How to check, in any state
Ask for the number and the exact name
Get the licence or registration number and the full name it's held under. Victoria, NSW, Queensland, WA, SA and the ACT all require licence or registration numbers in advertising, so look at the ute, the website and the quote too.
Search the register yourself
Use the register named for your state below, and search it yourself rather than trusting a screenshot.
Match the name to the business
The licence should belong to whoever you're contracting with. In NSW, a licence in a person's name doesn't let their company sign the contract, so the company needs its own. The QBCC says the contractor's name must match the name on the licence.
Check the class covers your job
Look at the categories or classes listed against the licence. A tiling licence may not cover a metal roof, gutters or flashing, and a roof plumbing licence may not cover tiles.
Check the status and history
Look for the expiry date, any suspensions or conditions, and any disciplinary action.
Check asbestos licences separately
If the job involves removing asbestos, that needs an asbestos removal licence from the work safety regulator, which is a different register.
Why roof tiling and roof plumbing can need different licences
Most states treat tiled roofs and metal roofs as different trades. Roof plumbing generally covers metal roof sheeting, flashings, gutters and downpipes. Roof tiling covers fixing tiles, bedding and pointing. In NSW they're separate licence categories, and in Victoria roof plumbing is regulated plumbing work while roof tiling sits under builder registration.
So a roofer licensed to repoint your ridge may not be licensed to replace your gutters or flash a skylight. If the job covers both, check the licence covers both, or that a properly licensed person is doing each part.
Victoria: the Building and Plumbing Commission
The regulator is the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC), which replaced the Victorian Building Authority on 1 July 2025. Domestic building work worth more than $10,000 needs a registered builder unless it's one of a short list of single trades, and roofing and roof tiling aren't on that list. There's a class just for tiled roofs, domestic builder (limited to roof tiling), covering tiling, repairs, repointing, sarking, bedding and pointing.
Roof plumbing, called roofing (stormwater) work, covers metal roof coverings, flashings and roof drainage. It's regulated plumbing work, so the person needs a licence or registration for that class, and plumbing work of $750 or more needs a compliance certificate. Tiled roof coverings aren't part of that class.
Where to check: the BPC Practitioner Search, plus the BPC Disciplinary Register for past misconduct. Plumbers carry a BPC identification card you can ask to see.
New South Wales: Building Commission NSW
Building Commission NSW manages licensing. Roof plumbing, roof tiling and roof slating are separate categories, and each needs a contractor licence for work over $5,000 in labour and materials, including GST.
Roof plumbing covers gutters, downpipes, flashing and metal roof coverings, including skylights and ventilators, but not tiles or slate. Roof tiling covers tiles, bedding and pointing, valleys, sarking and battens.
Where to check: Verify NSW, the government's online licence check. Search by name, licence number, ABN or suburb to see the categories covered, expiry dates, and any cautions, conditions or penalty notices.
Queensland: the QBCC
The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) licenses building work valued over $3,300, counting labour, materials and GST. Plumbing and drainage need a licence at any value.
Roofs are split across licence classes: Roof and wall cladding (metal and other cladding, but not terracotta or concrete tiles), Roof tiling, and Metal fascias and gutters. Neither roof class covers painting a roof. A handyman can take jobs up to $3,300 without a licence, as long as they aren't plumbing or electrical work.
Where to check: ask to see the licence card or digital licence, then search the QBCC licensee register, which shows full licence history. If you can't find them, call the QBCC on 139 333. The Queensland Government has flagged changes to licensing thresholds, so confirm the current figure on the QBCC website.
Western Australia: Building and Energy
Building and Energy regulates building work, and what a roofer needs depends on the job. Work that needs a building permit and is worth $20,000 or more must be done by a registered building contractor across most of the state, and replacing a roof with a material of a different weight or shape will likely need a permit.
Roof painting or coating worth over $1,000 needs painter registration as a contractor in Perth and most country areas. Water supply, sanitary and drainage plumbing is for plumbers licensed by the Plumbers Licensing Board.
