Going out on your own as a builder in QLD
Checked against Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) on 8 August 2026.
To take jobs in your own name
Builder, low rise: contractor licence (individual)
The one a sole trader needs. It lets you contract directly with the public, or to a builder, principal contractor or developer.
And underneath it, to do the work
Builder, low rise: nominee supervisor or site supervisor licence
QBCC states a nominee or site supervisor cannot personally enter into contracts to undertake building work. It lets you run the job, not win 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
- The technical qualification and experience for the class, plus Minimum Financial Requirements: Queensland tests your finances against the revenue class you pick.
- What it costs
- New individual contractor application: $920.68 for SC2 (turnover up to $800,000), $1,180.19 for Cat 1-2 (up to $12m), $1,696.50 for Cat 3-7. Note the cheapest class, SC1, is not available to builders.
- How long it takes
- QBCC says most applications are fully processed within a few weeks, sometimes longer.
- What you can do without it
- The line is $3,300, and it is low. A licence is required for building work valued over $3,300 including materials and labour. QBCC lists a handyman as exempt only up to that figure, and only where the work is not electrical or plumbing.
- Insurance the regulator requires
- Professional indemnity is not a condition of a Builder low rise licence. QBCC requires it only for design and certifying classes.
Read this before you rely on it
- QBCC increases fees every 1 July and its own pages carry mixed review dates, so confirm the current figure before you budget.
Where this came from
Read off Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) 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 builders.
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 QLD
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.