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Check a tradie's licence yourself
Every state's register, free, straight from the regulator. Takes about a minute.
Anyone can say they are licensed. The register is the only place that settles it, and every
state publishes one you can search for nothing. Get the licence number off the quote, then look it
up below.
What a licence does and does not tell you. It says the regulator has issued a licence and
whether it is current. It does not say the work will be good. Check the register, then ask for
references and read the quote properly.
What to look for once you find them
- The name matches the quote. A licence in someone else's name is not their licence.
- It is current, not expired or suspended. The register shows the status.
- The class covers your job. A licence to do one trade does not cover another.
- Look at the conditions. Some licences are restricted to certain work or a dollar limit.
Where to check, by state
New South Wales
NSW Fair Trading, through Service NSW — builders and tradespeople. Electrical
and plumbing licensing sits with Building Commission NSW, and the same search covers them.
Check a builder or tradesperson licence ›
Queensland
Queensland Building and Construction Commission — builders and trade contractors
QBCC licensee register ›
The full register shows a licensee's whole history, which the quick contractor
search does not. Electricians are separate — that is the Electrical Safety Office (WorkSafe QLD):
electrical licence search
Northern Territory
Three bodies share this one, so the name on a licence may not be the one you
expect: builders are registered by the NT Building Practitioners Board, plumbers and drainers by
Licensing NT, and electrical work by NT WorkSafe — Electrical Safety Regulator. All three are
searchable in the same public register.
Licensing NT public register ›
Air-conditioning and refrigeration — anywhere in Australia
Australian Refrigeration Council. Handling refrigerant is licensed nationally, so
this one is the same wherever you are.
ARCtick licence check ›
Every link above goes to the government regulator, not to us. We checked each one on
23 August 2026. If a page has moved, search the regulator's name — the register is always
free and always public.
Can't find them on the register?
Try the licence number as well as the name — people trade under a business name that differs
from the one on the licence. If they still do not come up, ring the regulator and ask. Do not take
a screenshot as proof; anyone can make one.