Where to check: the WA Online Licence Search, which covers builders, painters and plumbers. Make sure the name, registration number and licence type all match, because a contractor and a practitioner can share a number. If you're unsure, call Building and Energy on 1300 489 099.
South Australia: Consumer and Business Services
Consumer and Business Services (CBS) says you need a building work contractor licence to carry out building work in SA, and repairs to a house count. The rules we read set no dollar threshold for the licence: work under $20,000 has lighter contract rules, but the builder still needs to be appropriately licensed. Each licence lists the work its holder can contract for and can cap the contract value. SA building licence numbers start with BLD.
A plumbing business needs a plumbing, gas fitting and electrical contractor's licence, and whoever does the physical plumbing must be a registered plumber.
Where to check: the CBS licensing register, through its 'Find a licence holder' page. Report suspected unlicensed builders to CBS on 131 882. We read the CBS pages from archived copies, because the live site blocked automated access, so confirm anything important with CBS.
Tasmania: CBOS
Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) licenses building and plumbing work. Building work, including repairs and maintenance, needs a building services licence unless it's low-risk work the Building Act lets others do.
CBOS says only licensed plumbers have been allowed to do roof plumbing since 2010. A licensed builder can hold a roof drainage endorsement covering gutters, valleys, metal ridges and flashings, but only as part of building work they've been engaged for. It doesn't cover downpipes, stormwater connections or stand-alone roof plumbing repairs.
Where to check: the CBOS 'Find a licensed tradesperson' search, which lists current licence holders only. Our Tasmanian sources were read from archived copies of CBOS pages.
ACT: Access Canberra
Access Canberra runs construction licensing and the public registers. The ACT licenses builders, plumbers, drainers, gasfitters and electricians, but ACT Planning says not every professional who works on a home needs a licence, and it lists roofing contractors among them.
Building work that needs building approval needs a licensed builder of the right class, and replacing a roof needs building approval in the ACT, though replacing a single tile doesn't. The ACT's plumber licence classes are sanitary, water supply, journeyperson and fire sprinkler; roof plumbing isn't named among them in the sources we read.
Where to check: the Access Canberra public registers, which show expired, suspended and cancelled licences, with any disciplinary action under the Details tab.
Northern Territory: the Building Practitioners Board
The Building Practitioners Board registers building contractors, and the Plumbers and Drainers Licensing Board licenses plumbers. A registered building contractor is required for prescribed residential work, such as building a house worth $25,000 or more.
NT Government guidance says re-roofing an existing house doesn't need a registered building contractor or fidelity fund cover, but it does need a building permit. For a re-roof, ask who is arranging the permit and check it's in place before work starts.
Where to check: the Public Register of Building Practitioners, which shows whether a registration is active, suspended, cancelled or expired. If someone isn't listed, call the Registrar on (08) 8936 4082. Several NT Government pages were read from archived copies.
A roofing licence isn't an asbestos licence
If the roof, eaves or gutters might be asbestos cement, taking them off needs an asbestos removal licence from your state's work safety regulator: Class B for bonded asbestos like cement sheeting, Class A for every type. In the ACT, removing any amount needs a licence. Check that licence on its own, with WorkSafe or your state's equivalent, before anyone touches the roof.
What you can check, and what the roofer should show you
You can
- Search the register yourself
- Match the licence name to the name on the quote and contract
- Check the class covers every part of the job
- Look up any asbestos removal licence separately
- Ring the regulator if something doesn't line up
Leave to a roofer
- Giving you the licence number and the name it's held under
- Showing a licence card or digital licence when asked
- Explaining which licensed trade handles each part of the job
- Printing the licence number on the quote and contract
Our rule before anyone starts
No number, no job. We'd look the roofer up on the register ourselves, make sure the name and class line up with the quote, and only then talk dates and deposits. We check the licence of every roofer before we pass them a job, and we still think you should check too. It takes a couple of minutes, and it's your roof.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.