INSIGHT · LICENSING & COMPLIANCE

NSW needs an owner-builder permit above $10,000,
the NT from $25,000, and SA issues none.

27 October 2026

Each state draws the owner-builder line differently. As read on 27 October 2026: NSW requires a permit for owner-builder work over $10,000 inclusive of GST; Victoria a certificate of consent where the work costs more than $20,000 ($16,000 in the version before 1 July 2026); Queensland a permit unless the owner's own work is $11,000 or less; WA an approval to be named builder for permit work of $20,000 or more in the listed areas; the NT a certificate for a new house of $25,000 or more. South Australia's Building Work Contractors Act has no owner-builder permit.

A man in a white T-shirt plastering an interior wall with a long trowel

Analysed 27 October 2026 · Home Building Act 1989 (NSW), version as at 18 January 2026, and Regulation 2014, version as at 1 December 2025 · Building Act 1993 (Vic), Authorised Version 152, and Building Regulations 2018, Version 031 · QBCC Act 1991 (Qld), current from 1 February 2026, and Regulation 2018, from 1 September 2026 · Building Work Contractors Act 1995 (SA), version 15.1.2026 · Building Services (Registration) Act 2011 and Regulations 2011, Building Act 2011 and Building Regulations 2012, and Home Building Contracts Act 1991 (WA) · Occupational Licensing Act 2005 and Building Act 2016 (Tas) · Construction Occupations (Licensing) Regulation 2004 and Building Act 2004 (ACT) · Building Act 1993 and Regulations (NT) · all read 27 October 2026.

Key takeaways

Victoria's line moved on 1 July 2026: Building Act 1993 s 25B(2) sets the prescribed amount at $20,000 where the regulations prescribe none, as amended by Act No. 17/2025 s 48, which commenced on 1 July 2026. In Authorised Version 147 (as at 24 June 2026) the default was $16,000. We found no amount prescribed in the Building Regulations 2018, Version 031.
A course, and a wait between projects: NSW refuses a permit where the applicant owned other land given a permit in the previous 5 years (s 31(3), (4)); Queensland and WA look back 6 years (QBCC Act s 44B(1)(c); Registration Act s 45(1)(d)); the NT 6 years (reg 41R); the ACT 5 years (reg 16). Tasmania counts 2 buildings in 10 years (reg 9(2)(e)). NSW, Queensland, WA, Tasmania and the NT name a course or training; Victoria requires prescribed knowledge, and the ACT text read names neither.
Licensed trades stay licensed: NSW specialist work, Queensland occupational licence work and ACT specialist building work sit outside what an owner-builder may do personally, and Victoria's s 221D reserves plumbing work to licensed or registered plumbers. WA's reg 26 requires the owner-builder to take all reasonable steps to ensure that work another law reserves to a registered person is done by one.
Selling within the period: a warning, a report or insurance: NSW: a consumer warning in the sale contract within 7 years and 6 months of the permit (s 95). Victoria: a defects report and the statutory insurance scheme's requirements within 6 years and 6 months of completion (s 137B). Queensland: a notice within 6 years of completion (s 47). WA: home indemnity insurance within 7 years, for work costing more than $20,000 (s 25F; s 25A; reg 7).
We would keep the sale file from the first permit: A system-design recommendation: the permit or certificate number and date, the description of work, each licensed contractor's licence number, each trade certificate, the completion date and the state's sale-period end date, held together from day one.

The rule in each state,
with its section

The instrument is called a permit (NSW, Queensland, Tasmania), a certificate of consent (Victoria), an approval (WA), a licence (ACT) and a certificate (NT).

Each value line is measured differently: NSW the reasonable market cost of labour and materials inclusive of GST, Victoria the cost of the building work calculated under the Act, Queensland the value of the owner's personal work, WA the value of the work estimated under the Registration Regulations, and the NT the value of the building work.

