Selecting a contractor

In Queensland, individuals and companies must hold a QBCC licence to carry out:

• any building work valued over $3,300
• building work valued over $1,100 where it involves Hydraulic Services Design
• building work of any value where it involves:
  • Drainage
  • Plumbing and Drainage
  • Gas Fitting
  • Termite Management – Chemical
  • Fire Protection
  • Completed Residential Building Inspection
  • Building Design – Low Rise, Medium Rise and Open
  • Site Classification.

Note: The value of building work includes all labour and material costs, regardless of who supplies the materials. 

Carrying out building work

A contractor is carrying out building work if they are:

• personally carrying out the work
• directly or indirectly causing the building work to be carried out
• providing administration, advisory, management or supervisory services for building work, including:
  • entering into a contract or submitting a tender for building work
  • offering (quoting and tendering) to carry out building work
  • taking payment or arranging payment of subcontractors
  • arranging labour or arranging and conducting on-site meetings and inspections
  • preparing plans and specifications
  • coordinating the scheduling of work for building contractors even as an agent for another person
  • obtaining engineering or soil reports, or arranging for certificates from Local government to be issued etc
  • supervising building work
  • providing advice or a report for a building
  • contracting for work as a subcontractor to a builder.

Licence classes

The scope of work for each QBCC licence class outlines the range of building work for that class.