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How do I check a QBCC licence in Queensland?

The short answer

Search the QBCC licensee register by licence number or name. Check the class covers the work, because Queensland licenses drainage, gas fitting, fire protection and several other trades at any contract value, not only above the general building threshold.

TradieAnswers editorial · written in-house and sourced to the authorities listed below

Checked against 5 published sources, listed in full at the end of this page. How we source this

The Queensland Building and Construction Commission licenses building work in Queensland and publishes a free register anyone can search. Checking it takes about a minute and it is the one step that separates a contractor who is accountable from one who is not.12

What to do

  1. Ask for the licence number and the exact entity name it is held under, which is often a company rather than the person quoting.
  2. Search the QBCC licensee register by that number, or by name if you do not have one.
  3. Check the licence class actually covers your work, not just that a licence exists.
  4. Check the status is current, and read any conditions recorded against it.
  5. Confirm the name on the register matches the entity on the quote, rather than a related company with a similar name.2

Queensland licenses more work than most people expect

A licence is required for building work above a contract value that QBCC publishes and updates, which is the rule most people know. The part that catches homeowners out is the list of work that needs a licence at any value at all, however small the job.3

  • Drainage, and plumbing and drainage.
  • Gas fitting.
  • Chemical termite management.
  • Fire protection.
  • Completed residential building inspection.
  • Building design, and site classification.
  • Mechanical services.3

So a small drainage repair or a termite treatment is licensed work in Queensland regardless of what it costs. Check the register for those the same way you would for a full renovation, because the value of the job does not make the licence optional.3

The person on site may not hold the licence, and that can be fine

QBCC says that in most cases an employee of a licensed contractor does not need to hold a QBCC licence themselves to carry out building work. This surprises people who ask the tradesperson on site for a licence number and are told there is not one.3

What matters is the entity you are contracting with. Check the licence of the business named on the quote and the contract, not the individual holding the tools, and make sure that is the same entity you pay.34

Related questions

Is the QBCC licence search free?
Yes. The QBCC licensee register is public, needs no account, and shows the licence class, its status and any conditions. A photo of a licence card is not a substitute, because a card does not tell you whether the licence is still current.
Does a Queensland handyman need a QBCC licence?
It depends on the work and its value. General building work is licensed above a threshold QBCC publishes, but drainage, gas fitting, termite management and fire protection are licensed at any value, so no job is small enough to make those unlicensed.

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. QBCC · Queensland Building and Construction CommissionChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  2. QBCC licensee register · Queensland Building and Construction CommissionChecked 2026-08-18 · responded 200 OK
  3. When you need a licence · Queensland Building and Construction CommissionChecked 2026-08-18 · responded 200 OK
  4. Finding a contractor and getting quotes · Queensland Building and Construction CommissionChecked 2026-08-18 · responded 200 OK
  5. Home warranty insurance obligations · Queensland Building and Construction CommissionChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK

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