INSIGHT · LICENSING & COMPLIANCE
From $3,300 in Queensland
to no dollar line at all.
Do you need a builders licence? As read on 2 November 2026: NSW Government pages state a contractor licence is needed for residential work over $5,000 including GST; Consumer Affairs Victoria states registration is needed for a domestic contract over $10,000; Queensland treats work over $3,300 as building work needing a licence, with exceptions; WA requires registration for permit work in listed areas from $20,000, or $50,000 for Class 10a from 1 July 2026; the NT's line for Class 1a, 2 and 10 rose to $25,000 on 30 March 2026. The Tasmanian and ACT offence sections state no dollar figure. South Australia was not verified.
Analysed 2 November 2026 · Building Commission NSW pages (updated 3 September 2026) · Building Act 1993 (Vic), Version 152, and Building Regulations 2018, Version 032 · QBCC Act 1991 (point in time 1 February 2026) and Regulation 2018 (current as at 2 November 2026) · Building Services (Registration) Regulations 2011 (WA), 02-aq0-00 · Occupational Licensing Act 2005 (Tas) · Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004 (ACT), R71 · Building Regulations 1993 (NT) (30 March 2026) · SA not verified · all read 2 November 2026.
Key takeaways
- Value is only one of the tests: WA's builder work needs a building permit, a value and a location inside the Schedule 3 area, all three. Queensland's $3,300 line falls away for listed licence classes. Victoria requires registration for reblocking, restumping, demolition or removal of a home at any value, according to Consumer Affairs Victoria.
- Two lines moved in 2026: WA's Class 10a line rose from $20,000 to $50,000 on 1 July 2026 (SL 2026/54). The NT's line for Class 1a, 2 and 10 work rose from $12,000 to $25,000 on 30 March 2026 (SL No 2 of 2026), with the old figure kept for work commenced or carried out before that date.
- Tasmania and the ACT start from the occupation: Section 22A of the Occupational Licensing Act 2005 (Tas) and section 84 of the Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004 (ACT) state no dollar figure. Tasmania excludes low-risk work not required to be done by a licensed builder.
- The business and the person can be different holders: WA separates a building contractor from a building practitioner, who may be its nominated supervisor. NSW has a contractor licence and a qualified supervisor certificate. Queensland has contractor, nominee supervisor and site supervisor licences.
- We would record the licence against the work: A system-design recommendation: hold the licence, its class and limits, and the test each job was read against, so a class limit or a changed threshold shows on the job and not only on the company file.
When a builder needs a licence,
state by state
A licensing line is a different thing from the contract-writing and insurance lines, which have their own figures. NSW's $20,000 is a contract figure, for example.
Contract-writing lines also differ by state. Our page on domestic building contract requirements
| State | Licence or registration, and regulator | Threshold | Classes | Qualification and experience route | Instrument and version read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Contractor licence, Building Commission NSW; a qualified supervisor certificate is separate | Residential building or trade work valued at more than $5,000 in labour and materials, including GST; it also applies if you subcontract for part of an overall contract over $5,000 | Categories of work; a general builder can do any residential building work | One of the listed qualifications, at least 2 years' relevant industry experience with most of it in the 10 years before applying, and a National Police Check for individuals | NSW Government licence pages, updated 3 September 2026; read 2 Nov 2026. Home Building Act 1989 text not verified (2 Nov 2026) |
| Victoria | Registration as a building practitioner, Building and Plumbing Commission | Domestic building work under a major domestic building contract (s 169F(1)); Consumer Affairs Victoria states a contract worth more than $10,000, and reblocking, restumping, demolishing or removing a home at any value | Domestic builder (unlimited, limited, manager) and commercial builder (unlimited, limited) (reg 261, Sch 12; Consumer Affairs Victoria). Consumer Affairs Victoria lists jobs involving only one trade, such as tiling or painting, as not needing registration | Prescribed qualifications and experience under reg 258; detail not summarised here | Building Act 1993, Version 152, 16 September 2026; Building Regulations 2018, Version 032, 27 October 2026; Consumer Affairs Victoria page, updated 9 July 2025; read 2 Nov 2026 |
