Licence fees for occupational plumbing & drainage
Look up application and renewal fees for occupational plumbing and drainage licences. There may be fee exemptions if you hold an associated contractor licence. There is also an annual administration fee.
Licence application fees
Licence fees
You have the option to pay licence fees for 1 to 5 years.
Annual administration fee
In addition to your licence fee you will need to pay an annual administration fee of $75.68.
This only needs to be paid once per financial year per licensee. If you have already applied for another plumbing and/or draining licence within the same financial year, you don’t need to pay the administration fee again.
Our fees and charges increase on 1 July each year. On 1 July 2023 our fees and charges were increased in line with legislative requirements.
Fee exemptions
Individuals (not companies) who hold a QBCC plumbing or drainage related contractor, nominee supervisor and site supervisor licence are not required to pay a fee if they apply for a range of corresponding occupational licences under the Plumbing and Drainage Act. See these listed in the table below.
Application fee with admin fees
| Licence class | 1 yr | 2 yrs | 3 yrs | 4 yrs | 5 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumber | $232.72 | $315.61 | $398.45 | $481.29 | $564.13 |
| Drainer | $232.72 | $315.61 | $398.45 | $481.29 | $564.13 |
| Plumber & drainer—combined | $389.76 | $472.60 | $555.44 | $638.28 | $721.17 |
| Restricted licence | $172.83 | $255.67 | $338.51 | $421.35 | $504.19 |
| Provisional plumber OR provisional drainer | $148.50 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Provisional plumber & provisional drainer—combined | $221.32 | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| Provisional plumber & full drainer | $305.54 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Application fee without admin fees
| Licence class | 1 year | 2 years | 3 years | 4 years | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumber | $157.04 | $239.93 | $322.77 | $405.61 | $488.45 |
| Drainer | $157.04 | $239.93 | $322.77 | $405.61 | $488.45 |
| Plumber & drainer—combined | $314.08 | $396.92 | $479.76 | $562.60 | $645.49 |
| Restricted licence | $97.15 | $179.99 | $262.83 | $345.67 | $428.51 |
| Provisional plumber OR provisional drainer | $72.82 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Provisional plumber & provisional drainer—combined | $145.64 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Provisional plumber & full drainer |
$229.86 |
n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Fee exemptions
These exemptions apply only to Individuals (not companies) who hold a QBCC plumbing or drainage related contractor, nominee supervisor and site supervisor licence applying for a corresponding occupational licence.
| Trade licence held | Occupational licence with fee exemption |
|---|---|
|
Plumbing & drainage Plumbing & drainage restricted to plumbing Plumbing & drainage restricted to tanks—water supply |
Plumber |
|
Plumbing & drainage Drainage |
Drainer |
|
Gasfitting |
Water plumber—gas |
|
Irrigation |
Water plumber—irrigation |
|
Fire protection—water—based fire system stream—install and maintain—restricted to commercial and industrial types |
Water plumber—fire protection (hydrants and hose-reels) |
|
Fire protection—water-based fire system stream—install and maintain—restricted to commercial and industrial types |
Water plumber—fire protection (commercial & industrial types) |
|
Fire protection—water-based fire system stream—install and maintain—restricted to domestic and residential types |
Water plumber—fire protection (domestic and residential types) |
|
Drainage—on-site sewerage facility—maintenance |
Drainer—on-site sewerage facility (maintenance) |
|
Drainage—on-site sewerage facility—maintenance & installation |
Drainer—on-site sewerage facility (maintenance & installation) |
| Mechanical services—plumbing | Water plumber—water and sanitary |
Licence maintenance fees
You must renew your occupational licence by the due date or you will have to pay a restoration fee. You have 1 year from your licence renewal date to restore your licence. After that time you will need to reapply to get licensed again.
Our fees and charges increase on 1 July each year. On 1 July 2023 our fees and charges were increased in line with legislative requirements. You can contact us to find out details about specific fees, charges or prices.
Annual administration fee
In addition to your licence renewal fee you will need to pay an annual administration fee of $75.68.
This only needs to be paid once per financial year per licensee. If you have already paid the administrative fee within the same financial year, you don’t need to pay it again.