State	When a permit is needed	Conditions on the owner	Work that stays with licensed trades	On sale	Instrument and version read
NSW	Owner-builder permit for residential building work whose reasonable market cost of labour and materials exceeds $10,000 inclusive of GST, on a single dwelling-house, dual occupancy or secondary dwelling needing development consent or complying development (s 29(1); cl 19(1))	Individual of 18 or over who owns the land and will live there; general construction induction training card, and further training the Secretary approves above $20,000 (s 31(2); cl 17); refused if the applicant owned other land given a permit in the previous 5 years, unless special circumstances (s 31(3), (4)); dual occupancy only in special circumstances (s 32(1A))	Specialist work (plumbing and drainage other than roof plumbing, mechanical services and medical gas work, medical gasfitting, medical gas technician work, gasfitting, electrical wiring, prescribed refrigeration and air-conditioning) (Sch 1 cl 1(1)); electrical wiring only by a qualified supervisor or a supervised tradesperson (s 14); any contractor engaged must hold a contractor licence for that work (s 32AA)	No insurance under Part 6 for owner-builder work (s 95(1)); a sale contract within 7 years and 6 months of the permit must carry a consumer warning, unless the work cost $20,000 or less (s 95(2), (3); cl 35)	Home Building Act 1989 ss 12 to 14, 29 to 32AA, 95, Sch 1 cl 1, version as at 18 January 2026; Home Building Regulation 2014 cl 17, 19, 35, version as at 1 December 2025. Read 27 October 2026
Victoria	Certificate of consent where the owner carries out domestic building work as builder costing more than the prescribed amount, $20,000 where none is prescribed (s 25B(1), (2)); the default was $16,000 in the version as at 24 June 2026	Natural person who owns the land, or is authorised for a company or trust; knows the prescribed duties; work on a single dwelling the applicant lives or will live in; no building permit as owner-builder in the previous 5 years except for the same dwelling, unless exempted; not in the business of building (s 25E(1), (4); reg 19)	A major domestic building contract for the work only with a registered builder (s 25B(1A)); plumbing work only by a licensed or registered plumber, apart from repairing a tap and prescribed work (s 221D)	Within 6 years and 6 months of completion: a defects report from a prescribed building practitioner, obtained within 6 months before the contract and given to the purchaser; the statutory insurance scheme's requirements (if any); a notice of cover; the s 137C warranties in a home sale contract (s 137B(2), (7))	Building Act 1993 ss 25B to 25G, 137B, 221D, Authorised Version 152 as at 16 September 2026, and s 25B(2) in Version 147; Building Regulations 2018 Part 3, Version 031. Read 27 October 2026
Queensland	Owner-builder permit to carry out owner-builder work (s 43E). Work the owner performs personally is not building work if it is $11,000 or less, or accepted development (Regulation Sch 1 s 33(1))	Prescribed course, Course in Preparation for Owner Builder Permit 10274NAT or equivalent (s 44(4)(d); reg 20); no permit in the previous 6 years, except prescribed exceptional circumstances (s 44B(1)(c), (4); reg 21); permit ends 6 years after issue (s 44D); not for a multiple dwelling (s 43D)	Owner-builder work excludes occupational licence work and fire protection work unless done by a licensee; the permittee must not personally do occupational licence work, and anyone engaged must be a licensed contractor (ss 43D, 44E(c), (d))	Work by an unlicensed person, offered for sale within 6 years of completion: a notice with a warning that the work is not covered by insurance under the Act, before the purchaser signs (s 47(1); reg 22); otherwise a contractual warranty that the work was properly carried out (s 47(2)); the permit is noted on the title (s 46)	QBCC Act 1991 ss 43D to 47, current from 1 February 2026; QBCC Regulation 2018 ss 20 to 22, Sch 1 s 33, current from 1 September 2026. Read 27 October 2026
South Australia	No owner-builder permit in the Act or the 2026 Regulations. A licence is needed to carry on the business of building for others, or with a view to selling or letting (ss 3(1), 6(1))	In a prosecution, selling or letting two or more buildings the person built or improved within 5 years is taken, unless shown otherwise, to be carrying on business as a building work contractor (s 59(2))	The South Australian Government Financing Authority (SAFA) states owner-builders need formal qualifications for specialist work such as plumbing, gas fitting or electrical work. The Plumbers, Gas Fitters and Electricians Act 1995 was not read	Building indemnity insurance covers work by a building work contractor, including on its own behalf (s 33(1)). SAFA states owner-builders cannot take out building indemnity insurance, and a builder contracted for $20,000 or more of work needing council approval must hold it	Building Work Contractors Act 1995 ss 3, 6, 33, 59, version 15.1.2026; SAFA Owner Builders page, published 29 July 2025. Read 27 October 2026
