Commercial · Townsville

How much does test and tag cost in Townsville?

By The WTD Editorial Team · Last reviewed November 2026 · Methodology

Updated November 2026·Independently researched·10 min read

Test and tag in Townsville runs $3.50–$9.50 per item

for a job of 1 to 50 items, as published by testers (most ex GST) - larger jobs, minimum charges, RCD and exit light tests below

A Hermit Park allied health clinic with treatment-room equipment, a reception and a staff kitchen prices at $3.50–$9.50 per item, $5.50 typical, or the minimum site charge of $89–$250 where the count is small. A Bohle mining services workshop with a tool store prices its single-phase tools at $2.10–$4.95 per item once the count passes 200 and the three-phase plant at $4–$9.50 per item on its own line.

+4.9% Test and Tag costs in Townsville are up around 4.9% over the past year, re-verified against 90+ sources in November 2026. Year on year

Typical per-item rate in Townsville, 1-50 items

$5.50

per item tested and tagged, Townsville 2026, as published

Test and tag, 1-50 items

$3.50-$9.50

Test and tag, 51-200 items

$3.20-$6

Test and tag, 200+ items

$2.10-$4.95

$3.50$5.50$9.50

Townsville testers quote per item with volume breaks: $3.50–$9.50 per item for 1 to 50 items, $3.20–$6 for 51 to 200 and $2.10–$4.95 for 200 or more, with a minimum site charge of $89–$250 for a Flinders Street office or a Palmer Street restaurant that does not reach the first band. A site where nobody can give a count ahead of the visit, a Stuart transport depot with leads in every truck, is quoted at an hourly rate of $60–$150.

The lines beside the appliances are where Townsville quotes diverge. Fixed RCDs at $5–$20 per unit and portable RCDs at $5.49–$12 per unit are counted on their own; emergency and exit lights at $7–$20 per fitting, microwaves at $5–$30 per unit and three-phase equipment at $4–$9.50 per item each carry a line. A Garbutt hire yard with a portable RCD on every lead and a Douglas office with a single switchboard are different jobs at the same item count.

Access and distance set the rest. Mining services yards at Bohle and Mount St John want the visit outside shift hours, The Strand and Palmer Street want it before service, and a cleaning contractor working Stockland Townsville, Castletown and Willows wants one route price rather than three site charges. Leads and power boards test at $2–$8 per item, a plug top replaced on the spot is $15–$55 per item, and a fire extinguisher or fire blanket inspection with the visit is $10–$35 per unit. Prices are as published by testers, most of them ex GST.

Quick answerTest and tag in Townsville runs $3.50–$9.50 per item for a job of 1 to 50 items in 2026, $3.20–$6 per item for 51 to 200 items and $2.10–$4.95 per item for 200 or more, with a minimum site charge of $89–$250 where the item count is small. Fixed RCD tests add $5–$20 per unit and emergency and exit light tests $7–$20 per fitting. Prices are as published by testers, most of them ex GST. Get free Townsville quotes →

Test and Tag Prices in Townsville 2026: Cost Table and Price List

Service	Low	Typical	High
Test and tag, 1-50 items	$3.50per item	$5.50	$9.50
Test and tag, 51-200 items	$3.20per item	$4.50	$6
Test and tag, 200+ items	$2.10per item	$3.50	$4.95
Minimum site charge or call-out	$89per visit	$125	$250
Fixed RCD test, push-button and trip time	$5per unit	$15	$20
Portable RCD test	$5.49per unit	$9.50	$12
Emergency and exit light test, six-monthly	$7per fitting	$12	$20
Microwave leakage test	$5per unit	$15	$30
Three-phase equipment test	$4per item	$8	$9.50
Fire extinguisher or fire blanket inspection, with a test-and-tag visit	$10per unit	$15	$35
Hourly rate, unknown item count or complex site	$60per hour	$90	$150
Extension lead or power board test	$2per item	$5	$8
Plug top replaced on site	$15per item	$25	$55

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Prices are as published by testers, most of them ex GST. Townsville, November 2026.

What does test and tag cost per item in Townsville?$3.50–$9.50 per item for a small job of 1 to 50 items, $5.50 typical. The rate steps down with volume: $3.20–$6 per item for 51 to 200 items and $2.10–$4.95 per item for 200 or more, and most testers apply a minimum site charge of $89–$250.

