Looking to Begin Your Career as a Licensed Trade Contractor?

QBCC Trade Contractor Licence

The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) regulates who can start a contracting business in Queensland for building and construction trades.

Tradespeople who are applying for a contractor or nominee supervisor licence in any of the trade contractor classes must submit a completed Trade Contractors Licence Application Form (see 'How to Apply' tab for more info). Even if you are licensed in another state, that licence does not permit you to perform building work in Queensland and you will need to apply for a QBCC licence before you can commence work.

You will need a QBCC licence to carry out:

  • Building work over $3,300
  • Building work over $1,100 where it involves Hydraulics Services design
  • Building of any value involving:
    Drainage
    Plumbing and Drainage
    Gas Fitting
    Termite Management - Chemical
    Fire Protection
    Completed residential building inspection
    Building - low rise, medium rise, and open Site Classification

You don’t need a licence if you are carrying out building work as:

  • An employee of a licensee, where your employer holds the correct QBCC licence to cover the scope of work you are completing
  • A sub-trade contractor for a licensed trade contractor where the licensed trade contractor holds the correct QBCC licence
  • An owner carrying out work on own property not exceeding $11,000
  • An asbestos removal worker (contact Workplace Health and Safety)
  • A demolition worker (contact Workplace Health and Safety)
  • A handyman, as long as the value of the work is no more than $3,300, isn’t electrical or plumbing work, and doesn’t require an occupational licence
  • An architect who is carrying out building design work or building inspections on all types of buildings
  • An insulation installer

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How to Apply


Assembling your Application

In order to have your application accepted, you will need to provide QBCC with the following:

  • Trade Contractors Licence Application Form
  • A certificate of completion of the QBCC Approved Managerial Course
  • Proof of Technical Qualifications (e.g. a formal qualification, apprenticeship, occupational licence). If you have no technical qualifications, you can apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) through a Registered Training Organisation (RTO)
  • Proof of Identity (e.g. certified copy of your driver's licence or passport)
  • Financial information that shows you meet the MFR Regulation
  • If contracting under a trade name; a copy of your Record of Registration from ASIC
  • If contracting under a partnershipl; proof of business Partnership, or an original certified copy of QBCC's Satutory Declaration of Partnership

Lodging your Application

Lodge your completed application form, along with all the supporting documents and correct application fee:

  • By post, to GPO Box 5099, Brisbane QLD 4001 (please don’t send in original documents, such as qualifications, unless QBCC request them)
  • In person at your nearest QBCC Office

    • QBCC will take approximately 6-8 weeks to process your application and, once it is approved, will send a letter which will include your licence number.

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    Application Fees

    The application fee is determined by your revenue. There are four financial categories:

    Category Maximum Revenue Application Fee
    SC1 Up to $200,000 $659.75
    SC2 Up to $$800,000 $784.85
    Category 1-2 More than $800,000 less than $12M $1006.15
    Category 3-7 More than $12M $803.20
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