| Queensland | Contractor's licence of the appropriate class, unless exempt under Sch 1A, QBCC (s 42(1)) | Work of a value of $3,300 or less is not building work, unless it is within listed licence classes, carried out by a licensee as part of a contract over $3,300, within Sch 2 Pt 38 and over $1,100, or mechanical services work (Regulation Sch 1 s 2) | Builder low rise, medium rise, open, and restricted classes (Sch 2 Pts 4 to 10). Low rise: Class 1 and 10, and Class 2 to 9 up to 2,000 square metres of gross floor area, not Type A or B construction | Technical qualifications in the technical qualifications document; 2 years' experience with a required technical qualification, otherwise 4 years; minimum financial requirements (Sch 2 Pt 4 ss 3 to 6) | QBCC Act 1991, point in time 1 February 2026; QBCC Regulation 2018, current as at 2 November 2026; read 2 Nov 2026 |
| South Australia | not verified (2 Nov 2026) | not verified (2 Nov 2026) | not verified (2 Nov 2026) | not verified (2 Nov 2026) | Building Work Contractors Act 1995: register, CBS and SA.GOV.AU did not open to us on 2 Nov 2026 |
| WA | Registration as a building service contractor (Act ss 7, 18), with a registered practitioner as nominated supervisor (s 21); Building Services Board | Builder work: a building permit is required, value of $50,000 or more for Class 10a or $20,000 or more otherwise, and the work is in a Schedule 3 area; listed work such as a farm building is excluded (reg 13(1)) | Building service practitioner (s 17) and building service contractor (s 18) | Sets of qualification and experience (reg 16), for example a Diploma of Building and Construction with at least the equivalent of 7 years full-time; capacity to meet debts when they fall due (reg 18) | Building Services (Registration) Regulations 2011, 02-aq0-00, 1 July 2026; Registration Act 2011, 00-j0-00, 21 October 2026; read 2 Nov 2026 |
| Tasmania | Building services licence of the relevant occupation and class (s 22A(1)); the Act names the Administrator of Occupational Licensing (s 10) | None stated in s 22A. Work is excluded if it is low-risk work not required to be performed by a licensed builder (Regulations Sch 1 Pt 2 cl 1) | not verified (2 Nov 2026): set by the building services work determination, which did not open to us | not verified (2 Nov 2026): set by the same determination | Occupational Licensing Act 2005 and Occupational Licensing (Building Services Work) Regulations 2016, current versions viewed 2 Nov 2026 |
| ACT | Licence in the construction occupation of builder (ss 8, 84); construction occupations registrar | None stated in s 84. A building service is the doing or supervising of building work (s 8(2)) | Class A (unlimited), B (3 storeys or lower), C (2 storeys or lower, Class 1, 2 or 10a), D (non-structural basic building work) (Regulation s 37; ACT Planning page) | Classes A to C: a qualification by class, 3,650 hours of relevant experience with 1,825 after the qualification, and the Registrar's assessment. Class D: 5,475 hours (ACT Planning page, citing the 2024 Declaration) | Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004, Republication 71, and Regulation 2004, Republication 53, both effective 23 February 2026; ACT Planning page; read 2 Nov 2026 |
| NT | Registration as a building contractor (s 48A(1)); Building Practitioners Board | Prescribed building work on Class 1 to 9 buildings and listed Class 10 work. It is a defence if the value is below the prescribed amount: $25,000 for Class 1a, 2 or 10 (s 48A(2)(a); reg 41E). Renovations to an existing Class 1a or 2 building with no added floor area are outside, and other classes have further conditions (reg 41A(2)) | Residential (restricted, unrestricted) and commercial (restricted, unrestricted) (regs 41B to 41CB) | Net tangible assets of at least $50,000 (reg 39B); qualification criteria not summarised here | Building Act 1993, 10 February 2026; Building Regulations 1993, 30 March 2026; read 2 Nov 2026 |
Two thresholds that moved in 2026
Western Australia and the Northern Territory both raised a builder licensing line in 2026, each for a defined class of building and from a stated date.
