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Licensing and permissions guidance
Plumbing and drainage: checked sources
On a small screen, scroll across to see every column.
| Location | Official source | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Building Commission NSW | A licence is required for any plumbing, draining or gasfitting work in NSW regardless of the cost of the work, so there is no small-job exemption. Your plumber lodges a Notice of Work before starting and, at completion, must give you a Certificate of Compliance, which is also submitted to Building Commission NSW or, in regional areas, to the council acting as plumbing regulator. If the job involved drainage work you should also receive a Sewer Service Diagram. Ask for both documents before you pay the final invoice. Minor and emergency work is treated differently: NSW guidance says a Notice of Work is not required for jobs such as replacing tapware or an existing hot-water system, or a bathroom renovation that does not move fixtures, and a Certificate of Compliance for work that did not need inspection is given to you but not lodged with the regulator. So for a tap repair, expect the certificate, not a filing.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| VIC | Building and Plumbing Commission | Plumbing work in Victoria must be done by a registered or licensed plumber. Where the total value of the work exceeds $750 — including materials, appliances, labour and GST — your plumber must give you a compliance certificate within five days of finishing and lodge it with the BPC within five days. Some work requires a compliance certificate whatever it costs, including Type A gas appliance installation and below-ground sanitary drain work. Work valued at $750 or less does not attract a compliance certificate but must still be done by a registered plumber.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| QLD | Queensland Building and Construction Commission | All regulated plumbing and drainage work in Queensland must be done by a licensed plumber or drainer, and the QBCC publishes no dollar threshold for it. For notifiable work — a bathroom renovation or a water heater replacement, for example — your plumber registers the job with the QBCC on a Form 4 within 10 business days of issuing an invoice, and must give a copy to the owner of the premises or to whoever engaged them. Keep that copy: it is your record that the work was notified. Plumbing that forms part of new construction is permit work rather than notifiable work and goes through your council instead.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| WA | Plumbers Licensing Board (Building and Energy) | Only the holder of a plumber's licence from the Plumbers Licensing Board may carry out plumbing work in WA, at any job value. For major plumbing work your plumber lodges a Notice of Intention at least 24 hours before starting, then a Certificate of Compliance within five working days of completing the work, and must give you the owner's copy. Minor plumbing work — testing, maintenance, repair or like-for-like replacement, such as a tap repair — is exempt from the certificate; the contractor keeps a record instead. Replacing a water heater or a testable backflow prevention device is always major work, so those jobs do carry a certificate.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| SA | Office of the Technical Regulator | In South Australia the business doing the work must hold a plumbing, gas fitting and electrical contractor's licence from Consumer and Business Services, and the tradesperson doing the work must be registered. Plumbing work must be certified: the electronic certificate of compliance (eCoC) must be submitted within seven days of the job being completed. You cannot access the eCoC portal yourself, so ask your plumber to email you the certificate. The seven-day limit is specific to plumbing — gas work allows 30 days. Some everyday jobs are exempt from certification under the SA guidance, including changing tap washers, clearing blocked drains, installing domestic tapware and installing stormwater systems; for those, a compliant job will not come with an eCoC, and that is not a warning sign.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| TAS | Building Standards Tasmania | Any plumbing work that is not Category 1 low-risk work must be done by a licensed plumber; the test is the risk category of the work, not its price. For notifiable work such as a kitchen or bathroom renovation your plumber lodges a Notice of Work with the council as permit authority and obtains a Certificate of Likely Compliance before starting, and higher-risk work requires a plumbing permit as well. The completion document is the Certificate of Completion – Plumbing Work (Form 21). Category 1 work you may do yourself, including like-for-like tapware replacement, shower rose repairs, cistern valve repairs, changing a water filter cartridge and plunging a blocked toilet.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| ACT | Access Canberra | Plumbers, drainers and gasfitters must be licensed in the ACT, with no dollar threshold on the licence itself. A threshold applies only to plan approval: the plan approval system does not apply to minor plumbing or drainage work, meaning replacement and repairs up to a value of $1,000. That minor work must still be carried out by a licensed plumber and drainer and requires a hydraulic compliance certificate for minor works, lodged with Access Canberra. For larger jobs your plumber notifies Access Canberra before starting, when the work is ready for inspection and at completion, and registers certified final drainage and plumbing plans before a final inspection can be booked.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| NT | NT Plumbers and Drainers Licensing Board | Only licensed plumbers and drainers can be engaged in the Territory's declared plumbing licence areas, and no dollar threshold applies. For plumbing and drainage work that does not involve other building work, a certifying plumber or drainer — a licensed plumber who is also registered with the Building Practitioners Board — issues a Certificate of Compliance (plumbing and drainage works) on completion, and the notice and certificate must be lodged with the Director of Building Control within seven days. A journeyman is not a licensed plumber and cannot contract directly with you. Minor maintenance, repairs and like-for-like replacements are not treated as plumbing or drainage work, so they need no certificate — unblocking a toilet with mechanical tools, for example.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| Your location | Australian Business Licence and Information Service | Search the exact activity and location to find licensing, regulatory and council requirements. Follow through to the named authority and verify the provider separately. This lookup is not confirmation that a provider is licensed or a job is exempt.Official source checked 2026-10-14. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
This is not a complete register of requirements. Where a state-specific source has not been checked, use the government lookup. Qualified trade review is pending; no universal licence exemption is asserted.