What gets added to a Townsville test and tag quote?Fixed RCD push-button and trip-time tests at $5–$20 per unit, portable RCDs at $5.49–$12 per unit, emergency and exit lights at $7–$20 per fitting, microwave leakage tests at $5–$30 per unit, three-phase equipment at $4–$9.50 per item, and a plug top replaced on the spot at $15–$55 per item.

Worked Test and Tag Cost Scenarios — Townsville

Townsville examples priced from this page's rows: a Hermit Park allied health clinic, a Bohle mining services workshop and a Palmer Street restaurant. Each line names the row it draws on; the quote you receive prices your own item count and access.

Hermit Park allied health clinic. A physio and podiatry clinic on Charters Towers Road has its treatment tables, ultrasound unit, computers, printers and kitchen appliances tested at $3.50–$9.50 per item ($5.50 typical), the power boards behind reception at $2–$8 per item and the switchboard RCDs at $5–$20 per unit, with the minimum site charge of $89–$250 covering the first items and the visit booked for the lunch break between patients.
Bohle mining services workshop. A workshop servicing mine-site equipment at Bohle books its single-phase tools, chargers and bench equipment at $2.10–$4.95 per item for a count past 200, typically $3.50, the three-phase welders, hoists and compressors at $4–$9.50 per item, the portable RCDs issued with every field lead at $5.49–$12 per unit, a fire extinguisher inspection at $10–$35 per unit and plug tops replaced on the spot at $15–$55 per item, with the register exported in the workshop's own asset numbers.
Palmer Street restaurant. A restaurant in South Townsville with a commercial kitchen, a bar and a function room comes in at $3.20–$6 per item for 51 to 200 items, typically $4.50, with two microwaves at $5–$30 per unit, the emergency and exit lights over the dining room and kitchen doors at $7–$20 per fitting and the fire blanket and extinguisher by the cookline at $10–$35 per unit, all done mid-morning before prep starts.

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Prices are as published by testers, most of them ex GST. Townsville, November 2026.

Test and Tag Costs by Sector in Townsville

Townsville's test and tag work runs from the office floors of the CBD, Garbutt and Douglas and the university and hospital precinct at Douglas, through the strips and centres of Flinders Street, Charters Towers Road, Stockland Townsville, Castletown and Willows, to the industrial yards of Garbutt, Bohle, Mount St John and Stuart and the dining of Palmer Street, The Strand and the Magnetic Island ferry precinct.

Mining services and transport yards: Bohle, Mount St John, Stuart, Garbutt - Three-phase plant at $4–$9.50 per item, single-phase tools at $2.10–$4.95 per item once a tool store passes 200 items, portable RCDs at $5.49–$12 per unit on every field lead, plug tops replaced on the spot at $15–$55 per item and an hourly rate of $60–$150 where a depot cannot give a count before the visit.
University and hospital precinct: Douglas, James Cook University - Office, teaching and lab equipment at $3.20–$6 or $2.10–$4.95 per item depending on the count, with the fixed RCDs in each switchboard at $5–$20 per unit and the register handed over in the building's room numbering so each department can find its own items.
Dining and the waterfront: Palmer Street, The Strand, Magnetic Island ferry precinct - Kitchens and bars at $3.50–$9.50 or $3.20–$6 per item with microwaves at $5–$30 per unit, emergency and exit lights at $7–$20 per fitting and a fire extinguisher or fire blanket inspection at $10–$35 per unit, booked before service; a ferry-precinct kiosk with a handful of items pays the minimum site charge of $89–$250.
Centres and strips: Stockland Townsville, Castletown, Willows, Flinders Street - A shop's registers, printers, fans and display units at $3.50–$9.50 per item, the centre's after-hours access window named on the quote, and the question of whether a retailer with tenancies at Castletown and Willows pays two site charges or one route price.
Site sheds, hire fleets and cleaning contractors: Garbutt, Stuart, the airport precinct - Leads and power boards at $2–$8 per item, portable RCDs at $5.49–$12 per unit, site-shed appliances at $3.50–$9.50 per item and a cleaning contractor's vacuums and polishers tested at the depot rather than across every client site, with the register listing each item by asset number.

What a Compliant Test and Tag Quote Includes — Cost in Townsville

Before comparing Townsville quotes, check each one prices the same item count in the same band, says whether the minimum site charge covers a stated number of items, and lists RCDs, exit lights, microwaves and three-phase equipment on their own lines with the GST basis stated.

