What trade work legally needs a licence in Australia

Australian trade licensing is state-based, with two national exceptions, and the result is a patchwork that catches people out in predictable places. This guide sorts it into the three groups that actually matter: always licensed, licensed above a threshold, and it depends where you live.

Always licensed, everywhere

• Electrical work on fixed wiring. There is no homeowner exemption in any state or territory, and no permit scheme that creates one.
• Plumbing, drainage and sanitary work. Homeowner exemptions exist but are narrow, broadly amounting to changing a tap washer.
• Gas fitting, which is a further licence class beyond general plumbing.
• Handling refrigerant, under the national ARCtick scheme.

The two national credentials

Almost every trade credential in Australia is issued by a state, which means checking one requires knowing which register to search. Two are national, and they are therefore the easiest checks a homeowner can perform from anywhere:

• ARCtick refrigerant handling licence, issued by the Australian Refrigeration Council. Required for anyone working on air conditioning or refrigeration equipment containing refrigerant. Handling fluorocarbon refrigerant without one is an offence.
• Solar installer accreditation, issued by Solar Accreditation Australia. Required for a system to generate the federal certificates that fund the discount. This moved from the Clean Energy Council on 29 February 2024, and a great deal of published advice has not caught up.

Licensed above a value threshold

Building work is licensed in every state, but the point at which a licence becomes mandatory is set as a dollar value of the work and differs between states. Below the threshold the work may be unlicensed; above it, a licence and usually a written contract in a prescribed form are required, and domestic building insurance often becomes mandatory too.

Depends where you live

Several trades sit differently across the country. Painting is licensed above a value threshold in some states and not licensed at all in others. Waterproofing is a separate licensed or registered activity in several states rather than part of tiling. Arborists are not licensed as such anywhere, though qualifications exist and councils frequently require a report from a suitably qualified consulting arborist. Roof plumbing (gutters, downpipes and stormwater) is licensed plumbing work in most states, which surprises people who think of it as roofing.

Registers to check

One note on Victoria that trips up anyone working from older material: the Victorian Building Authority was folded into the Building and Plumbing Commission on 1 July 2025, bringing licensing, enforcement, insurance and dispute resolution under one body.