Licensing and permissions guidance
Electrical work: checked sources
On a small screen, scroll across to see every column.
| Location | Official source | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Building Commission NSW | All electrical wiring work must be done by a licensed electrician, whatever the job costs. There is no small-job or DIY exemption. Whoever tests the work lodges a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW) with Building Commission NSW within seven days; give them your email address so your copy reaches you.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| VIC | Energy Safe Victoria | All electrical work must be carried out by a licensed electrical worker working for a Registered Electrical Contractor. A Certificate of Electrical Safety must be issued for installation work and you receive a copy. Prescribed work such as switchboards and solar also requires independent inspection before it can be energised.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| QLD | Electrical Safety Office (WorkSafe Queensland) | Only a licensed electrical contractor may do electrical work in your home, with no dollar threshold. They must give a Certificate of Testing and Compliance to whoever engaged them, as soon as practicable after finishing. If a builder engaged the electrician the certificate goes to the builder, so ask the builder for it.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| WA | Building and Energy | All electrical work must be done by a person holding the relevant electrical licence, with no dollar threshold. The licensed contractor must give you an Electrical Safety Certificate within 28 days of finishing. Maintenance and like-for-like replacements are exempt. If the certificate does not arrive, contact your network operator.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| SA | Office of the Technical Regulator | Electrical installation work must be done by a licensed and registered electrical worker. Your electrician must issue an electronic Certificate of Compliance (eCoC) within 30 days, confirming the work was tested and that they are correctly licensed. Minor maintenance such as changing a lightbulb is exempt.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| TAS | Consumer Affairs Tasmania | Electrical work requires a practitioner licence, even when done unpaid, and there is no dollar threshold. For notifiable work the electrician completes a Certificate of Electrical Compliance and lodges it with TechSafe Australia within three days of energising; the certificate book includes a customer copy, so ask for yours. Like-for-like replacement generally needs no notification.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| ACT | Access Canberra | Electricians must be licensed for any electrical wiring work, with no dollar threshold. All wiring work must be tested and certified, and the electrician must give a certificate to the construction occupations registrar and to you as the owner of the installation. New installations are audited before they can be energised.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| NT | NT WorkSafe | It is illegal to do your own electrical work in the NT unless you are licensed, so use a licensed electrical contractor. There is no dollar threshold. For alterations or additions the contractor must provide a Certificate of Compliance to the owner and occupier within 20 business days. Maintenance and like-for-like replacement are exempt.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| Your location | Australian Business Licence and Information Service | Search the exact activity and location to find licensing, regulatory and council requirements. Follow through to the named authority and verify the provider separately. This lookup is not confirmation that a provider is licensed or a job is exempt.Official source checked 2026-10-14. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
This is not a complete register of requirements. Where a state-specific source has not been checked, use the government lookup. Qualified trade review is pending; no universal licence exemption is asserted.
