Going out on your own as a gas fitter in NSW
Checked against Building Commission NSW on 8 August 2026.
To take jobs in your own name
Individual contractor licence, class "Gasfitter"
Sits in the specialist category "Plumbing, draining and gasfitting". For a sole trader the one licence covers both contracting and doing the work, because the card is endorsed "(Q)".
- What you need before you apply
- Certificate III in Plumbing (CPC32420 or later) or Certificate III in Gas Fitting (CPC32720 or later), with the named units of competency for either pathway.
- What it costs
- Individual contractor licence, specialist, July 2026 to June 2027: $403 for 1 year, $803 for 3 years, $1,235 for 5 years.
- How long it takes
- Published estimate as at 1 August 2026: 15 weeks for the "Specialist (all other)" categories.
- What you can do without it
- Nothing. The regulator's words: in NSW you need a licence or certificate to do any plumbing, draining or gasfitting work regardless of the cost, and regardless of whether it is residential, commercial or industrial. A $50 gas job needs a licence as much as a $50,000 one.
- Insurance the regulator requires
- No blanket public liability requirement as a licence condition. What does apply is Home Building Compensation cover on residential work over $20,000 including GST, with a minimum of $340,000 of cover, in place before you take a deposit or start.
- Who issues it
- Building Commission NSW
Read this before you rely on it
- We could not find a page saying in so many words whether a gas-only contract attracts Home Building Compensation cover. Ring Service NSW before you take a deposit on a residential gas job over $20,000.
Where this came from
Read off Building Commission NSW on 8 August 2026. Fees and processing times usually change on 1 July, so check before you budget.
Once you are up and running, we also have a page on what ONARA Ops does for gas fitters.
When you are ready to take the first job
Once the licence is sorted, you need to look like you have been doing this for years: a website people can book from, and quotes and invoices with your logo that go out the same day you finish. That part is us.
We are not accountants, lawyers or insurance brokers, and none of this is advice. It is what the regulators and the ATO publish, gathered in one place with links to the source, so you know what to go and ask about. Rules and fees change, so check with the authority before you act on anything here. Government fees shown are for the 2026-27 year and are indexed every 1 July.