The per-item rate and the band it sits in - 1 to 50, 51 to 200 or 200 or more items - at $3.50–$9.50, $3.20–$6 or $2.10–$4.95 per item
The minimum site charge at $89–$250 and exactly how many items it covers before the per-item rate starts
Fixed RCD push-button and trip-time tests at $5–$20 per unit and portable RCDs at $5.49–$12 per unit, counted separately from appliances
Emergency and exit light tests at $7–$20 per fitting, with the six-monthly discharge test named
Microwave leakage tests at $5–$30 per unit and three-phase equipment at $4–$9.50 per item as their own lines
Fire extinguisher and fire blanket inspections at $10–$35 per unit where bundled with the visit, and who services them otherwise
Extension leads and power boards at $2–$8 per item, and the on-site repair basis - a plug top replaced at $15–$55 per item
The tester's competency - a nationally accredited portable appliance testing course or an electrical licence - and the register and report included
A single GST basis across every line, with the retest interval the quote assumes and the tester's ABN and insurance

Test and tag cost in Townsville: yards, clinics and kitchens

Test and tag cost in Townsville starts with the band the count lands in: $3.50–$9.50 per item for 1 to 50 items (typically $5.50), $3.20–$6 per item for 51 to 200 (typically $4.50) and $2.10–$4.95 per item for 200 or more (typically $3.50), with a minimum site charge of $89–$250 where a Flinders Street suite or a Strand kiosk sits under the first band. Testers bill every plug-in item, so a Douglas office should count chargers, heaters, fans and power boards, not only the computers.

The add-ons write the rest of a Townsville quote. Fixed RCDs at $5–$20 per unit and portable RCDs at $5.49–$12 per unit sit on their own lines; emergency and exit lights at $7–$20 per fitting, microwaves at $5–$30 per unit and three-phase plant at $4–$9.50 per item are counted separately in a Bohle workshop or a Palmer Street kitchen; a fire extinguisher or fire blanket inspection with the visit is $10–$35 per unit. Repairs on the spot are a plug top at $15–$55 per item, leads and boards at $2–$8 per item, and a Stuart depot with no count goes to an hourly rate of $60–$150.

SafeWork SA reproduces the model Code of Practice interval table: equipment in factories, workshops, manufacturing, assembly, maintenance and fabrication is tested every 6 months, with a portable RCD push-button tested daily or before every use, a fixed RCD push-button every 6 months and RCD operating-time tests every 12 months; equipment that is flexed in normal use or sits in a hostile environment every 12 months; equipment that is not flexed, not open to abuse and not in a hostile environment every 5 years; residential-type areas such as hotels, motels, boarding houses, halls and hostels every 2 years; commercial cleaning equipment every 6 months; and hire equipment inspected before each hire and tested and tagged every 3 months. Only a competent person may inspect and test: someone who has completed a nationally accredited portable appliance testing course through a registered training organisation, or a licensed electrical worker. The standards it cites are AS/NZS 3760:2022, AS/NZS 3012:2010 for construction and demolition sites and AS/NZS 5762 after a repair. The Queensland Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 sets the intervals in the regulation itself: for manufacturing work, double-insulated equipment at least once every year and other equipment at least once every 6 months; for service work, equipment used only for office work at least once every 5 years and otherwise at least once every year; for construction work, equipment must comply with AS/NZS 3012; amusement devices at least once every 6 months; safety switches tested by a competent person at the AS/NZS 3760 intervals; and hire equipment inspected and tested by a competent person before each hiring and tested and tagged at least once every 6 months, with records kept for at least 5 years. For a Townsville job, ask the tester to put the course or licence number on the quote and to show a sample of the register before the visit.

Test and tag cost by item count and site type in Townsville

Quick answerTownsville pricing steps by count and site: a Hermit Park clinic or a Strand kiosk sits at the minimum site charge of $89–$250 or $3.50–$9.50 per item, a Palmer Street restaurant or a CBD office floor at $3.20–$6 per item, and a Bohle or Mount St John workshop at $2.10–$4.95 per item with three-phase plant at $4–$9.50 per item on top.

Count moves a Townsville price in steps. A Charters Towers Road clinic with a few dozen items pays $3.50–$9.50 per item or the minimum site charge of $89–$250; a Stockland Townsville tenancy past 50 items drops to $3.20–$6 per item; a James Cook University faculty or a Garbutt hire yard past 200 items drops again to $2.10–$4.95 per item. Ask which band the quote assumes and what the rate becomes if the count on the day crosses the line.