Licensing and permissions guidance
Building and trade work: checked sources
On a small screen, scroll across to see every column.
| Location | Official source | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Building Commission NSW | Anyone doing general residential building or trade work worth more than $5,000 in labour and materials including GST must hold a licence from Building Commission NSW. A written contract is mandatory once the price is over $5,000 including GST, and work valued between $5,000 and $20,000 must use a small works contract. For work over $20,000 including GST your builder must take out home building compensation (HBC) insurance and give you the certificate before taking a deposit or starting work. Licensing, contracts and insurance do not replace planning approval: most structural work, extensions and decks also need development consent or a complying development certificate.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| VIC | Building and Plumbing Commission | A builder or tradesperson must be registered with the Building and Plumbing Commission to carry out domestic building work worth more than $10,000, with limited exceptions for work that is only plastering, tiling or painting. The same $10,000 figure triggers the contract requirement: above it you must have a major domestic building contract in writing. Insurance changed on 1 July 2026 — for eligible contracts signed on or after that date, Home Warranty insurance is required above $20,000, replacing Domestic Building Insurance, which applied above $16,000 for contracts signed earlier. A building permit from a registered building surveyor, and planning approval where required, is a separate obligation.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| QLD | Queensland Building and Construction Commission | You need a QBCC licence to carry out building work valued over $3,300 including materials, labour and GST; handyman work at or under $3,300 is exempt provided it is not electrical or plumbing and needs no occupational licence. Written contracts are required at the same threshold in two tiers — a Level 1 regulated contract from more than $3,300 up to $19,999, and a Level 2 regulated contract over $20,000. Queensland Home Warranty Scheme cover is required on residential construction work valued at more than $3,300, and your contractor must pay the premium and give you the notice before starting. A building approval from your council or a private building certifier is a separate requirement for most structural work, extensions and decks.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| WA | Building and Energy | In most areas of Western Australia a builder carrying out building work worth $20,000 or more must be registered with Building and Energy; registration requirements differ in some remote parts of the state. The written-contract rule uses a lower figure: the Home Building Contracts Act 1991 applies to fixed-price home building contracts valued between $7,500 and $500,000, and contracts in that range must be in writing. Home indemnity insurance must be taken out by your builder for residential building work valued over $20,000, and you should see the certificate before paying a deposit or allowing work to start. A building permit from your local government is a separate approval for structural work, extensions and most decks.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| SA | Consumer and Business Services | South Australia sets no dollar threshold for licensing — anyone carrying on business as a building work contractor must hold a building work contractor's licence from Consumer and Business Services, whatever the job is worth. A written contract is mandatory once domestic building work is worth $20,000 or more, and it must show the contractor's licence number, be signed by both parties and come with Form 1, Your building contract: your rights and obligations. Building indemnity insurance is required where the work costs $20,000 or more and also requires development approval; that threshold rose from $12,000 on 10 November 2025, so older guides quoting $12,000 are out of date. Development approval through PlanSA or your council is separate from licensing, contracts and insurance.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| TAS | Building Standards Tasmania | From 1 October 2026 Tasmania's building regulation sits with Building Standards Tasmania, which took this function over from Consumer, Building and Occupational Services. Tasmania sets no dollar threshold for licensing: whether a licence is needed depends on the type of work, so a builder licence is required for building services work at any value, while paving, concreting, painting and landscaping need no licence. The written-contract threshold is separate — the Residential Building Work Contracts and Dispute Resolution Act 2016 applies at a contract price of $20,000 or more, and those contracts must be in writing, dated and signed by both parties, with the Residential Building Consumer Guide given to you before you sign. Approvals are risk-based rather than value-based: low-risk work needs no permit, notifiable work goes to a building surveyor, and permit work requires a building permit from the council.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| ACT | Construction Occupations Registrar | In the ACT licensing is tied to the nature of the work rather than its price: a builder must hold the relevant licence class to do or supervise work that requires building approval, and no dollar threshold starts the licence requirement. ACT legislation does not require a written contract for residential building work, although one is strongly recommended, and a contract for a house or for work over $12,000 cannot give the builder power to choose or remove your building certifier. Residential building work insurance, or a fidelity fund certificate, is required before work starts for new homes and for certain alterations or additions valued at $12,000 or more. Building approval is a separate obligation, and it is you as the landowner — not your builder — who appoints the building certifier.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| NT | Building Practitioners Board | The Northern Territory uses a single, much higher threshold than the eastern states, built around prescribed residential building work: work worth more than $25,000 on a house or unit, or an extension or renovation that increases floor area. You must use a registered building contractor for prescribed residential building work, and a written contract is legally required for it; below $25,000 neither obligation applies, though a written contract is still sensible. Instead of a warranty insurance policy the NT uses a fidelity fund certificate, which your builder must obtain for each qualifying job before getting a building permit or demanding payment — the triggering value rose from $12,000 to $25,000 on 30 March 2026, so older guides quoting $12,000 are out of date. A building permit is required for most building work, and in a building control area you must also engage an NT registered building certifier.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| Your location | Australian Business Licence and Information Service | Search the exact activity and location to find licensing, regulatory and council requirements. Follow through to the named authority and verify the provider separately. This lookup is not confirmation that a provider is licensed or a job is exempt.Official source checked 2026-10-14. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
This is not a complete register of requirements. Where a state-specific source has not been checked, use the government lookup. Qualified trade review is pending; no universal licence exemption is asserted.
