Going out on your own as a plumber in VIC
Checked against Building and Plumbing Commission (formerly the Victorian Building Authority) on 8 August 2026.
To take jobs in your own name
Licence, in each class of plumbing work
Victoria runs two levels for every class (water supply, sanitary, drainage, roofing stormwater and so on). The licence is the level that lets you sign off compliance certificates and work for yourself.
And underneath it, to do the work
Registration, in each class of plumbing work
Registration lets you do the work. It does not let you certify it or contract 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
- The qualifications for each class you want, then the step up from registration to licence for the classes you intend to certify.
- What it costs
- Published plumber fees for 2026-27, GST exempt: application fee $66.30 at any accreditation level, registration $416.30 for 3 years. Each class you add is charged.
Read this before you rely on it
- The VBA does not publish a processing time for plumbing registration or licence applications.
Where this came from
Read off Building and Plumbing Commission (formerly the Victorian Building Authority) 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 plumbers.
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 VIC
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.