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20 Trades That Need a Licence in NSW (2026 Guide)
Hiring a tradie in NSW? For a lot of jobs, the person doing the work legally has to hold a licence or a certificate. Here is the plain-English version: which trades are licensed, what actually triggers the requirement, and how to check someone out in two minutes before you hand over a deposit.
Updated 24 October 2026 | Good Trades AU | Sources: NSW Government and Building Commission NSW
The short version
There are three buckets in NSW, and only one of them is a blanket rule.
- Specialist work is always licensed. This covers electrical, plumbing, draining, gasfitting, and air conditioning or refrigeration. It needs a licence or certificate no matter the cost, and no matter whether the job is residential, commercial or industrial. The only real exception is plug-in appliances.
- Residential building work is licensed over $5,000. If the work is residential building or trade work valued at more than $5,000 in labour and materials (including GST), the person or business taking it on needs a contractor licence.
- Some work is not regulated at all. Certain minor jobs no longer sit under the Home Building Act, so a licence is not always required for small repairs.
The threshold matters. A $4,900 job and a $5,100 job can sit under different rules, which is why the price in writing matters as much as the person.
20 licensed trades in NSW
The list below groups the main trades. The licence tag shows how it usually lands: Always licensed means specialist work, licensed regardless of cost. Over $5,000 means a contractor licence is required once the job passes the threshold. Registered or certified covers trades that need registration or certification through the relevant authority.
| # | Trade | Licence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrician | Always licensed |
| 2 | Plumber | Always licensed |
| 3 | Drainer | Always licensed |
| 4 | Gasfitter | Always licensed |
| 5 | Air conditioning and refrigeration technician | Always licensed |
| 6 | General builder | Over $5,000 |
| 7 | Carpenter | Over $5,000 |
| 8 | Bricklayer | Over $5,000 |
| 9 | Concreter | Over $5,000 |
| 10 | Roof tiler | Over $5,000 |
| 11 | Roof plumber | Over $5,000 |
| 12 | Wall and floor tiler | Over $5,000 |
| 13 | Waterproofer | Over $5,000 |
| 14 | Plasterer (wet and dry) | Over $5,000 |
| 15 | Painter and decorator | Over $5,000 |
| 16 | Glazier | Over $5,000 |
| 17 | Joiner (joinery) | Over $5,000 |
| 18 | Metal fabricator | Over $5,000 |
| 19 | Fencer | Over $5,000 |
| 20 | Swimming pool builder, repairer and servicer | Over $5,000 |
Also on the licensed list
- Stonemason and underpinning and piering sit in the same trade work group.
- Excavating and structural landscaping need a contractor licence for qualifying residential work.
- Kitchen, bathroom and laundry renovation and swimming pool building are treated as building work, not just trades.
- Motor vehicle repairers need a motor vehicle repairer licence through Service NSW.
- Aircraft trades are licensed by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, not by the state.
What a Certificate of Proficiency is not
You will sometimes see a tradie hold a Certificate of Proficiency. That is a skills recognition document issued by the Commissioner for Vocational Training. It confirms the trade skills. It is not a licence, it does not replace one, and it does not guarantee the person will be granted one. For licensed work, the thing to check is the licence itself, issued by the relevant authority.
How to check a tradie in NSW (2 minutes)
- Open the NSW licence register at verify.licence.nsw.gov.au and search the builder or tradesperson.
- Check the name matches who you are actually dealing with, not just the business.
- Check the class of work. A licence covers specific categories, so confirm it matches your job. A licensed roofer is not automatically licensed for electrical.
- Check the start and end dates. An expired licence is no licence.
- Search the business name and the person online as well. A quick search catches a lot.
- Before you pay anything, get the scope, price and timeline in writing, and read it.
Why it matters: when licensed work goes wrong and the tradie is not licensed, you can lose access to the protections built into the Home Building Act 1989, including statutory warranty and home building compensation cover. Checking first is free. Fixing it later usually is not.
DIY or hire it in?
Plenty of jobs around a home are legal to do yourself, and plenty are not. Anything in the specialist bucket is hire-it-in work. For the rest, it usually comes down to scope and confidence. If you are doing your own renovation projects, a few well-chosen tools go a long way.
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Three we would buy first, because they cover the most legal DIY jobs for the least money. The full list is on our power tools page.
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Check price on Amazon AUWhat the job should cost before you hire
The $5,000 line is not abstract, it is a number you can check against a quote. If a builder hands you a scope and you have no idea whether the figure is fair, these breakdowns show what Australian trades charge for the same work.
- Deck cost in Australia
- Bathroom renovation cost
- Kitchen renovation cost
- House painting cost
- Home extension cost
Use it like this: get the quote in writing, compare it to the range for that job, and if it lands above $5,000, confirm the contractor licence on the register before you pay a deposit.
Common questions
Do all trades need a licence in NSW?
No. Specialist work such as electrical, plumbing, draining, gasfitting and air conditioning or refrigeration always needs a licence. Residential building and trade work needs a contractor licence once the job is valued at more than $5,000 in labour and materials including GST. Some work is not regulated.
Is a Certificate of Proficiency the same as a trade licence?
No. The Certificate of Proficiency recognises your trade skills. It is not a licence and does not replace one. Licences come from the relevant authority, such as Building Commission NSW.
What if I hire an unlicensed tradie?
For licensed work you can lose the consumer protections in the Home Building Act 1989, such as statutory warranty and home building compensation cover. Check the licence first, and never pay a large deposit without a written contract.
Does this apply outside NSW?
No. This page is about NSW only. Other states and territories run their own licensing schemes, so always check the local authority where the work happens.
Sources
- NSW Government, Licences and credentials, find a licence by industry.
- NSW Government, Categories and classes of building and trade work.
- NSW Government, Checking your contractor or tradesperson is qualified.
- NSW Department of Education, Skills NSW, licensed trades and Certificate of Proficiency.
- NSW licence register, verify.licence.nsw.gov.au.
This is general information to help you ask better questions, not legal advice. Licensing rules change and individual jobs vary. Confirm the current rule with NSW Government or Building Commission NSW before you hire.
Before you hire, know what the job should cost
Most disputes start with a price that was never realistic. These break down real 2026 numbers by room:
Disclosure: Good Trades AU is reader-supported. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page are affiliate links; they cost you nothing extra and never change the price you pay. We are not the seller: orders, delivery and returns are handled by Amazon AU. This page is independent general information and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the NSW Government.