Licensing and permissions guidance
Pest management: checked sources
On a small screen, scroll across to see every column.
| Location | Official source | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | NSW Environment Protection Authority | Anyone who applies pesticides at your home for a fee or reward must hold a pest management technician licence from the NSW EPA, and termite or other timber-pest treatment requires the timber pest management technician licence; fumigants need a separate fumigator licence. A timber pest inspection carried out without pesticides, and a termite barrier containing no pesticide, need no EPA licence. Your technician must record each pesticide application within 48 hours and keep it for three years, so ask for a copy — for a standalone house the Pesticides Regulation 2017 does not require them to hand it over, though in a multiple-occupancy complex you must get at least five working days' notice before common areas are treated. The durable notice fixed near the meter box is a National Construction Code requirement for a system installed in new building work, not for a retreatment.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| VIC | Department of Health | Anyone using pesticides as part of a pest control business in Victoria must hold a pest control licence from the Department of Health, either a technician licence or a trainee licence worked under supervision. The licence carries authorisations, and termite work specifically requires the general authorisation including timber pests rather than the one excluding them; fumigation needs the separate fumigant authorisation, so check the photo ID card covers your pest problem. The operator must record each application — product, batch number, re-entry period, date and times, address, areas treated, target pests, method, rate, and the applicator's name and licence number — and keep it at the business address for at least three years; Victoria does not require that record to be given to you, so ask for a copy. The meter-box durable notice is a National Construction Code requirement for new building work, not for a retreatment.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| QLD | Queensland Health, with QBCC for termite work | Your technician must hold a Queensland pest management licence from Queensland Health authorising the right activity — pest control activity excluding timber pests, including timber pests, or fumigation activity — shown on a photo ID card with the licence number. Termite work needs a QBCC licence on top of that: Termite management—chemical to apply a chemical system or to inspect, advise or report on a building's termite management or infestation, and Termite management—physical for systems such as graded stone or stainless steel mesh. After treatment you must be given written pest control advice stating the technician and business name, the licence number, the name and active constituent of every pesticide used, where each was applied, and the precautions to take. Where a termite management system is installed in new building work, a durable notice must be fixed in a prominent place such as the meter box showing the method, the installation date, the chemical's label life and the recommended inspection frequency.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| WA | Department of Health | The technician must hold a pest management technician licence — or a provisional licence worked under a licensed technician — and the company must separately hold a pest management business registration, both from the WA Department of Health, with the business name and registration number shown on the vehicle. For termite and timber pest work the card must carry the endorsement Commercial domestic pest control (including termites and timber pests); the endorsement excluding them does not cover it, and fumigation is separate again. The business must make a treatment record within two business days and keep it three years, and the Department states that a quote, tender or invoice is not a substitute; the regulations do not require a copy to be given to you, so agree up front that you will get a post-treatment report. The meter-box durable notice applies to a system installed in new building work under the National Construction Code, not to a retreatment.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| SA | SA Health — Controlled Substances Licensing | Two licences apply in South Australia: the business must hold a Pest Controller's Licence and the person doing the work a Full Pest Management Technician licence, or a Limited Pest Management Technician licence worked under supervision, all issued by Controlled Substances Licensing at SA Health. Every licence carries endorsements setting out which pesticides may be used and what work may be done, and it is an offence to do work the licence is not endorsed for — so ask to see the card and check the endorsements cover termites and timber pests before a termite job. South Australia publishes no named post-treatment notice; what SA Health tells you to obtain is a written inspection report and treatment plan, plus written information on the pesticides, the method, its limitations and the precautions to take. No licence is needed for work carried out only on your own property, for glyphosate applied with hand-held equipment of 15 litres or less, or where a statement of exemption has been granted.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| TAS | Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania | The business must hold a Commercial Operator Licence from NRE Tas, which expressly covers insect and rodent control in and around homes and buildings and is required of any business using agricultural chemical products to control pests for payment. The person applying the chemicals must hold a relevant Certificate of Competency — for domestic work the Pest Management Technician Certificate of Competency, with a separate methyl bromide or phosphine certificate for fumigation. Tasmania publishes no separate termite or timber pest licence and no named post-treatment document, so ask in writing for a treatment record naming the product and where it was applied. No Certificate of Competency is needed to apply chemicals only on your own property, and a new employee of a licensed operator may spray for up to four weeks under direct supervision of a certificate holder.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| ACT | ACT Environment Protection Authority | Commercial pest control in the ACT is not licensed by a consumer or building regulator: the operator must hold an Environmental Authorisation for commercial pest and weed control operations from the ACT Environment Protection Authority, and the ACT keeps a public register of pest and weed control operators you can search before booking. There is no separate ACT termite licence, but termiticides are among the products requiring specific EPA-approved training units, and fumigants are split between liquid forms needing specific training and solid forms needing general training. Records of agricultural chemical use should cover the product, the date and time, the application rate, the location and the user's name and contact details; the ACT publishes no post-treatment notice to the occupier, so ask for a copy of that record. The meter-box durable notice applies only to a termite management system installed in new building work, not to a post-construction treatment.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| NT | NT Department of Health — Medicines and Poisons Control | Anyone using Schedule 5, 6 or 7 pesticides for a fee or reward in the Territory must hold a pest management technician licence from Medicines and Poisons Control at the Department of Health, having completed the relevant Certificate III in Pest Management units or an equivalent. A separate fumigation endorsement is required for Schedule 7 fumigants; the NT publishes no separate termite or timber pest class, so a general licence covers termite treatment. Advertising pest control services requires a licence and the advertisement must display the licence number, which makes it an easy check before you book — you can also ask to see the licence or search the NT register. Licensees keep transaction records for two years but the NT does not require a treatment record to be given to you, so ask for one in writing; the NT's own National Construction Code variation keeps the durable notice for a system installed in new building work.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| Your location | Australian Business Licence and Information Service | Search the exact activity and location to find licensing, regulatory and council requirements. Follow through to the named authority and verify the provider separately. This lookup is not confirmation that a provider is licensed or a job is exempt.Official source checked 2026-10-14. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
This is not a complete register of requirements. Where a state-specific source has not been checked, use the government lookup. Qualified trade review is pending; no universal licence exemption is asserted.
Licensing and permissions guidance
Air conditioning and refrigeration: checked sources
On a small screen, scroll across to see every column.