A WA Class 10a building is a non-habitable building including a private garage, carport or shed, according to Building and Energy. Its page states that work under $50,000 does not need a registered contractor, that building permit requirements still apply, and that registered contractors can carry out Class 10a work of any value.
| State | Before | Now | Start and transitional rule | Instrument and version read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WA | Builder work included building work with a value of $20,000 or more (reg 13, version 02-ak0-00) | $50,000 or more if the work relates to a Class 10a building; $20,000 or more otherwise (reg 13(1)) | 1 July 2026 (SL 2026/54 r 2(b), as recorded in the compilation table). The as-made instrument was not read, so any transitional rule is not stated here | Building Services (Registration) Amendment Regulations (No. 2) 2026, recorded in 02-aq0-00; previous version 02-ak0-00; read 2 Nov 2026 |
| NT | Prescribed amount of $12,000 for Class 1a, 2 or 10 (reg 41E, reprint at 10 February 2026) | $25,000 for Class 1a, 2 or 10 (reg 41E) | Made 12 February 2026, commenced 30 March 2026. The old figure continues for building work that commenced or was carried out before that date (reg 57) | Building Legislation Amendment (Consumer Protection) Regulations 2026, SL No 2 of 2026, recorded in the reprint at 30 March 2026; read 2 Nov 2026 |
The holder is often
not the person on the tools.
Builder licensing rules in NSW, Queensland, WA, the ACT and the NT separate the entity that contracts from the individual who supervises, so one project can depend on two licences.
- NSW: A contractor licence covers carrying out, advertising or contracting for the work. A qualified supervisor certificate is separate. Works by others must be appropriately supervised by the holder of an endorsed contractor licence or a qualified supervisor certificate in that category.
- Queensland: Section 42(1) of the QBCC Act 1991 requires a contractor's licence of the appropriate class. A company licensee needs a nominee who holds a contractor's or nominee supervisor's licence for the work.
- WA: The Building Services (Registration) Act 2011 registers building service practitioners under section 17 and contractors under section 18. Section 21 deals with a contractor's nominated supervisor.
- ACT: A corporation or partnership wanting to provide construction services needs its own licence, and the ACT Planning page sets out endorsements for specialist building work such as demolition or swimming pool installation.
- NT: Section 24B of the Building Act 1993 registers a corporation as a building contractor only if at least one director or nominee is registered in the sub-category and will provide adequate supervision of its work.
What we would put in a system
A head contractor's licence record has two sides: what it holds itself, and what each trade it engages holds. Our page on checking a subcontractor's licence covers the dated check on each trade.
Where agents help here is narrow. A compliance agent can read a licence, a certificate or a register extract, draft the class and expiry, and flag a job whose class or value sits outside the record. A person confirms. No agent decides whether work needs a licence or whether a person holds the right class.
| Field | Why it is load-bearing |
|---|---|
| Holder, entity and number | The contracting entity and the supervising person may hold different licences in NSW, Queensland, WA and the ACT. |
| Class and its limits | Queensland's low rise class stops at 2,000 square metres of gross floor area for Class 2 to 9, apart from non-structural work. An ACT Class C stops at 2 storeys. A job outside the class is a licensing question, not a pricing one. |
| Nominee or supervisor, with start and end dates | A company's position can depend on one named person, as in WA and Queensland. |
| The value test each job was read against | Value bases differ: NSW includes GST, Queensland has a stated value, WA uses Schedule 2 estimation and adds together separate contracts that are substantially one undertaking on one building (reg 13(2)). Store the figure, the basis and the date. |
| Threshold version and date | An NT job commenced before 30 March 2026 stays under the $12,000 figure (reg 57). A WA Class 10a job has a date-dependent line. |
| Trade licence seen, and date of the check | For each engaged trade, the dated check from the register, held as an event. |
- Check a subcontractor's licence by state: What each register shows, and how to store a dated check.
- Owner-builder rules by state: The permit lines that sit beside licensing, and what they require.
- SA building reforms: unlicensed subcontractors: Our earlier page on South Australia, as read on that page's own date.
- Compliance: Where dated licence records sit in an operating system.
Questions worth asking
of your own licence file
For a multi-state builder: which jurisdiction's test did each job use?