Fee exemptions
Individuals (not companies) who hold a QBCC plumbing or drainage related contractor, nominee supervisor and site supervisor licence are not required to pay a fee if they restore or renew a range of corresponding occupational licences under the Plumbing and Drainage Act. See these listed in the table above.
Renewal fees
When you renew your licence you can choose to renew for 1 to 5 years.
With admin fee
| Licence holder | 1 Year | 2 Years | 3 Years | 4 Years | 5 Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full occupational licensee | $158.52 | $241.36 | $324.20 | $407.09 | $489.98 |
| Retiree or employee of RTO | $100.01 | $124.28 | $148.61 | $172.94 | $197.21 |
Without admin fee
| Licence holder | 1 Year | 2 Years | 3 Years | 4 Years | 5 Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full occupational licensee | $82.84 | $165.68 | $248.52 | $331.41 | $414.30 |
| Retiree or employee of RTO | $24.33 | $48.60 | $72.93 | $97.26 | $121.53 |
Restoration fees
The fees below include the restoration fee of $82.84 in addition to the licence renewal fees.
When you restore your licence, you can choose to renew it for 1 to 5 years.
With admin fee
| Licence holder | 1 Year | 2 Years | 3 Years | 4 Years | 5 Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full occupational licensee | $241.36 | $324,20 | $407.04 | $489.93 | $572.82 |
| Retiree or employee of RTO | $182.85 | $207.12 | $231.45 | $255.78 | $280.05 |
Without admin fee
| Licence holder | 1 Year | 2 Years | 3 Years | 4 Years | 5 Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full occupational licensee | $165.68 | $248.52 | $331.36 | $414.25 | $497.14 |
| Retiree or employee of RTO | $107.17 | $131.44 | $155.77 | $180.10 | $204.37 |
Other fees
The prices outlined in the table below do not include the annual administrative fee.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Endorsement application | $17.12 |
| Equivalent qualification match | $31.32 |
| Review of conditions | $72.82 |
| Replacement card | $31.32 |
| Certified copy of licence | $31.32 |
- Apply for a licence
-
- Available licences
-
- Mechanical services licences
- Mechanical services—plumbing
- Mechanical services—plumbing occupational
- Mechanical services—air-conditioning & refrigeration (unlimited design)
- Mechanical services—air-conditioning & refrigeration (limited design)
- Mechanical services—air-conditioning & refrigeration occupational
- Mechanical services—medical gas
- Mechanical services—medical gas occupational
-
- Fire protection licences
- Passive—certify
- Passive—install & maintain—doors
- Passive—install & maintain—collars
- Passive—install & maintain—walls
- Passive—inspect & test
- Special hazard fire system—certify
- Special hazard fire system—install & maintain
- Water-based fire system—design
- Water-based fire system—certify
- Water-based fire system—install & maintain
- Portable—certify
- Water-based fire system—install & maintain—commercial
- Water-based fire system—install & maintain—domestic
- Portable—install & maintain
- Electrical—design—fire alarm systems
- Electrical—certify—fire alarm systems
- Electrical—certify—emergency lighting
- Electrical—install & maintain—fire alarm systems
- Electrical—inspect and test—emergency lighting
- Fire safety professional
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- All other trade licences
- Air handling duct installation
- Brick & segmental paving
- Bricklaying and blocklaying
- Cabinet making
- Concreting
- Carpentry
- Floor finishing and covering (hard sector)
- Foundation work (piling & anchors)
- Gasfitting
- Glass, glazing & aluminium
- Irrigation
- Joinery
- Metal fascias and gutters
- Metal fabrication and erection—structural
- Metal fabrication and installation—non-structural
- Painting & decorating
- Plastering drywall
- Plastering solid
- Roof and wall cladding
- Roof tiling
- Site classifier
- Sheds, carports and garages
- Shopfitting (trade)
- Steel fixing
- Stonemasonry
- Structural landscaping (trade)
- Swimming pool construction, installation and maintenance
- Termite management—chemical
- Termite management—physical
- Wall and floor tiling
- Waterproofing
- Company, partnership, trust
- Interstate, overseas applicants