Licensing · QLD
Trade licensing in Queensland
The short answer
The Queensland Building and Construction Commission licenses building, plumbing and drainage work, runs a free licence search, and handles building disputes.
Checked against 7 published sources, listed in full at the end of this page. How we source this
Who regulates what
- BuildingQueensland Building and Construction Commission
- Licenses builders and trade contractors, administers the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme, and handles defect complaints.Queensland Building and Construction Commission ↗
- Plumbing and gasQueensland Building and Construction Commission
- Licenses plumbers and drainers. Notifiable work must be submitted to the QBCC after completion.Queensland Building and Construction Commission ↗
- ElectricalElectrical Safety Office, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
- Electrical licensing and safety sit outside the QBCC. Electrical work is licensed with no homeowner exemption.Queensland Building and Construction Commission ↗
- Consumer disputesQBCC, then QCAT
- The QBCC runs an early dispute resolution process for defective building work. QCAT hears matters that do not resolve.Queensland Government ↗
How to check a licence in QLD
- Ask for the QBCC licence number and the licensed entity name.
- Use the QBCC licence search, which is free and shows licence class and status.
- Check the licence class actually covers the work, because QBCC classes are narrow and specific.
- For building work, confirm Queensland Home Warranty Scheme cover has been taken out where required.
- Confirm the ABN on ABN Lookup matches the quote.
Queensland licence classes are more granular than in some states, which is useful and occasionally confusing. A contractor can hold a current licence and still not be licensed for the specific work you are asking about, so checking the class matters as much as checking the number.
Two checks that are the same wherever you live
Almost every trade credential in Australia is issued by a state, so checking one means knowing which register to search. Two are national, which makes them the easiest checks available to you:
- Air conditioning: an ARCtick refrigerant handling licence from the Australian Refrigeration Council. Handling refrigerant without one is an offence.
- Solar: accreditation with Solar Accreditation Australia, which took over from the Clean Energy Council on 29 February 2024. Without it your system cannot generate the federal certificates that fund the discount.
Related questions
- Does the QBCC cover electricians?
- No. Electrical licensing in Queensland sits with the Electrical Safety Office rather than the QBCC. Builders, plumbers and drainers are QBCC; electricians are not.
Sources
Every source below was fetched and its response recorded on the date shown. Where a government site blocks automated clients, that is noted rather than reported as a successful check.
- QBCC · Queensland Building and Construction CommissionChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
- Disputes about fences, trees and buildings · Queensland GovernmentChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
- National Construction Code · Australian Building Codes BoardChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
- Refrigerant Handling Licence · Australian Refrigeration CouncilChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
- About accreditation · Solar Accreditation AustraliaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
- ABN Lookup · Australian Business RegisterChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
- Consumer rights and guarantees · Australian Competition and Consumer CommissionChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK