standard at the same time. A private pole replacement involves excavation and is the largest of the common defects.
We quote a fixed price after assessing the property so there is no hourly meter running, and where a defect sits next to work you were going to do anyway, such as a switchboard upgrade or a smart meter install, we price them together on one outage rather than charging you for two.
The pattern of defects changes with the suburb. Coastal streets in Manly, Freshwater, Curl Curl, and Avalon produce more point of attachment and service line defects, because salt air shortens the life of the bracket and the tails. Older inland pockets around Brookvale, Frenchs Forest, and Forestville throw up more perished consumer mains and ceramic fuse boards. Larger properties on the North Shore and in the Eastern Suburbs are where most of the private pole defects come from. We work across all of it from Brookvale, and we carry the common parts on the truck so a straightforward defect can be closed out on the first visit.
Ausgrid states that any defects not repaired within 21 days after notification may result in the electricity supply being disconnected until the repairs are completed. Ausgrid also notes it may be possible to negotiate an extension depending on the severity of the defect. Serious safety defects need to be made safe straight away rather than waiting.
Ausgrid requires all work relating to connections to its network to be carried out by a licensed electrical contractor or an ASP. Anything involving the service line, the meter, or the consumer mains has to be done by a Level 2 Accredited Service Provider. A general electrician cannot legally clear that part of a notice.
Ausgrid can disconnect the supply to the property until the repairs are completed, and it may refer the matter to NSW Fair Trading. Ausgrid describes disconnection as a last resort, but it is required by law to make sure connections meet the safety standards.
It depends entirely on what the notice is for. Re-fixing a point of attachment is at the small end. Replacing consumer mains, or replacing a private pole, sits well above that because of the excavation, the disconnection and reconnection, and the switchboard work that often comes with it. We quote a fixed price after assessing the property, so the number you approve is the number you pay.
Yes, and it is usually cheaper to do it that way. A defect on the consumer mains often sits alongside a switchboard that is due for replacement, and doing both on one disconnection avoids paying for the network outage twice.
We clear defect notices across the Northern Beaches, the North Shore, the Eastern Suburbs, the Inner West, and Sydney CBD, from our base in Brookvale.
Have a job in mind? Call 0410 144 047 or use the contact form and Daniel will get back to you the same business day.
Reviewed by Daniel McCormick, licensed electrician and Level 1 and Level 2 Accredited Service Provider. NSW Electrical Contractor Licence 463912C. ASP Level 1 Scheme 6697, ASP Level 2 Scheme 5922. ABN 69 643 435 358. Last updated August 2026.
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