NSW Builder’s Licence

The process of getting a builders licence in New South Wales is managed and regulated by the NSW Department of Fair Trading.

GET A Free Skills Assessment

Qualifications

You'll need a Certificate IV in Building and Construction; and either a current carpentry or bricklaying contractor licence or a Diploma of Building and Construction.

Experience

You'll need at least 2 years' relevant industry experience.

How to apply

Ready to apply? Visit NSW Fair Trading's website.

Experience

You will need 2 years’ full time building work experience for Class A, B and C; and 3 years’ experience for Class D.

Technical qualification

The ACT builder licence is classified into A, B, C and D. Each classification has its own requirements.

Examination

Class A,B and C require a written examination; with Class D exempt from examination.

Who can I
contact?

Contact the ACT Planning and Land Authority for further information.

In New South Wales, the licence category you need is a Builder’s Licence.

You can get a Builder’s Licence with 2 years on the job experience plus the relevant technical qualifications.

Class A, B and C requires 2 years’ of documented full time building work experience where 1 year full time experience was undertaken after the date the qualification was issued.
Class D requires 3 years’ of documented full time building work experience.

Qualifications

Class A builder (Unlimited)

Requires a tertiary qualification in building that the Australian Qualifications Framework Advisory has determined is a Bachelor degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Masters Degree, or Doctoral Degree in Building (‘tertiary qualification in building’).

Class B builder (Medium Rise)

Requires, one of the following:

Diploma of Building and Construction (Building) with a course code of CPC50210, CPC50208 or BCG50206; or
a tertiary qualification in building.

Class C builder (Low rise / Residential up to 2 storeys)

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Class D builder (non-structural work)

Does not require a formal qualification

VET qualifications

You must have at least one of the following qualifications:

VET qualification:

CPC40120 Certificate IV in Building and Construction; or
BCG40106, CPC40108, or
CPC40110 Certificate IV Building and Construction (Building); or
BCG40206 or CPC40208 Building and Construction (Contract Administration); or
BCG40306 or CPC40308 Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Estimating); or
BCG40306 or CPC40308 Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Estimating); or
BCG40506 or CPC40508 Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Site Management).

AND, including all of the listed ‘units of competency’:

AND, one of the following:

A current Carpentry or Bricklaying contractor licence or supervisor certificate, or an approved qualification that would allow the issue of such a licence; or
Diploma of Building and Construction (Building) CPC50220 / BCG50206 / CPC50208; or
Diploma of Building and Construction (Building) CPC50210 and including the following units of competency:
- CPCCBC5004 / CPCCBC5004A, and
- CPCCBC5005 / CPCCBC5005A, and
- CPCCBC5007 / CPCCBC5007A / CPCCBC5007B, and
- CPCCBC5009 / CPCCBC5009A.
Bachelor of Housing from an Australian University; or a degree in civil engineering, structural engineering, architecture, housing, construction, construction management, construction economics, applied science (building), quantity surveying from an Australian University.

Other relevant undergraduate degree(s)

A degree in building, construction, construction management, construction economics, applied science (building), or quantity surveying from an Australian University. Applicant must undertake the equivalent of 4 years; full-time study and a mandatory work placement. This does not include associate degree or an honorary degree.

Previous licence

If you have previously held a licence in the prescribed class of ‘building’ (Clause 46 of Home Building Regulation 2004) and you apply for a new licence within 5 years of the former licence’s expiry, your previous licence will be considered in lieu of the current qualification requirements. For more information please visit NSW Fair Trading.

Experience

To apply for your builder’s licence, you must show at least 2 years’ relevant industry experience (obtained within the last 10 years) across a wide range of building construction work.

There are four ways to gain the relevant experience:

an employee of a building contractor; or

a subcontractor holding an endorsed contractor licence and have contracted to a building; or

a holder of a qualified supervisor of certificate and are working as a nominated supervisor where the contractor licence you are nominated for includes the category of full general building, and there is also another nominated supervisor to cover the category of building; or

a holder of a qualified supervisor of certificate and are working as a nominated supervisor where the contractor licence you are nominated supervisor for has been subcontracting to a general building contract or.

Relevant experience gained must satisfy all the following:

the building contractor has a contractor licence in full general building work; and

you must be supervised and directed in your work by a holder of an endorsed contractor licence or qualified supervisor certificate in the residential building work in which you have gained relevant experience, and the holder must confirm your experience on a referee’s statement form; and

you must be financially renumerated for the work you carried out according to the law.

You will need enough referees to demonstrate the 2 years industry experience. Each referee will need to complete a referee statement form which can be downloaded from NSW Fair Trading website.

Class A, B and C requires you to pass a written examination set by the Construction Occupations Registrar before your builder licence is issued. You may make two attempts before your licence is refused.
Class D is exempted from examination.

How to apply

Once you have completed your qualification and relevant experience you are ready to complete the application forms. Head to the NSW Fair Trading website for the latest forms and checklists. For an individual licence application, you will need: Application form – individual Application checklist – individual Referee statements forms Additional details form/s (if required) If you are applying as a company, you will need additional company application forms. Once your application forms and referee statements have been completed, you must lodge your application and payment in person at a Service NSW centre.

Call: 02 6207 1923

Mail: planning.act.gov.au

Visit: ACT Planning and Land AuthorityEnvironment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate
GPO Box 158
Canberra City ACT 2601

Call:

Visit:

Mail: