NSW contractor licence classes: which licence covers which work
A licence covers the work its class describes, not the work the business happens to do. This is how the classes line up with a typical residential job and where they overlap.
11 min read
Topic
Licensing
Articles and news about Licensing for Australian builders.
NSW contractor licence classes: which licence covers which work
A licence covers the work its class describes, not the work the business happens to do. This is how the classes line up with a typical residential job and where they overlap.
11 min read
Trading names, ABNs and licence names on your paperwork
A trading name is not a legal entity. The licence name, the ABN and the trading name each answer a different question, and they must agree on every document you issue.
10 min read
Sole trader or company: choosing a business structure as a builder
A sole trader or a company decides who is liable, who holds the licence and how the business can grow, long before it decides the tax. This article sets out the questions to answer first.
11 min read
Succession planning for a small building business
Most small builders plan the sale or the handover date and forget everything that has to move with it. The licence, the people, the clients and the accounts all need their own plan.
12 min read
Renewing your NSW builder licence: conditions, variations and staying compliant
Renewal is not a repeat of your first application. It is a check that your licence still reflects the work you do, that any conditions on it still fit, and that you have kept up the CPD the scheme requires.
10 min read
How to get a builder’s licence in NSW in 2026: qualifications, experience and the new police check
A NSW contractor licence for general building work needs an approved qualification, at least two years of supervised experience across a wide range of building work and, since 23 June 2026, a National Police Check. Here is how the process works and where applications fail.
7 min read
What happens when a complaint is made against you in NSW
A complaint about defects and a complaint about your conduct can arrive from the same household and travel down two very different tracks. One is about fixing the work. The other is about whether you keep your licence.
11 min read
The Design and Building Practitioners Act in NSW: what it covers, what is deferred, and what is next
The Design and Building Practitioners Act reshaped how apartment buildings are designed and built in NSW. What it requires, which parts were deferred in 2026, and how it fits with the reforms passed this month.
7 min read
Advertising your building business: what NSW licensing law requires you to say
Most builders learn about advertising obligations only after a complaint. NSW licensing law treats what you publish about your business as a representation you are accountable for.
11 min read
What records NSW builders must keep, and how long to hold them
Retention is where most building businesses quietly fail. The records exist; they are just not findable, not complete, or not held for the period the law requires.
13 min read
Building Commission NSW blitz: 150 site inspections, 25 fines on the Mid North Coast and New England
The regulator’s latest regional blitz found generally good compliance, but fines were issued for unlicensed work, missing site signs, unsupervised contractors and unauthorised plumbing. The same checks could come to any site.
6 min read
Do you need DBP registration? A builder’s decision guide
Registration under the Design and Building Practitioners Act turns on what you actually do on a job, not on your licence category. This guide works through eligibility, class selection and the commercial cost of getting it wrong.
11 min read