Permits and licensing · Australian Capital Territory
Renovation permits and contractor licences in Australian Capital Territory
The ACT licenses by occupation rather than by job value, under the Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004. Approval runs in two steps and the order matters: you need development approval (DA) before you can get building approval (BA), and work cannot start until a commencement notice is issued after the BA.
Regulators and licensing bodies in Australian Capital Territory
These official bodies license contractors, oversee safety or issue permits in Australian Capital Territory.
ACT construction occupations licensing
Licenses construction services in the ACT under the Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004, including builders, electricians, plumbers, drainers, gasfitters, building surveyors, building assessors and works assessors.
Access Canberra (public register)
Publishes the register of licensed construction practitioners, with separate registers for builders, electricians, plumbers, gasfitters, drainers and certifiers.
Your licensed building surveyor (certifier)
Appointed by you as certifier for building approval, and issues the commencement notice after the BA is issued and commencement approval is granted.
Trades that need a licence in Australian Capital Territory
General contracting and renovation
To provide a construction service in the ACT you need a licence, and the ACT lists who that covers: builders including owner-builders, electricians, plumbers, drainers and gasfitters, building surveyors, building assessors, gas appliance workers, works assessors and plumbing plan certifiers. The ACT is equally clear that trades like carpenters and bricklayers do not currently need a licence there, so a licence check is not a substitute for references on those trades. There are four classes of builder licence, each with a different scope of work.
Sources:ACT Government – Construction licences(opens in a new tab)
Certified trades
Electricians, plumbers, drainers and gasfitters must all be licensed under the Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004, and Access Canberra runs a separate public register for each of those occupations.
Sources:ACT Government – Construction licences(opens in a new tab)Access Canberra – Construction licences public register(opens in a new tab)
General contracting and renovation
The National Construction Code sets the technical provisions for designing and constructing buildings and plumbing and drainage systems, but it has no force of its own: the ABCB states that the NCC is given legal effect through state and territory building and plumbing legislation, and that adoption dates are set by each state's administration. Requirements can apply at different times, or not at all, because of state variations — and the ABCB notes that gasfitting and electrical work are not covered by the NCC at all.
Sources:ABCB – About the National Construction Code(opens in a new tab)ABCB – NCC 2025 state and territory adoption information(opens in a new tab)ABCB – Information for homeowners(opens in a new tab)
Building and renovation permits in Australian Capital Territory
Most building projects in the ACT involving new builds, alterations, additions and demolition require building approval, and the ACT states you will need development approval before you get it. Building approval exists to confirm the proposed work complies with building laws and regulations and the National Construction Code. To get BA you appoint a licensed building surveyor as your certifier. Even then work cannot begin immediately: before you start building, your licensed builder must apply for a commencement notice, which a building certifier issues after the BA is issued and commencement approval granted. Some minor work is exempt from needing a DA — a deck, patio, landing or terrace without a roof, for example — and the ACT keeps separate lists of DA exemptions and BA exemptions, so being exempt from one does not mean being exempt from the other.
Sources:ACT Government – Building approvals(opens in a new tab)ACT Government – Check if you need a DA(opens in a new tab)
Before you hire a contractor in Australian Capital Territory
Practical checks you can do yourself, using official tools where they exist.
Check the licence on the Access Canberra public register for the right occupation — builders, electricians, plumbers and gasfitters each have their own.
Official lookup: Access Canberra – Construction licences public register(opens in a new tab)
Remember carpenters and bricklayers are not licensed in the ACT, so check references and written quotes for those trades instead.
Official lookup: ACT Government – Construction licences(opens in a new tab)
Get development approval before building approval: the ACT requires DA first.
Official lookup: ACT Government – Building approvals(opens in a new tab)
Check the DA exemptions and the separate BA exemptions before assuming a small job needs nothing.
Official lookup: ACT Government – Check if you need a DA(opens in a new tab)
Sources for renovation permits and licences in Australian Capital Territory
Every fact on this page comes from these official sources.
- ACT Government – Construction licences(opens in a new tab)
- Access Canberra – Construction licences public register(opens in a new tab)
- ACT Government – Building approvals(opens in a new tab)
- ABCB – About the National Construction Code(opens in a new tab)
- ABCB – NCC 2025 state and territory adoption information(opens in a new tab)
- ABCB – Information for homeowners(opens in a new tab)
- ACT Government – Check if you need a DA(opens in a new tab)
Find licensed pros
Compare local pros for the regulated trades in this guide, then confirm their licence with the regulator before you hire.
Renovation permits in other states and territories
Planning a renovation?
Describe your project once and hear from local pros. Ask each one for their licence and permit details before you hire.