| Location | Official source | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| All states | Australian Refrigeration Council | Anyone who installs, services, decommissions or otherwise handles fluorocarbon refrigerant in your air conditioner must hold a Refrigerant Handling Licence from the Australian Refrigeration Council; handling fluorocarbon refrigerant without the right licence is a strict liability offence. For a standard single-head split system under 18kW cooling capacity, a Restricted Heat Pump — Split Systems — Installation and Decommissioning licence covers installation and decommissioning; multi-head systems, anything above 18kW, and any service or repair that accesses the refrigerant require the full Refrigeration and Air Conditioning licence. The business quoting you also needs a separate Refrigerant Trading Authorisation, which is what permits a business to buy, store or sell refrigerant — it is not the same thing as the technician's licence. Ask for the licence number on your quote and check it in the ARC's public directory before you book.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| All states | State and territory electrical regulators | An ARC refrigerant handling licence covers refrigerant work only — it does not authorise electrical work. Connecting your unit to the home's electrical installation, running a new circuit or adding a protective device at the switchboard is electrical installation work, and must be done by someone holding the electrical worker or contractor licence issued by your own state or territory; there is no national electrical licence. A restricted electrical licence held by a refrigeration technician is narrower again: it generally permits testing, repair and maintenance of the equipment, not new installation wiring. So on a split-system installation expect two separate credentials, and expect the electrical compliance certificate your state requires — if an installer can only produce an ARC number, ask who is doing the electrical work and under which licence.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| QLD | Australian Refrigeration Council | The ARC scheme covers fluorocarbon refrigerants only, so work with an alternative such as a hydrocarbon refrigerant does not require an ARC licence. Queensland is the exception the ARC names: it requires a separate licence for hydrocarbon refrigerant work. If you are quoted a hydrocarbon retrofit or a hydrocarbon system in Queensland, ask which licence the technician holds for that specific refrigerant rather than accepting an ARC number as covering it. The electrical licensing position is unchanged — the refrigerant licence never authorises the electrical connection.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| Your location | Australian Business Licence and Information Service | Search the exact activity and location to find licensing, regulatory and council requirements. Follow through to the named authority and verify the provider separately. This lookup is not confirmation that a provider is licensed or a job is exempt.Official source checked 2026-10-14. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
This is not a complete register of requirements. Where a state-specific source has not been checked, use the government lookup. Qualified trade review is pending; no universal licence exemption is asserted.
Licensing and permissions guidance
Cleaning, garden and general services: checked sources
On a small screen, scroll across to see every column.
| Location | Official source | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | NSW Fair Trading | You do not need an occupational licence in NSW to run a domestic house cleaning, end-of-lease, window cleaning, lawn mowing or garden maintenance business — none of this work appears in the state's occupational licensing schemes. NSW does not operate a labour hire licensing scheme, so a cleaning business supplying workers to your home or your property manager needs no labour hire licence here. Some work does cross into licensed territory: removing more than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos requires a Class B asbestos removal licence from SafeWork NSW, and any amount of friable asbestos requires Class A. A gardener spraying weeds for a fee must hold current chemical-user training and keep spray records under the Pesticides Regulation 2017, though garden and lawn maintenance is expressly exempt from the EPA's ground applicator licence. Your actual protection is the Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees — due care and skill, fitness for the purpose you asked for, and delivery in a reasonable time — with unresolved disputes going to NSW Fair Trading.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| VIC | Labour Hire Authority | You do not need an occupational licence in Victoria to clean houses, do end-of-lease or window cleaning, mow lawns or maintain gardens. Victoria does run a labour hire licensing scheme under the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2018, administered by the Labour Hire Authority, but it is aimed at providers supplying workers to commercial premises: a business providing only domestic cleaning, or doing the work itself without supplying staff, does not need a licence, while one supplying cleaners to shops, offices or schools does — and the definition of labour hire services was broadened from 1 October 2026, so check the register. Work that genuinely does require a licence includes removing more than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos, which needs a Class B asbestos removal licence, with any amount of friable asbestos needing Class A. Spraying herbicide on someone else's property for a fee requires a Commercial Operator Licence from Agriculture Victoria. There is an exemption for gardeners working only in a garden attached to residential premises who hold recognised agvet chemical-use training, so a trained lawn-care operator spraying your home garden is not necessarily unlicensed; ask what training they hold. Your protection is the Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees, which cannot be contracted out of.