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How do I check a tradesperson is actually licensed?

The short answer

Search your state's public licence register directly using the licence number, not a photo of a card. Air conditioning and solar are the two national exceptions, checkable on the ARCtick and Solar Accreditation Australia registers wherever you live.

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

Checked against 9 published sources, listed in full at the end of this page. How we source this

Every Australian state and territory runs a free public register of licensed trade practitioners, and checking one takes about a minute. It is the single highest-value check available to a homeowner and it is almost never done.

Do it properly

  1. Ask for the licence number and the exact name it is held under, often a company name rather than the person's.
  2. Search the register yourself. A photograph of a licence card proves nothing; cards are easy to fake and easy to keep after a licence lapses.
  3. Check the class of licence covers the work. A licence to do one type of work does not authorise another, and value limits apply in some states.
  4. Check the expiry date and whether any conditions or disciplinary action are recorded.

Where to check

WhereWho holds the register
New South WalesNSW Fair Trading
VictoriaBuilding and Plumbing Commission (replaced the VBA on 1 July 2025); Energy Safe Victoria for electrical
QueenslandQueensland Building and Construction Commission
Western AustraliaBuilding and Energy, DEMIRS
Australian Capital TerritoryAccess Canberra
South Australia, Tasmania, Northern TerritoryThe state or territory consumer and building regulator

The two national checks

  • Refrigerant handling. The ARCtick licence from the Australian Refrigeration Council, required for any air conditioning work involving refrigerant.
  • Solar installation. Accreditation with Solar Accreditation Australia, which replaced Clean Energy Council accreditation on 29 February 2024.

Who does this work

You can probably handle this yourself

Because every state publishes a free public register you can search yourself, and doing it yourself is the entire point.

This work is licensed, though the threshold and the licence class differ between states. Check a licence in your state

Where are you?

Who regulates consumer disputes in your state

Trade regulation in Australia is state law, so the body that answers this depends on where the work is. Pick yours.

New South Wales — NSW Fair Trading, then NCAT
Free conciliation first. The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal hears building and consumer disputes without requiring lawyers. How to check a licence in NSW
Victoria — Consumer Affairs Victoria, then VCAT
Domestic building dispute resolution now sits inside the Building and Plumbing Commission. VCAT hears matters that do not resolve. How to check a licence in VIC
Queensland — QBCC, then QCAT
The QBCC runs an early dispute resolution process for defective building work. QCAT hears matters that do not resolve. How to check a licence in QLD
Western Australia — Building and Energy, then the State Administrative Tribunal
Complaints about regulated building service work go to Building and Energy first. How to check a licence in WA
South Australia — Consumer and Business Services
CBS handles complaints about licensed trades and consumer matters in South Australia. How to check a licence in SA
Tasmania — Consumer, Building and Occupational Services
CBOS handles consumer and building complaints in Tasmania. How to check a licence in TAS
Australian Capital Territory — Access Canberra, then ACAT
Access Canberra publishes guidance on choosing a tradesperson and handles complaints. How to check a licence in ACT
Northern Territory — Consumer Affairs NT
Building contractor and consumer complaints are handled by Consumer Affairs NT. How to check a licence in NT

What to ask

  1. Ask for the licence number and the exact legal name it is held under. It is frequently a company rather than the person standing in front of you.
  2. Search your state's public register yourself. Do not accept a photograph of a card.
  3. Check the licence class actually covers this type of work, and that it has not expired.
  4. Check the ABN on ABN Lookup matches the entity named on the quote, and that the quote names that entity rather than a trading name only.

Related questions

Is an ABN the same as a licence?
No, and conflating them is a common and costly mistake. An ABN means the entity is registered for tax purposes. Anyone can get one in minutes. A trade licence means a regulator has assessed competence and currency. You want both, and they prove entirely different things.

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. NSW Fair Trading · NSW Fair TradingChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  2. Building and Plumbing Commission · Building and Plumbing Commission VictoriaChecked 2026-08-10 · live, but blocks automated clients so the specific page could not be confirmed
  3. Energy Safe Victoria · Energy Safe VictoriaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  4. QBCC · Queensland Building and Construction CommissionChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  5. Building and Energy · Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (WA)Checked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  6. Access Canberra · Access CanberraChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  7. Refrigerant Handling Licence · Australian Refrigeration CouncilChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  8. About accreditation · Solar Accreditation AustraliaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  9. ABN Lookup · Australian Business RegisterChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK

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