Ask anyone who's opened a café, a small office or a workshop in Perth what blew the budget on their commercial fit-out, and electrical often comes up. Not because the work is exotic, but because it was discovered late. The shopfitter's halfway through the joinery when someone realises the coffee machine needs a circuit the tenancy doesn't have. Or the landlord's switchboard can't take the air conditioning. Or the exit lights fail their test a week before opening.
This checklist comes from Donny Mobin, a licensed electrician and the owner of Web X Electricians Perth, which does residential and small commercial electrical work across Perth. Work through it before the first wall goes up.
Commercial fit-out electrical checklist at a glance
- Get the supply checked before you sign the lease.
- Read the lease for make-good and switchboard clauses.
- Write the load list before the floor plan.
- Lock in outlet and circuit positions on the shopfitter's drawings.
- Plan lighting for the work, the energy rules and the power bill.
- Test the exit and emergency lighting you're inheriting.
- Set up RCDs, testing and tagging from day one.
- Use a registered cabler for data and comms.
- Clear signage and outdoor power with the landlord.
- Keep the permits and electrical paperwork together.
1. Get the supply checked before you sign the lease
Before anyone draws a lighting plan, get a commercial electrician to look at the existing switchboard and metering. Is the tenancy single-phase or three-phase? What size is the main switch? How much is already used by base-building services like air conditioning? A tenancy that suits a clothing boutique can be hopeless for a food business. A commercial oven, coffee machine, dishwasher, refrigeration and a couple of split systems can overload a small single-phase supply before you've plugged in the till.
If the supply needs upgrading, that's usually the longest-lead item in the whole fit-out. It involves the landlord, often Western Power, and sometimes a new main switchboard. Start it first.
2. Read the lease for make-good and switchboard clauses
Two things matter. The make-good clause sets what you have to remove or restore when you leave, and anything you add to the electrical installation (new circuits, lighting, a bigger sub-board) may have to come out again. Then there's who owns and maintains the switchboard, the metering and the emergency lighting. In a strip of shops or a small commercial building, the supply is often shared and the metering is the landlord's, so any capacity upgrade needs their written approval. That can take weeks, so ask before you sign.
3. Write the load list before the floor plan
List every piece of equipment that draws power and where it goes: kitchen gear, computers and printers, the point of sale, signage, display lighting, fridges, tools and machinery, hand dryers, hot water, and EV charging if you run a work vehicle. Your electrician turns that list into circuits, outlet positions and a sub-board layout. It's also the best way to compare electrical quotes, because everyone's pricing the same job.
Leave spare capacity in the sub-board, a few empty spaces, and put in more outlets than the plan shows. Businesses grow into their power.
4. Lock in outlet and circuit positions on the shopfitter's drawings
Sit down with the shopfitter's drawings and the load list together. The number of times a bench gets built right over the spot where the outlets were meant to go isn't funny any more. Agree the height and position of every outlet, data point and switch before the joinery is ordered, and get them marked on the drawings. On shop and office fit-outs, that one meeting saves more rework than anything else.
5. Plan lighting for the work, the energy rules and the power bill
LED is the default now, and a fit-out is the time to do lighting properly. Get the colour temperature right for the space: warmer for hospitality, cooler for workshops and retail. Put enough light on the work areas. And pick controls that suit how you trade, such as timers, motion sensors in back-of-house areas and separate switching for display lighting.
If the fit-out needs a building permit, the lighting also has to meet the energy-efficiency rules in Section J of the National Construction Code. They cap lighting power per square metre and require controls such as time switches or motion sensors in some buildings. Getting lighting right at fit-out is far cheaper than changing it after you've opened.
6. Test the exit and emergency lighting you're inheriting
Many commercial premises need exit signs and emergency lighting under the National Construction Code, depending on the building's class, size and layout. In WA, building owners must keep them working. Under AS/NZS 2293.2, emergency lights are tested every six months, including a discharge test where they run on battery for their full rated time (usually 90 minutes), with the results recorded in a logbook.
Don't assume the fittings you inherit from the previous tenant still work. Get your electrician to test them before you plan around them, budget to replace any that fail, and agree in the lease who looks after testing from here on.
7. Set up RCDs, testing and tagging from day one
Under the wiring rules, AS/NZS 3000, new lighting circuits and socket-outlet circuits up to 32 A in commercial premises need 30 mA RCD (safety switch) protection. Workplace safety law adds more. WA's Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 require RCD protection for plug-in equipment used in a hostile environment: anywhere wet, hot, dusty or subject to vibration or knocks, like a commercial kitchen or a workshop. RCDs must also be tested regularly, with records kept. WorkSafe WA's guidance on RCDs covers the detail.
Plug-in equipment in hostile environments also needs regular inspection and testing, known as test and tag. AS/NZS 3760 sets the usual intervals: six months in factories, warehouses and production areas, and twelve months in other hostile environments. For office equipment that isn't moved or knocked about, the standard allows up to five years. Set the schedule up at fit-out so it doesn't get forgotten.
8. Use a registered cabler for data and comms
Network cabling for the point of sale, phones, Wi-Fi access points, cameras and the router has to be installed by a registered cabler under the federal Telecommunications (Cabling Provider) Rules 2025. Plenty of electricians hold that registration, so power and data can be roughed in together. Pre-wire for cameras and access points even if you're not installing them on day one. Cable is cheap while the walls are open, and expensive once they're closed.
9. Clear signage and outdoor power with the landlord
Illuminated signage usually needs its own circuit and a time switch, and the landlord will want to see the details. Outdoor outlets for cleaning, alfresco heaters and lighting need weatherproof fittings and, if they're on the building's exterior, the landlord's sign-off.
10. Keep the permits and electrical paperwork together
Many fit-outs need a building permit in WA, and commercial applications are certified by a registered building surveyor. If the fit-out changes the building's use or classification, you may also need a new occupancy permit. Your builder or shopfitter usually handles this, but electrical decisions feed into it, so bring the electrician in early.
All electrical work must be done by a licensed electrical contractor. The contractor lodges the required notices with Western Power and gives you an Electrical Safety Certificate within 28 days of finishing. Your building surveyor, insurer and landlord may all ask for it, so keep it with the lease.
The order that keeps a fit-out on schedule
- Electrician inspects the supply and switchboard before you sign the lease.
- Landlord approval for any supply upgrade goes in straight away.
- Load list and outlet plan agreed with the shopfitter before the joinery is ordered.
- Rough-in while the walls are open: power, data, signage, emergency lighting and camera pre-wire.
- Fit-off, testing and the certificate, with test-and-tag and emergency lighting schedules set up before opening day.
Follow that order and electrical stops being the trade everyone's waiting on.
Common questions about fit-out electrical
What does an electrical fit-out include?
Everything electrical that turns an empty tenancy into a working business: supply and switchboard changes, power and lighting circuits, data cabling, exit and emergency lighting, signage circuits, testing, and the Electrical Safety Certificate at the end.
Who pays for electrical work in a commercial fit-out?
It depends on the lease. Base-building services such as the main switchboard, metering and common-area lighting often sit with the landlord, while the tenant pays for their own fit-out. Supply upgrades and make-good are where disputes start, so get both in writing before you sign.
Does a fit-out need a building permit in WA?
Often, yes. Building work in WA needs a permit unless it's exempt, and an internal fit-out is only exempt if it doesn't affect the structure, the building's use or classification, occupant safety, or compliance with building standards. Check with a registered building surveyor before work starts.