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| QLD | Office of Fair Trading | You do not need an occupational licence in Queensland to clean houses, do end-of-lease or window cleaning, mow lawns or maintain gardens. Queensland does run a labour hire licensing scheme under the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2017, and whether a cleaning business needs a licence turns on the contract: supplying cleaners paid by the hour to work under someone else's direction requires a licence, while a fixed-price contract where the business sets the methods, supplies its own equipment and fixes its own defects does not. Several related tasks are licensed — removing more than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos requires a Class B asbestos removal licence from WorkSafe Queensland, with Class A for any amount of friable asbestos, and applying pesticides commercially requires a pest management licence from Queensland Health. Commercial herbicide weed control on land you do not own can require a Commercial Operator's Licence. Whatever the licensing position, the Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees apply, and unresolved disputes go to the Office of Fair Trading.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| WA | Consumer Protection, Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety | You do not need an occupational licence in Western Australia to clean houses, do end-of-lease or window cleaning, mow lawns or maintain gardens. WA does not operate a labour hire licensing scheme, so there is no labour hire licence for a cleaning business to hold here — those schemes exist in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT only. Work that does require a licence includes asbestos removal: a Class B removalist licence for more than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos, and a Class A licence for friable asbestos in any amount. Your protection is the Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees — due care and skill, fitness for the purpose you asked for, and completion in a reasonable time — and complaints about services bought in WA go to Consumer Protection.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| SA | Consumer and Business Services | You do not need an occupational licence in South Australia to clean houses, do end-of-lease or window cleaning, mow lawns or maintain gardens. South Australia does run a labour hire licensing scheme under the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2017, administered by Consumer and Business Services, and cleaning has been a licensed sector for years — from 29 January 2026 the scheme was extended to labour hire providers across all industries, and the maximum penalties apply not only to an unlicensed provider but to a business that uses one. Removing more than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos requires a Class B asbestos removal licence through SafeWork SA, and any amount of friable asbestos requires Class A. Your protection is the Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees, with disputes going to Consumer and Business Services.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| TAS | Consumer Affairs Tasmania | You do not need an occupational licence in Tasmania to clean houses, do end-of-lease or window cleaning, mow lawns or maintain gardens. Tasmania does not operate a labour hire licensing scheme, so no labour hire licence applies to a cleaning business supplying workers here. Asbestos work is licensed: you need an asbestos removalist licence from WorkSafe Tasmania to remove more than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos, or any amount of friable asbestos. Your protection is the Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees — the service must be performed with due care and skill, be fit for the purpose you asked for, and be delivered in a reasonable time.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| ACT | Access Canberra | You do not need an occupational licence in the ACT to clean houses, do end-of-lease or window cleaning, mow lawns or maintain gardens. The ACT does run a labour hire licensing scheme under the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2020, administered through WorkSafe ACT, covering any ACT-based provider that supplies and pays a worker to do work for someone else — so a cleaning business supplying its own cleaners to a host business will generally need a licence, subject to limited exemptions. Asbestos is the ACT's biggest trap: unlike every other Australian jurisdiction it has no small-area exemption, and Access Canberra's guidance is that no asbestos containing material may be removed from premises, commercial or residential, by anyone other than a licensed asbestos removalist — so never let a cleaner or gardener disturb asbestos sheeting at all. Your protection is the Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees, with complaints going to Access Canberra. One qualification: WorkSafe ACT guidance still permits handling incidental to declared minor or routine maintenance, such as removing small isolated pieces of material or clearing leaf litter from an asbestos-roof gutter, so a cleaner or gardener doing those specific tasks is not automatically in breach.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| NT | Northern Territory Consumer Affairs | You do not need an occupational licence in the Northern Territory to clean houses, do end-of-lease or window cleaning, mow lawns or maintain gardens. The NT does not operate a labour hire licensing scheme, so no labour hire licence applies to a cleaning business supplying workers here. Asbestos removal is licensed by NT WorkSafe: a Class B licence to remove more than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos, and a Class A licence for any amount of friable asbestos, with licences issued to the business rather than the individual worker. Your protection is the Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees — due care and skill, fitness for the purpose you asked for, and delivery in a reasonable time — and Northern Territory Consumer Affairs handles consumer disputes about goods and services.Official source checked 2026-10-20. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
| Your location | Australian Business Licence and Information Service | Search the exact activity and location to find licensing, regulatory and council requirements. Follow through to the named authority and verify the provider separately. This lookup is not confirmation that a provider is licensed or a job is exempt.Official source checked 2026-10-14. Confirm current requirements with the regulator. |
This is not a complete register of requirements. Where a state-specific source has not been checked, use the government lookup. Qualified trade review is pending; no universal licence exemption is asserted.