WA	Owner-builder approval, applied for before the building permit where the owner will be named builder (Registration Act s 40). A permit is granted only to a named builder who is a registered contractor or has owner-builder approval, unless the work is not builder work (Building Act s 20(1)(b); Building Regulations reg 18(1)): permit work valued at $20,000 or more, $50,000 for a Class 10a building, in the listed areas (Registration Regulations reg 13(1))	Individual owner with knowledge shown by a prescribed course or registration as a building practitioner (ss 43, 45(1)(c); reg 24); no building permit as owner-builder in the previous 6 years, unless waived (s 45(1)(d), (2)); intends to live in the detached house, or occupy or use the land (reg 25); approval expires after 6 months unless a permit is applied for (s 46)	Work another written law requires a registered person to do must be done by one, and the owner-builder must take reasonable steps to ensure it (reg 26)	Within 7 years of the building licence or permit, no sale contract unless home indemnity insurance or approved-fund cover is in force and the purchaser has a certificate (Home Building Contracts Act s 25F(1)); applies to residential building work costing more than $20,000 (s 25A; Home Building Contracts Regulations 1992 reg 7), and not during a period in a Minister's order under s 25I (s 25F(2))	Building Services (Registration) Act 2011 ss 38 to 49, current from 21 October 2026; Regulations 2011 regs 13, 22 to 27, from 1 July 2026; Building Act 2011 s 20, from 28 May 2026; Building Regulations 2012 reg 18, from 1 October 2026; Home Building Contracts Act 1991 ss 25A, 25F, as at 5 April 2023; Home Building Contracts Regulations 1992 reg 7, as at 1 September 2025. Read 27 October 2026
Tasmania	Owner builder permit under the Occupational Licensing Act 2005, for work on a class or type of building the Administrator determines (s 29A(1), (1A)). The determination was not read: classes covered not verified (27 Oct 2026)	Natural person who owns the premises; an approved owner builder course in the 12 months before applying; insurance required by Gazette notice; a building surveyor engaged, who makes the application (ss 29B, 29C, 29F); not more than 2 buildings as owner builder in the previous 10 years (reg 9(2)(e))	A builder must hold the licence another Act requires to perform the work (Building Act 2016 s 45(3))	A purchaser gets the statutory warranties as if the owner builder had done the work under a residential building work contract (Residential Building Work Contracts and Dispute Resolution Act 2016 s 31(3)); no sale insurance provision found in the texts read	Occupational Licensing Act 2005 Part 3A, authorised 2 July 2025; Occupational Licensing (Building Services Work) Regulations 2016 regs 9 to 11, authorised 1 October 2024; Building Act 2016 ss 4, 45, 46, authorised 11 June 2026; RBWCDR Act 2016 s 31(3), authorised 16 July 2024. Read 27 October 2026
ACT	Owner-builder licence: building work other than specialist building work on a class 1, 2 or 10 building that is, or will be, the licensee's main home or ancillary to it (Construction Occupations (Licensing) Regulation Sch 1 Pt 1.3 item 5). No value threshold found	Owns the land; the work has building approval; no owner-builders licence for other land in the previous 5 years, with exceptions (reg 16). No course requirement found in reg 16	Specialist building work is outside the owner-builder class (Sch 1 Pt 1.3 item 5); its definition in Building Act s 9 was not read	Part 6 of the Building Act (warranties, conditions, insurance) does not apply to work for which an owner-builders licence was granted (s 87(b)); no sale provision found	Construction Occupations (Licensing) Regulation 2004 reg 16, Sch 1, Republication 53, effective 23 February 2026; Building Act 2004 s 87, Republication 56. Read 27 October 2026
NT	Owner-builder certificate from the Building Practitioners Board for prescribed building work on land the owner owns (s 48D(1)): a new Class 1a house, a Class 10 building attached and built with it, or a retaining wall it depends on (reg 41N); a defence applies if the value is less than $25,000 (s 48D(2)(a); reg 41P)	Owner who has completed a course the Minister approves and has not agreed to transfer the land (s 48F(1)); not a body corporate (s 48E(4)); in force 3 years, renewable (s 48F(3)); no further certificate for other land within 6 years (s 48F(4); reg 41R); builder's declaration within 14 days of completing (s 48G)	Not verified (27 Oct 2026): NT electrical and plumbing licensing Acts not read	An owner-builder is a residential builder (s 54AB(2)(c)) and must not carry out prescribed residential building work, $25,000 or more in connection with a residential building, unless an authorised residential building insurance (RBI) policy or fidelity certificate is in force (s 54AC(1); RBI Regulations reg 5(2)); a successor in title is a current owner (s 54AD)	Building Act 1993 ss 48D to 48G, 54AB to 54AD, as in force at 10 February 2026; Building Regulations 1993 regs 41N to 41R and Building (RBI and Fidelity Fund Schemes) Regulations 2012 reg 5, as in force at 30 March 2026. Read 27 October 2026

