Mendy Blog · Hiring a tradie

How to check a tradie's licence in every Australian state

Every state and territory runs a free online register. Here is where to find yours, what to look for once you're there, and the jobs that always need a licence.

By Alexander Lemos, founder of MendyPublished 24 September 20267 min read

Short answer

Ask the tradie for their licence number, then search it on your state's free online register (the full list is below). Check three things: the name on the licence matches the business you're dealing with, the licence is current, and its class covers your job. Electrical and gas work needs a licensed tradie everywhere in Australia, and so does plumbing almost everywhere, apart from a few minor jobs such as changing a light globe or a tap washer.

Where to check a licence in each state and territory

Each state licenses its own tradies, and electricians are often on a different register from builders and plumbers. Search by licence number if you have it. Names repeat, and the business name on a quote is not always the name on the licence.

A few registers ask you to tick a CAPTCHA before they show results. If a link has moved, search the regulator's name plus "licence check".

Official licence registers, checked 24 September 2026
State or territory	Where to search	Electricians	When building work needs a licence
NSW	Building Commission NSW: Verify a licence covers builders, plumbers, gasfitters, electricians and air conditioning.	Same register.	Residential building work over $5,000 including GST (labour and materials). Electrical, plumbing, drainage, gasfitting and air conditioning work needs a licence at any price.
VIC	Building and Plumbing Commission: Find and check a practitioner covers builders, plumbers and gasfitters.	Energy Safe Victoria public registers.	Domestic building work over $10,000 including labour, materials and GST needs a registered builder. All plumbing work needs a licensed or registered plumber.
QLD	QBCC licensee register covers builders, plumbers and drainers. Gasfitters also need a gas work licence: RSHQ licence search.	Electrical Safety Office licence search.	Building work valued over $3,300. Plumbing, drainage and gas fitting need a licence at any value.
WA	Building and Energy licence search covers builders, plumbers, gasfitters and electricians. Search by the exact licence number.	Same search.	Building work of $20,000 or more that needs a building permit ($50,000 for garages, sheds and carports), in most council areas. Electrical and gas work always needs a licence.
SA	Consumer and Business Services licence check covers builders, plumbers, gas fitters and electricians.	Same register.	No dollar threshold. Builders and trades such as electricians and plumbers must be licensed for the work they do.
TAS	CBOS occupational licensing search covers building, plumbing, gas and electrical. It lists current licences only.	Same search.	No dollar threshold. Who can do building work depends on the job's risk category. Plumbing needs a licensed plumber, apart from very minor work such as changing a tap washer.
ACT	Access Canberra public registers keep separate lists for builders, plumbers, gasfitters and electricians.	Access Canberra electricians register.	No dollar threshold. Any building work that needs building approval needs a licensed builder. Electricians, plumbers, drainers and gasfitters must always be licensed.
NT	Building Practitioners Board register for builders. Plumbers are listed by the Plumbers and Drainers Licensing Board.	NT WorkSafe electrical worker check.	Residential building work over $25,000 on a home, unit, extension that adds floor area or a relocation needs a registered builder. Plumbing licences apply in declared plumbing areas. Gasfitting always needs a licence.

What to look for when you find them

The name matches. The licence holder should be the person or company you're dealing with. A licence number that belongs to someone else is a red flag, not a pass. It's what Mendy checks when a tradie joins: the name on the register has to match the business.
The licence is current. Look for a status such as current or active and an expiry date in the future. Many registers also list licences that are expired, suspended or cancelled, so a result on its own is not proof.
The class covers your job. Licences come in classes. A tiling licence doesn't cover the plumbing in your bathroom, and a restricted electrical licence (the kind some appliance installers hold) doesn't cover rewiring. Check the class or the list of work it allows.
Any conditions. Some licences carry conditions, such as a limit on the type or value of work. Most registers show them.
The business and the worker. In some states the business you sign a contract with needs a contractor licence, and the person doing the work needs their own qualification. On a bigger job it's worth checking both.
Any history. Some registers also show disciplinary action. Victoria's Building and Plumbing Commission keeps a separate compliance and enforcement register on the same page as its search, and the ACT registers list suspensions, cancellations and disciplinary action.
The ABN is active. Search the business on ABN Lookup to confirm the ABN is active and the name matches. If they charge you GST, it will also show whether they are registered for GST.

