In New South Wales, any plumbing, draining or gasfitting work needs a licence or certificate, whatever it costs. In Queensland, plumbing, drainage and gas fitting need a QBCC licence regardless of value. Several states carve out a short list of minor plumbing jobs, but each list is shaped differently, and gas work sits outside every regulator’s list read for this guide.
General informationA summary of what plumbing and gas regulators publish, as at 8 October 2026, including the NSW Government, the QBCC in Queensland and Building and Energy in Western Australia. Not legal or safety advice about any job.
Dotto is not a builder, tradesperson or property manager. Dotto holds no builder’s or trade licence. It does not do, offer, contract for or arrange any building, trade or maintenance work. This is general information, not advice.
The long rule
Start with the rule, because the lists are exceptions to it. In NSW the licence requirement covers residential, commercial and industrial work alike, and as at 8 October 2026 the NSW Government gives the fine for unlicensed plumbing, draining or gasfitting as $22,000 for an individual or $110,000 for a company.
Queensland’s Plumbing and Drainage Act puts it as a prohibition: a person must not carry out plumbing or drainage work without a licence for that work, subject to the exceptions the Act itself makes. The QBCC adds that most plumbing work in the state is regulated, for the sake of community health and safety.
In South Australia, Consumer and Business Services says anyone who operates without a licence, or outside its conditions, could face penalties of up to $20,000, as at 8 October 2026. It also warns that a plumbing job done yourself can go wrong, with severe leaks among the risks.
How the short lists are shaped
Where a state allows some plumbing without a licence, the interesting part is less the jobs, which are mostly taps, washers and shower heads, than the limits around them: who may do the work, where, and whether anyone may be paid. Read side by side:
| Place | Who may do it | The limits | Everything else |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Australia | A homeowner or occupier, or another person on their behalf | At the person’s own home, and the other person may do it only if no payment is involved | All other water supply, sanitary and drainage plumbing is for a licensed plumber or permit holder |
| Queensland | Anyone: the QBCC calls this unregulated work, and no plumbing licence is needed for it | No approval from the QBCC or the local council, and nothing to report | All regulated plumbing and drainage work is for a licensed plumber and drainer |
| Tasmania | The owner of the building | On the owner’s own home only, and only the work listed as Category 1 | Anything outside Category 1 is for a licensed plumber, and penalties apply to unlicensed work |
| Victoria | A person who is neither licensed nor registered | Replacing a tap washer, or another minor tap repair, in any home, owned or not; changing over a water-efficient shower head | Where regulated work is done without the proper registration or licence, the Building and Plumbing Commission may take enforcement action, up to criminal prosecution |
Queensland’s regulation explains where its list comes from. It sorts plumbing and drainage into tiers: notifiable work in one schedule, minor work in another, and unregulated work in a third. Even on the unregulated tier, the QBCC notes that a licensed plumber or drainer can still be engaged for the job.
The Northern Territory frames its line differently again. It describes some minor maintenance as not plumbing or drainage work at all, on two conditions: nothing in the building, drainage or plumbing system is altered, and the original layout stays as it was. Its government also says to use a licensed plumber for work on fixtures and fittings, whether or not a plumbing certificate is needed.
Gas: the list that is not there
None of the gas regulators read for this guide publishes a householder list. Each one points the other way:
- New South WalesOnly licensed gasfitters may do repairs or renovations involving gas, and that includes moving or replacing a gas appliance.
- QueenslandOnly a licensed gasfitter can do gas work, which the Queensland Government says covers installing, removing, altering, repairing, servicing, testing or certifying the gas system, with all its pipework and connections.
- VictoriaEnergy Safe Victoria says never to take on gas work yourself, and puts it plainly: “gas work is not a DIY project”.
- Western AustraliaThe law requires all gasfitting to be done by a person licensed by Building and Energy, including renovations that disconnect or move a gas appliance.
- Northern TerritoryGasfitting work needs a licence under the Dangerous Goods Regulations 1985.
Disconnecting a gas supply belongs on the same side of the line. The Australian Government’s energy advice says only qualified professionals with the skills and equipment can do it, and never to attempt it yourself.
Two jobs that look like maintenance
Two jobs that sound routine are named as licensed work on their own:
- Hot water systems in Tasmania. Tasmania’s building standards body says all maintenance and repairs on a hot water system must be done by a licensed plumber.
- Backflow prevention devices in Western Australia. The Water Corporation says only a licensed plumbing contractor may install one.
One more cover sits on the same footpath, and its first rule travels with every mention of it: on asbestos, the national Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency says it is “not recommended that you handle or remove asbestos yourself”, and in some places the law goes further: in the Australian Capital Territory any removal needs a licensed removalist, unless it is part of minor routine maintenance or other minor work, and in Queensland a home owner must be trained before taking out more than 10 square metres of non-friable material, and only a removalist holding a Class A licence may remove friable material. The agency adds that a professional is easier, safer and often cheaper. It also says asbestos waste may go only to a landfill site licensed to take it, and that a household rubbish bin is not that place: putting it there can bring a fine.