Site type moves the add-ons. A Douglas office is appliances plus switchboard RCDs at $5–$20 per unit and exit lights at $7–$20 per fitting; a Strand kitchen adds microwaves at $5–$30 per unit and a fire blanket inspection at $10–$35 per unit; a Stuart workshop adds three-phase plant at $4–$9.50 per item, portable RCDs at $5.49–$12 per unit and plug tops at $15–$55 per item; a cleaning contractor working Castletown and Willows pays for leads and boards at $2–$8 per item across every site, or an hourly rate of $60–$150 when the vans are never together.

Frequently Asked Questions — Test and Tag Cost in Townsville

What is the price of test and tag in Townsville?

From our Townsville table: $3.50–$9.50 per item for 1 to 50 items (typically $5.50); $3.20–$6 per item for 51 to 200 items (typically $4.50); $2.10–$4.95 per item for 200 or more (typically $3.50); minimum site charge $89–$250.

How much does test and tag cost per item in Townsville?

A small job of 1 to 50 items costs $3.50–$9.50 per item in Townsville, with $5.50 typical, and the rate steps down to $3.20–$6 for 51 to 200 items and $2.10–$4.95 for 200 or more. A CBD or Douglas office usually sits in the first band; a Bohle or Mount St John workshop with a tool store and three-phase plant is where the count crosses into $3.20–$6 or $2.10–$4.95 per item and where a visit outside shift hours adds to the line.

What is the minimum charge for test and tag in Townsville?

Going by our Townsville table, the minimum site charge or call-out is $89–$250, typically $125, and it usually covers a stated number of items before the per-item rate applies. A Strand kiosk or a Flinders Street suite with a dozen items is the usual Townsville minimum-charge job, and the quote should say how many items the $89–$250 covers and whether a second tenancy at Castletown is a second site charge or part of one route.

How much does RCD testing cost in Townsville?

A fixed RCD push-button and trip-time test is $5–$20 per unit on our Townsville table, with $15 typical, and a portable RCD test $5.49–$12 per unit; both are counted separately from the appliances plugged into them.

How often does equipment need to be tested and tagged in Townsville?

Who is allowed to test and tag in Townsville?

The Queensland Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 sets the intervals in the regulation itself: for manufacturing work, double-insulated equipment at least once every year and other equipment at least once every 6 months; for service work, equipment used only for office work at least once every 5 years and otherwise at least once every year; for construction work, equipment must comply with AS/NZS 3012; amusement devices at least once every 6 months; safety switches tested by a competent person at the AS/NZS 3760 intervals; and hire equipment inspected and tested by a competent person before each hiring and tested and tagged at least once every 6 months, with records kept for at least 5 years. On our Townsville table an hourly rate of $60–$150 applies where the item count is unknown or the site is complex, with $90 typical.

What do emergency and exit light tests cost in Townsville?

Emergency and exit light tests cost $7–$20 per fitting in Townsville on a six-monthly cycle, with $12 typical, and most testers quote them alongside the appliance visit. Restaurants on Palmer Street and The Strand, the centres at Stockland Townsville and Castletown and the medical suites at Douglas are the usual Townsville buyers, and the quote should count every fitting in every fire stair and over every exit and say whether the discharge test is inside the $7–$20 per fitting price.

Does test and tag cover microwaves, three-phase equipment and fire extinguishers in Townsville?

A microwave leakage test is $5–$30 per unit, three-phase equipment $4–$9.50 per item and a fire extinguisher or fire blanket inspection bundled with the visit $10–$35 per unit on our Townsville table. Kitchens on Palmer Street and The Strand add microwaves, workshops at Bohle, Mount St John and Stuart add three-phase plant, and both carry extinguishers; the quote should put each on its own line and say who services the extinguishers that the $10–$35 per unit inspection finds due.

What does a failed item cost to fix during a Townsville test and tag visit?

A plug top replaced on site costs $15–$55 per item on our Townsville table, with $25 typical, and an extension lead or power board test $2–$8 per item. AS/NZS 3760:2022, In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment and RCDs, was published on 29 June 2022 as a complete revision superseding AS/NZS 3760:2010, and Standards Australia describes its interval recommendations as based on equipment type, environment and usage; AS/NZS 2293.2:2019 is the routine service and maintenance part of the emergency lighting and exit sign standard. On a Bohle or Stuart visit, ask the tester to show plug tops replaced on the spot at $15–$55 per item as a separate line and to tag out, not just fail, the leads at $2–$8 per item that do not pass.