As read on 2 November 2026 the tests differ by value, class, location and permit. A job record that names the state, the instrument and the value basis shows which test was read. General information, not legal advice.
For a WA builder: does your record separate the Class 10a line from other work?
From 1 July 2026 regulation 13 of the Building Services (Registration) Regulations 2011 sets $50,000 for Class 10a and $20,000 otherwise, so a shed and a house extension no longer share one figure.
For a company director: what happens to the licence file when your nominee leaves?
Where a company depends on a named nominee or supervisor, the start and end dates of that person are a licence fact. A record that holds them shows the period to look at. Your adviser can say what the law requires next.
For an NT builder: which open jobs started before 30 March 2026?
Regulation 57 of the Building Regulations 1993 (NT) keeps the earlier regulation for building work that commenced or was carried out before that date, so the start date selects the figure.
Questions people ask
about builder licence requirements
Do you need a builders licence in Australia?
It depends on the state. As read on 2 November 2026: NSW Government pages state a contractor licence is needed for residential work over $5,000 including GST; Consumer Affairs Victoria states registration is needed for a domestic contract over $10,000; Queensland treats work over $3,300 as building work needing a licence, with exceptions; WA sets $20,000, or $50,000 for Class 10a, for permit work in the Schedule 3 area; the NT has a value defence below $25,000 for Class 1a, 2 or 10. South Australia was not verified.
What are the builders licence requirements in NSW?
The NSW Government page, updated 3 September 2026, states a contractor licence is needed for residential building or trade work valued at more than $5,000 in labour and materials including GST. A general building applicant needs one of the listed qualifications and at least 2 years' relevant industry experience, most of it within 10 years of applying. The Home Building Act 1989 text was not verified on 2 November 2026.
What are the builders licence requirements in Queensland?
Section 42 of the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 requires a contractor's licence of the appropriate class unless exempt, and the 2018 Regulation sets the line at work over $3,300, with exceptions. A Builder low rise licence needs the listed technical qualifications, 2 years' experience with such a qualification or 4 years otherwise, and financial requirements. As read on 2 November 2026.
What are the builders licence requirements in Victoria?
Section 169F of the Building Act 1993 (Vic) stops a person carrying out domestic building work under a major domestic building contract unless registered or a licensed building employee. Consumer Affairs Victoria states registration with the Building and Plumbing Commission is needed for a contract worth more than $10,000, and for reblocking, restumping, demolishing or removing a home at any value. As read on 2 November 2026.
What are the builders licence requirements in WA?
Section 7 of the Building Services (Registration) Act 2011 (WA) restricts prescribed building services. Regulation 13 of the 2011 Regulations defines builder work as permit work of $50,000 or more for Class 10a, or $20,000 or more otherwise, in a Schedule 3 area. A contractor needs a nominated supervisor. As read on 2 November 2026.
What are the builders licence requirements in SA and Tasmania?
South Australia was not verified on 2 November 2026, because the SA register and CBS did not open to us. In Tasmania, section 22A of the Occupational Licensing Act 2005 requires a building services licence of the relevant occupation and class, with no dollar figure in that section. The class and qualification detail sits in a determination we could not open.
What are the builders licence requirements in the ACT?
Section 84 of the Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004 (ACT) stops an unlicensed entity providing a construction service, with no dollar figure in that section. Regulation s 37 sets builder classes A to D, from unlimited to non-structural basic building work. The ACT Planning page sets out 3,650 hours of experience for Classes A to C. As read on 2 November 2026.
What this analysis
does and does not show.
Evidence note
- What it shows
- When a builder needs a licence or registration in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT, as read on 2 November 2026, what classes exist where we could read them, and two threshold changes in 2026.
- Key facts quoted
- NSW residential work more than $5,000 including GST (NSW Government pages); Vic s 169F and more than $10,000 (Consumer Affairs Victoria); Qld s 42 and Reg Sch 1 s 2, $3,300; WA reg 13, $50,000 and $20,000; Tas s 22A; ACT ss 8, 84; NT s 48A, reg 41E, $25,000 from 30 March 2026, reg 57.
- South Australia is not verified. legislation.sa.gov.au, cbs.sa.gov.au and sa.gov.au did not open to us on 2 November 2026, and we did not route around that. Our earlier SA pages carry their own read dates and were not re-read here.