Can an owner-builder
do waterproofing?

Waterproofing is a trade category of residential building work in the Home Building Regulation 2014 (cl 13(b)(xxii)), described in Schedule 4 as protective treatment of a dwelling to prevent water or moisture penetration, or of wet areas to prevent water escaping, using membranes.

Whether waterproofing falls within an occupational licence in Queensland, or within a specialist or licensed class in the other states, was not read. Not verified (27 Oct 2026).

It is residential building work, not specialist work: Specialist work in Schedule 1 cl 1(1) of the Home Building Act 1989 is plumbing and drainage (other than roof plumbing), mechanical services and medical gas work, medical gasfitting, medical gas technician work, gasfitting, electrical wiring and prescribed refrigeration and air-conditioning. Waterproofing is not in that list. An owner-builder permit authorises the residential building work described in the permit, on the land specified (s 32(1)).
A contractor engaged for it must be licensed for it: Section 32AA bars a permit holder from contracting with anyone for residential building work unless that person holds a contractor licence for work of that kind. For waterproofing, the category on the licence is the check.
Waterproofing is a major element for warranty purposes: Section 18E lists waterproofing among the major elements of a building, which matters for the statutory warranty period a later owner can rely on. A successor in title to an owner-builder has the benefit of the statutory warranties (s 18C).

Selling an owner‑built house:
the period and what it triggers

The sale rules run for different periods from different start events, and they ask for different documents.

In Tasmania a purchaser takes the statutory warranties (s 31(3)); in the ACT, Part 6 of the Building Act does not apply to owner-builder work (s 87(b)); in South Australia no owner-builder sale provision was found in the Building Work Contractors Act.

State	Period	Runs from	What the sale needs	Instrument and version read
NSW	7 years and 6 months	Issue of the owner-builder permit	A conspicuous consumer warning in the sale contract, stating the permit and its date and that the work is not required to be insured unless done by a contractor (s 95(2), (3)(a))	Home Building Act 1989 s 95, version as at 18 January 2026. Read 27 October 2026
Victoria	6 years and 6 months, or longer if prescribed; other periods where no occupancy permit or certificate of final inspection is issued (s 137B(7))	Completion: the occupancy permit or certificate of final inspection	A defects report obtained within 6 months before the contract and given to the purchaser, compliance with the statutory insurance scheme (if any), a notice of cover, and for a home the s 137C warranties (s 137B(2), (7)); a contract in breach is voidable by the purchaser before completion (s 137B(3))	Building Act 1993 s 137B, Authorised Version 152. Read 27 October 2026
Queensland	6 years	Completion of the building work	A notice in duplicate with the prescribed warning, signed and returned by the purchaser on or before signing (s 47(1); reg 22)	QBCC Act 1991 s 47, from 1 February 2026; Regulation 2018 s 22. Read 27 October 2026
WA	7 years	Issue of the building licence or grant of the building permit	Home indemnity insurance or approved-fund cover in force, and a certificate given to the purchaser (s 25F(1)), for residential building work costing more than $20,000 (s 25A; reg 7)	Home Building Contracts Act 1991 ss 25A, 25F, as at 5 April 2023; Regulations 1992 reg 7, as at 1 September 2025. Read 27 October 2026
NT	Not a sale rule	Before the work is carried out	An authorised RBI policy or fidelity certificate for prescribed residential building work (s 54AC(1))	Building Act 1993 s 54AC, as in force at 10 February 2026. Read 27 October 2026

What the owner‑builder's records
have to show on sale

Each sale rule asks for a document that was created years earlier.