Jobs that always need a licensed tradie

Some work must be done by a licensed tradie anywhere in Australia, no matter how small the job:

Electrical work. DIY electrical work is illegal across Australia. South Australia's list of what you can do yourself is typical: replace light globes, reset circuit breakers, test safety switches and change smoke alarm batteries. Everything else, including anything connected to the mains wiring, is a job for a licensed electrician.
Gas fitting. Connecting, moving or servicing a gas appliance or gas line needs a licensed gasfitter.
Plumbing and drainage. Anything connected to the water supply or sewer, beyond minor jobs such as changing a tap washer. What counts as minor varies by state, so check before you start.
Air conditioners. Installing or regassing an air conditioner means handling refrigerant, and only licensed technicians can do that. Check a refrigerant licence on the Australian Refrigeration Council's Look for the Tick licence check.
Building work over your state's threshold, shown in the table above.

Mendy's fix guides stop at exactly this line. When a job crosses into licensed work, the guide says so and hands you to a tradie.

What if the tradie is from interstate?

Many licensed tradies can work in another state on their home licence, under a scheme called automatic mutual recognition. It started in NSW on 1 July 2021. Most interstate tradies must notify the local regulator before they start work, and which trades are covered varies by state.

Queensland is not currently part of the scheme, so a Queensland licence doesn't carry across to other states this way, and other states' licences don't carry into Queensland. If your tradie is licensed interstate, search their home state's register, then ask your own state's regulator whether they need to notify first. Tasmania's register shows interstate tradies who have notified, marked as validated or not.

Red flags

They won't give you a licence number, or the number they give doesn't come up on the register.
The name on the licence is different from the name on the quote, and they can't explain why. (A company licence under a trading name is fine if the ABN lines up.)
The licence class doesn't match the job, for example a handyman offering to move a power point.
They want a large cash deposit before any work starts, or cash with no written quote or invoice.

Questions people ask

Is it free to check a tradie's licence?

Yes. Every register in the table above is free to search online, with no account needed.

Can I check a licence by name instead of number?

Most registers let you search by name, business name or licence number. The number is the most precise, because names repeat and businesses trade under different names.

Does a handyman need a licence?

It depends on the job and the state. General odd jobs usually don't need one. In Queensland, for example, a handyman can do work up to $3,300 as long as it isn't electrical or plumbing work. Once the work is electrical, plumbing or gas, or building work above your state's threshold in the table, it needs a licence.

What if my tradie isn't on the register?

Check the spelling and try the licence number. Electricians are often on a separate register from builders and plumbers. If they still don't appear, ask them why before any work starts, and don't pay a deposit until you're satisfied.

How does Mendy check licences?

When a tradie joins Mendy, their licence number is checked against the state register and the name on it has to match their business. Licences are re-checked every week, and a listing is paused if its licence expires. Each tradie on a Mendy shortlist shows what was checked and where the check came from, and where a register can't be checked yet, Mendy says so.

Rather not check all this yourself?

Tell Mendy the job. It shortlists local tradies, shows what was checked for each one, and rings them for real quotes. Quotes and booking are free.

Get real quotes

Sources

Every link above was opened and checked on 24 September 2026. Registers and thresholds change, so we recheck this guide every three months. Spotted something out of date? Email support@mendyai.app and we will fix it.

How this guide was written

Researched and drafted with the help of AI. Every rule, threshold and link was then checked against the official government source, and Alexander Lemos reviewed the guide before it was published.

Keep reading on Mendy

Written by Alexander Lemos, the founder of Mendy, the Sydney-built app that scans a household problem, finds the safe fix, or rings local tradies for real quotes.