- NSW rests on NSW Government pages, not the Act. The NSW legislation register did not open to us, so the Home Building Act 1989 and Home Building Regulation 2014 are not verified here.
- Tasmanian classes and qualifications are not verified. The determination sits on a site that did not open to us, and consumeraffairs.tas.gov.au returned 403.
- We did not read the WA amending instrument as made, the Queensland technical qualifications document, or Victoria's qualification detail under regulation 258, which S.R. No. 115/2026 amended.
- Other trades, plumbing, electrical and engineering registrations are outside this comparison, as are fees, and we did not check the value-calculation rules against any job.
- Nothing here is legal advice. It does not determine whether any work needs a licence or whether any person qualifies.
Bring us your licence file
and your open jobs.
Send the licences your business holds, who the nominees are, and a list of open jobs with state, class and value. We will show you which test each job was read against, and where the record cannot say.
This article is general information about published Australian licensing laws. It is not legal advice and it does not determine whether any work needs a licence or any person qualifies. Instruments as read on 2 November 2026 at the versions listed. South Australia and parts of NSW and Tasmania were not verified.
Sources
Suggested citation: state and territory licensing laws and regulator pages at the versions listed, as read 2 November 2026. Derived figures: none.
- NSW Government - General building work: Last updated 3 September 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Government licensing page
- NSW Government - Categories and classes of building and trade work: As displayed 2 November 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Government licensing page
- Victorian Legislation - Building Act 1993: Authorised Version No. 152, as at 16 September 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Legislation register
- Victorian Legislation - Building Regulations 2018: Authorised Version No. 032, effective 27 October 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Legislation register
- Consumer Affairs Victoria - Becoming a registered building practitioner: Last updated 9 July 2025 · read 2 November 2026 · Government guidance
- Queensland Legislation - Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991: Current version, point in time 1 February 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Legislation register
- Queensland Legislation - Queensland Building and Construction Commission Regulation 2018: Current as at 2 November 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Legislation register
- Western Australian Legislation - Building Services (Registration) Regulations 2011: Version 02-aq0-00, current from 1 July 2026, and previous version 02-ak0-00 · read 2 November 2026 · Legislation register
- Western Australian Legislation - Building Services (Registration) Act 2011: Version 00-j0-00, current from 21 October 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Legislation register
- Building and Energy WA - Do I need to be a registered building contractor?: First published 18 November 2024, last updated 24 July 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Regulator guidance
- Building and Energy WA - Building or renovating your home: Last updated 21 September 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Regulator guidance
- Tasmanian Legislation - Occupational Licensing Act 2005: Current version viewed 2 November 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Legislation register
- Tasmanian Legislation - Occupational Licensing (Building Services Work) Regulations 2016: Current version viewed 2 November 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Legislation register
- ACT Legislation Register - Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004: Republication No 71, effective 23 February 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Legislation register
- ACT Legislation Register - Construction Occupations (Licensing) Regulation 2004: Republication No 53, effective 23 February 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Legislation register
- ACT Planning - Construction licences: As displayed 2 November 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Government guidance
- NT Legislation - Building Act 1993: As in force at 10 February 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Legislation register
- NT Legislation - Building Regulations 1993: As in force at 30 March 2026, and superseded reprint at 10 February 2026 · read 2 November 2026 · Legislation register
RELATED READING
Other readings on the same records.
- Construction fatalities in Australia: the count, the rate and the revisions: Safe Work Australia: 41 construction worker fatalities in 2025, rate 3.0 per 100,000. Why the same year reads differently in each release. (Licensing & Compliance)
- Portable long service leave: three levy the project, four charge the payroll: NSW 0.25%, Qld 0.35% and NT 0.1% on project cost. Vic 2.7%, WA 0.75%, Tas 2.5% and ACT 2.75% on wages. SA not verified. (Licensing & Compliance)
- Construction apprentices in Australia: fewer in training, more finishing: NCVER's in-training, commencement, completion and cancellation counts by state and trade, completion rates by cohort, and a trace of the shortage figures. (Labour & Trades)