Mechanical services—plumbing occupational
Scope of work
Includes
- Constructing, installing, replacing, repairing, altering, maintaining, testing or commissioning a mechanical heating or cooling system in a building that is associated with the heating and cooling of that building.
Does not include
- Work associated with a substance if, under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989 (Cwlth), a licence is required to either:
- manufacture, import or export the substance
- manufacture or import equipment containing the substance or using the substance in its operation.
Eligibility requirements
You will need to provide photographic proof of identification with your application.
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To hold a licence, you need to demonstrate that you have the technical skills to perform the scope of work relevant your licence class.
Technical qualifications for QBCC licensing
Show proof of your qualifications
Proof of your qualifications can be in the form of:
- apprenticeship papers
- formal qualifications issued by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) - training.gov.au
- documentation showing you successfully completed an appropriate course for this licence class
- certificate from an RTO as recognition of prior learning (RPL)
- qualification statement by an approved authority for the licence class
Application fees
Set out below are the fees for occupational licences.
You have the option of receiving a printed certificate stating which QBCC licence you hold. The certificates costs an additional $32.91 and can be selected on the application form.
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.
$267.02
$133.51
How to apply
Before you apply and pay fees, ensure you can meet all eligibility requirements to hold the licence.
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Review the scope of work above and ensure it covers all work you intend to undertake.
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Review both the general eligibility requirements and the specific requirements for the type of licence you wish to hold. Gather copies of the supporting documents that demonstrate you are eligible and provide a certified passport photo for inclusion on your licence.
Learn more about new photo-ID licence cards.
If applying by mail, only provide us with certified copies of your original documents, as we cannot return them to you.
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Download and complete the application form.
To lodge your application you need to provide us with:
- the completed form
- all supporting documentation
- the application fee.
You can lodge the application:
- in person at a QBCC service centre and pay the fees by eftpos
- by mail — add credit or debit card details to the application form and post it to us with all supporting documentation.
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We may accept applications for mutual recognition from:
- Australian Capital Territory
- New South Wales
- Northern Territory
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- Western Australia
- New Zealand.
The QBCC may only issue a licence that is equivalent to the licence you already hold.
If your interstate or New Zealand licence is subject to a condition or restriction, the QBCC must impose the same condition on your Queensland licence.
Where there is no QBCC licence equivalent to your interstate or New Zealand licence, we will not be able to issue you a licence.
Learn more about what licences we can accept through mutual recognition.
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Review the scope of work above and ensure it covers all work you intend to undertake.
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Your interstate licence must remain active to qualify for a QBCC licence. Be sure to renew your licence on time and pay any outstanding fines.
If your interstate licence is cancelled or suspended prior to approval of a Queensland licence, you will not be entitled to a Queensland licence under mutual recognition.
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Gather any relevant supporting documents including evidence of:
- your current interstate or NZ licence
- photographic proof of your identity
- evidence you have permission to work in Queensland (citizen, visa etc.)
- evidence of partnership, company or trading names, where relevant.
If applying by mail, only provide us with certified copies of your original documents, as we cannot return them to you.
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Download and complete a form. You can find the form below.
To lodge your application you need to provide us with:
- the completed form
- all supporting documentation
- the application fee.
You can lodge the application:
- in person at a QBCC service centre and pay the fees by eftpos
- by mail — add credit or debit card details to the application form and post it to us with all supporting documentation.
Download and complete the form:
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Gather any relevant supporting documents including:
- details of your current interstate or NZ licence
- photographic proof of your identity
- evidence you have permission to work in Queensland(citizen, visa etc.)
- evidence of partnership, company or trading names, where relevant.
If applying by mail, only provide us with certified copies of your original documents, as we cannot return them to you.
What happens next?
Usually, most types of applications are fully processed within a few weeks, however sometimes it can take longer. As a guide, allow around 8 weeks.
Some applications take longer to process than others, such as where:
- financial information needs analysis
- a technical qualification is not the prescribed and requires comparison mapping
- experience claimed needs assessment against scopes of work for a particular licence class
- verification of the experience is problematic
- fit and proper assessments are required
- problems with fee payment or application form not completed in full
- other reasons.
If your licence is approved, we’ll post you your printed licence card and licence letter, which includes your licence number and scope of work for the licence class.
If your application is unsuccessful we will refund you the licence fee, however we will retain the cost of processing the application.
Frequently asked questions
To be allowed to perform incidental work that is outside the scope of your class, you must:
- be permitted to do so in the scope of work for your licence class
- only perform work that is valued at less than $3,300
- not perform occupational work such as plumbing, drainage, pest control, or fire protection work (unless you hold the appropriate occupational licence).
Read more about who and when work is permitted to be performed as incidental work.
If you are an existing QBCC licensee we would already hold documentation about you and your business.
If you are applying for an additional licence class you may only need to demonstrate you meet the technical requirements and any required experience for the new class.
If you are a contractor changing your maximum revenue (MR) you will need to demonstrate you meet the minimum financial requirements for the new financial category you are applying for. However, if your financial category remains unchanged you may not need to provide us further financial information.
Application fees are reduced when applying for an additional licence where you are not changing your MR.
Contact us if you are unsure what documents you need to provide with your application.
If you hold a licence in another state or New Zealand you may be eligible to apply for a QBCC licence through the mutual recognition program.
If you are from a country other than Australia or New Zealand, you will need to follow the usual application process to work in Queensland. You will need to:
- demonstrate you have permission to work in Queensland
- get your qualifications recognised or assessed to see if it is equivalent to the one listed for the licence you wish to apply for.
Read more about the application process if you are from interstate or overseas.
Unlike a company, a partnership is not recognised as a separate legal entity and can't be licensed. However, at least one of the partners must hold a contractor-type license as an individual or company.
Applying for a licence as a partnership
The partner applying for the licence will need to follow the same process outlined above for either an individual contractor licence or a company licence. The application must include either a:
- Statutory declaration for partnership (PDF, 503KB)
- copy of a formal partnership agreement where a formal partnership agreement is in place.
Visit financial requirements for licensees to understand meeting minimum financial requirements in a partnership.
Read more about the responsibilities of licensees in partnerships.
Some trade classes also require you to maintain an occupational licence covering the same scope of work to be able to personally perform the work.
As a contractor—you require an occupational licence to perform work that is:
- plumbing
- drainage
- gasfitting - issued by Chief Gas Examiner and Resources Safety and Health Queensland
- termite management—chemical – issued by Department of Health.
As a nominee supervisor or site supervisor—you require an occupational licence to perform work that is:
- fire protection
- mechanical services
- plumbing
- drainage
- gasfitting - issued by Chief Gas Examiner and Resources Safety and Health Queensland
- termite management—chemical – issued by Department of Health.
