Going out on your own as a roofer in NSW
Checked against Building Commission NSW on 8 August 2026.
To take jobs in your own name
Individual contractor licence, in the right roofing category
There is no single roofer licence in NSW. It splits three ways by material: "Roof plumbing", "Roof tiling" and "Roof slating". You need the one that matches what you actually work in, and if you do two of them you need two.
And underneath it, to do the work
Qualified supervisor certificate, same category
Lets you do and supervise the work but not contract or advertise for it.
This is the one people get wrong: the licence that lets you DO the work and the one that lets you CONTRACT for it are different. Working for a boss you only need the first. Going out on your own you need both.
- What you need before you apply
- For roof plumbing, a Certificate III in Roof Plumbing (CPC32620 and earlier codes) or a related plumbing qualification containing the roofing modules. Roof tiling and roof slating have their own qualification requirements.
- What it costs
- Individual, new, trade category, 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: 7 weeks for an individual trade licence, which is the quickest of any category here.
- What you can do without it
- The same $5,000 trigger as other trade work: residential roofing valued at more than $5,000 in labour and materials including GST needs the licence.
- Insurance the regulator requires
- Home Building Compensation cover applies to trade contractors too, at least $340,000, where the contract or market cost is over $20,000 including GST.
- Who issues it
- Building Commission NSW
Read this before you rely on it
- Pick the category by material, not by what you call yourself. A metal roofer and a tiler need different licences.
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 roofers.
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.
Other trades in NSW
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.