Record	Why it is needed (provision)
Permit, certificate or approval: number, issue date, description of work	NSW s 95(2)(a) names the permit and its date; Queensland s 44F and Victoria reg 20 list what the permit or certificate states; WA s 25F runs from the permit or licence date
Building permit and completion document dates	Victoria's period runs from the occupancy permit or certificate of final inspection (s 137B(7)); Queensland's from completion (s 47(1))
Each licensed contractor engaged, with licence number and the work done	NSW s 32AA and Victoria s 25B(1A) require the right licence or registration; Queensland s 44E(c) requires licensed contractors
Certificates issued by licensed trades for their work	Plumbing, gas and electrical work stays with licensed trades in the states whose texts name it; the certificate is the evidence of who did the work
Defects report (Victoria) or insurance certificate (WA, NT)	Victoria s 137B(2)(a) requires a report not more than 6 months old; WA s 25F and NT s 54AC require cover and a certificate
Sale-period end date, computed from the start event	Our calculation from the dates above: the date after which NSW, Victorian, Queensland or WA sale rules no longer apply

What we would put in a system

Where agents help here is narrow. A compliance agent can read an owner-builder permit, extract the number, date and description, and draft the project record with each trade's licence check; a person confirms it. No agent decides whether a permit is required, whether work is within a permit, whether a licence covers the work, or what a sale contract must contain. Those are for the regulator, the parties and your advisers.

Field	Why it is load-bearing
State, permit type, number and issue date	Each state names a different instrument, and NSW and WA start the sale period from its date.
Value of the work on the state's measure	The lines are $10,000 inclusive of GST (NSW), more than $20,000 (Victoria from 1 July 2026), $11,000 personal work (Queensland), $20,000 builder work (WA) and $25,000 (NT).
Contractor and trade licence numbers for every engagement	Owner-builder rules require engaged contractors and trades to be licensed for the work.
Completion date and the document that fixes it	Victoria and Queensland count the sale period from completion.
Sale-period end date and the documents the sale will need	A warning, a report, a notice or insurance, depending on the state.

Questions worth asking
of your own records

For a builder engaged by an NSW owner-builder: is home building insurance taken out for your contract?

Section 95(1) of the Home Building Act 1989 bars insurance for owner-builder work done by the owner-builder, and its note states this does not affect the s 92 requirement for owner-builder work done under a contract. General information as read on 27 October 2026, not legal or insurance advice.

For a Queensland contractor working for a permit holder: does your record show the owner's permit covers the work?

Section 44E(c) requires anyone the permittee engages to be a licensed contractor for the work, and the warranty scheme carves out work by a building contractor for a permit holder whose permit covers it. The permit's description of work is the check. General information as read on 27 October 2026, not legal or insurance advice.

For a Victorian builder: is the cost of an owner's work recorded against the $20,000 line in force on the date?

Section 25B(2) sets $20,000 where no amount is prescribed, from 1 July 2026; the version as at 24 June 2026 said $16,000. A record that stores the date and the amount shows which line applied. General information as read on 27 October 2026, not legal advice.

Questions people ask
about owner-builder permits

Do I need an owner builder permit in NSW?

Under the Home Building Act 1989, an owner-builder permit is needed for owner-builder work: residential building work on a single dwelling-house, dual occupancy or secondary dwelling that needs development consent or is complying development, where the reasonable market cost of labour and materials exceeds $10,000 inclusive of GST (s 29(1); Regulation cl 19(1)). Applicants need a general construction induction training card (cl 17). As read on 27 October 2026 (version as at 18 January 2026); general information, not legal advice.

When does an owner builder in Victoria need a certificate of consent?

Building Act 1993 s 25B(1): an owner carrying out domestic building work as builder needs a certificate of consent where the cost of the work is more than the prescribed amount, which s 25B(2) sets at $20,000 if the regulations prescribe none. That figure applies from 1 July 2026; it was $16,000 before. As read on 27 October 2026 (Authorised Version 152); general information, not legal advice.

