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Licensing · SA

Trade licensing in South Australia

The short answer

Consumer and Business Services licenses builders and tradespeople in South Australia, with plumbing, gas fitting and electrical handled under specific PGE licence classes, and runs a free public register.

Checked against 7 published sources, listed in full at the end of this page. How we source this

Who regulates what

BuildingConsumer and Business Services
Licenses building work contractors and supervisors, and maintains the public register.Consumer and Business Services (SA) ↗
Plumbing and gasConsumer and Business Services
Plumbing and gas fitting are treated as building work but need specific plumbing, gas fitting and electrical licence classes, known as PGE.Government of South Australia ↗
ElectricalConsumer and Business Services
Electrical work also sits under the PGE licence classes rather than a separate electrical regulator.Government of South Australia ↗
Consumer disputesConsumer and Business Services
CBS handles complaints about licensed trades and consumer matters in South Australia.Consumer and Business Services (SA) ↗

How to check a licence in SA

  1. Ask for the licence number and the name the licence is held under.
  2. Search the CBS find a licence holder register, which is free.
  3. Confirm the PGE class covers plumbing, gas or electrical work specifically, because a general building licence does not.
  4. Check the licence is current and note any conditions.
  5. Confirm the ABN on ABN Lookup matches the quote.

South Australia treats plumbing, gas fitting and electrical work as building work, but it still requires the specific PGE licence classes on top. A contractor holding a general building work licence is not thereby licensed to touch your wiring or your gas.

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.

Checking a specific trade in South Australia

This page covers who regulates what. These go one level down: which body issues the licence for one trade here, what it is called, which register to search, and what the licence does and does not cover.

Related questions

What is a PGE licence in South Australia?
PGE stands for plumbing, gas fitting and electrical. South Australia treats that work as building work but requires these specific licence classes for it, so you check for the PGE class rather than assuming a building licence covers it.

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.

  1. Find a licence holder · Consumer and Business Services (SA)Checked 2026-08-10 · live, but blocks automated clients so the specific page could not be confirmed
  2. Check occupational licence holders · Government of South AustraliaChecked 2026-08-10 · live, but blocks automated clients so the specific page could not be confirmed
  3. National Construction Code · Australian Building Codes BoardChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  4. Refrigerant Handling Licence · Australian Refrigeration CouncilChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  5. About accreditation · Solar Accreditation AustraliaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  6. ABN Lookup · Australian Business RegisterChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  7. Consumer rights and guarantees · Australian Competition and Consumer CommissionChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK

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