Can an owner builder do waterproofing?

In NSW, waterproofing is a trade category of residential building work and is not in the Act's list of specialist work (Home Building Act 1989 Sch 1 cl 1(1); Regulation cl 13). An owner-builder permit authorises the residential building work described in the permit (s 32(1)). A contractor engaged for it must hold a licence for that work (s 32AA). Other states were not verified. As read on 27 October 2026; general information, not legal advice.

Is there home indemnity insurance for an owner builder?

Not for the owner's own work in NSW (s 95(1)) or under South Australia's building indemnity insurance, which SAFA states owner-builders cannot take out. WA requires home indemnity insurance before an owner-builder sells within 7 years, for work costing more than $20,000 (s 25F; reg 7), and the NT requires an RBI policy or fidelity certificate before prescribed residential building work of $25,000 or more (s 54AC). As read on 27 October 2026; general information, not insurance advice.

Do I need an owner builder permit in South Australia?

The Building Work Contractors Act 1995 contains no owner-builder permit. It licenses people who carry on the business of building for others or with a view to selling or letting (ss 3(1), 6(1)), and presumes a business where two or more buildings built or improved by a person are sold or let within 5 years (s 59(2)). Development approval under the planning Act is a separate requirement. As read on 27 October 2026; general information, not legal advice.

What this analysis
does and does not show.

Evidence note

What it shows: When each state requires an owner-builder permit, certificate, approval or licence, the conditions it sets on the owner, the work it leaves with licensed trades where the text read says so, and what a sale within the period requires, at the versions read on 27 October 2026.
Key facts quoted: NSW s 29, cl 19: over $10,000 inclusive of GST; s 95: 7 years 6 months warning. Vic s 25B(2): $20,000 from 1 July 2026 ($16,000 before); s 137B: 6 years 6 months. Qld Sch 1 s 33: $11,000; s 47: 6 years. WA reg 13: $20,000; s 25F: 7 years. NT reg 41P: $25,000; s 54AC. SA: no permit in the Act.
Derived: None in the figures. A sale-period end date in a record would be our calculation from the dates the provisions name.

The NSW legislation register blocked access directly and through a rendering proxy on 27 October 2026. NSW rows rest on Internet Archive copies of the Act (18 January 2026) and the Regulation (1 December 2025); the register shows a later version of the Act from 10 June 2026 that was not compared for these sections.
The SA Act and the SAFA page were read through a rendering proxy because the sites block automated access. Other registers were read directly.
Not read: the Tasmanian Administrator's determination of building classes and the Gazette insurance notice; the WA prescribed course; Victoria's Schedule 2 duties; the ACT Building Act s 9 definition of specialist building work; the electrical, plumbing and gas licensing Acts of each state other than Victoria's plumbing provision.
Insurance schemes, premiums and the regulators' guidance pages were not read, apart from SAFA's owner-builder page.
Nothing here is legal or insurance advice, and it does not determine whether any person needs a permit, may do any work, or what any sale requires. It takes no view on whether to owner-build.

Bring us one owner‑builder job
and its paperwork.

Send us the owner-builder permit, the trade licences and certificates, and the completion document for one project. We will show you which records the state's sale rule depends on that your file holds, and which ones it does not.

General information about published legislation and one government page. It is not legal or insurance advice and it does not determine whether any person needs a permit, may do any work, or what any sale requires. Provisions are as read on 27 October 2026 at the versions listed.

Send us the paperwork · Compliance

Sources

Suggested citation: Home Building Act 1989 and Regulation 2014 (NSW), Building Act 1993 and Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), QBCC Act 1991 and Regulation 2018 (Qld), Building Work Contractors Act 1995 (SA) with SAFA's Owner Builders page, Building Services (Registration) Act 2011, Building Act 2011 and Home Building Contracts Act 1991 (WA) with their regulations, Occupational Licensing Act 2005 and Building Act 2016 (Tas), Construction Occupations (Licensing) Regulation 2004 and Building Act 2004 (ACT), and Building Act 1993 and Regulations (NT), at the versions listed, as read 27 October 2026. Derived figures: none.

NSW needs an owner-builder permit above $10,000, the NT from $25,000, and SA issues none.