Owner-builder permits: the rules in each state

What is an owner-builder?

An owner-builder is a property owner who takes responsibility for building work on their own land instead of engaging a licensed builder to manage the whole job. You might do some of the work yourself and engage licensed trades, such as plumbers and electricians, for the rest.

The permit, certificate or licence is not a builder’s licence. It usually allows you to build or renovate one home on land you own, for your own use, and it does not let you do licensed specialist work or build for other people. If you build and sell homes for profit, you are likely to need a builder’s licence instead; our guide to starting a building business explains licensing in each state.

When do you need an owner-builder permit in each state?

Each state sets its own approval, regulator and threshold. Verified settings as at October 2026:

• New South Wales. An owner-builder permit is needed for residential building work over $10,000 that needs development consent (a development application or complying development certificate). Applications are processed by Building Commission NSW.
• Victoria. A certificate of consent from the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) is needed when the domestic building work costs more than $20,000. The threshold rose from $16,000 on 1 July 2026, and the cost includes the owner-builder’s own labour.
• Queensland. A QBCC owner-builder permit is needed for building work valued at more than $11,000, with a higher threshold for some farm buildings.
• Western Australia. Owner-builder approval from the Building Services Board is needed for work valued at $20,000 or more, or $50,000 for Class 10a buildings such as sheds, carports and garages.
• South Australia. There is no owner-builder permit or licence. You need development approval from the council or other relevant authority before building.
• Tasmania. Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) issues owner builder permits. There is no dollar threshold: under the Occupational Licensing (Building Services Work) Regulations 2016, a permit is needed for building work that is not excluded low-risk work.
• Australian Capital Territory. Owner-builders need an owner-builder licence under the Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004 for work that needs building approval.
• Northern Territory. The Building Practitioners Board issues an owner-builder certificate for prescribed residential building work valued over $25,000. The certificate lasts 3 years and can be renewed for another 3.

Thresholds are usually based on the market value of the work, including labour and materials, not just what you spend. Get the value right before you start, because building without a required permit can leave you unable to get a building permit, insurance or a clean sale later.

What training do owner-builders need?

Most states require proof that you understand the role before they issue the permit:

• NSW: every applicant needs a general construction induction card (white card). For work over $20,000, you also need five approved units of competency, or an equivalent licence.
• Victoria: you must pass the BPC’s free online owner-builder e-learning assessment.
• Queensland: most applicants must complete an approved owner-builder course, with exemptions for licensees and some professionals.
• Western Australia: you need to complete an approved owner-builder course or hold a listed registration.
• Tasmania: CBOS asks for a white card and, for building or extending a home, a recent approved owner-builder course.
• ACT: you need to have completed an owner-builder course within the previous 5 years, or hold a class A, B or C builder licence.
• Northern Territory: the Building Act 1993 requires completion of a course approved by the Minister.

A white card is a sensible minimum anywhere, because you will be on an active construction site.

How often can you be an owner-builder?

The permit is meant for people building their own home, not running a building business. Most states limit how often you can use it:

• NSW: one permit in any 5-year period, unless it is for the same land or special circumstances apply.
• Victoria: generally one owner-builder building permit every 5 years.
• Queensland: one permit every 6 years.
• Western Australia: you must not have held an owner-builder building permit in the previous 6 years, although a waiver is possible.
• Tasmania: no more than 2 buildings in 10 years.
• ACT: a licence will generally not be issued if you held one in the past 5 years for different land.

In South Australia, a person who sells or rents out two or more buildings they built or improved within 5 years can be presumed to be carrying on business as a building work contractor, which requires a licence.

What happens if you sell an owner-built home?

This is where owner-builders get caught out. The rules protect buyers, and they apply for years after completion:

• NSW: if you sell within 7 years and 6 months of the permit being issued, the contract of sale must include a consumer warning that the work was done under an owner-builder permit. Without it, the buyer may be able to cancel before settlement. Later owners still get the benefit of the statutory warranties.
• Victoria: if you sell within 6.5 or 7 years, depending on the circumstances, you need a defects report from a prescribed building practitioner before the contract is signed, and where the work exceeded the threshold, insurance cover. From 1 July 2026, that cover comes from the BPC’s new statutory scheme, and the vendor statement must include a notice of cover.
• Queensland: if you sell within 6 years of completion, the buyer must receive a prescribed notice with a set warning before signing. If it is not given, you are taken to give warranties about the work. A note stays on the title for 7 years.
• Western Australia: if you sell within 7 years of the permit, you need home indemnity insurance covering the buyer for the rest of that period.

What insurance does an owner-builder need?

Home warranty insurance works differently for owner-builders. In NSW, it is no longer available for an owner-builder’s own work, but each contractor you engage under a contract over $20,000 must provide it. Queensland owner-builders cannot get Queensland Home Warranty Scheme cover. In South Australia, owner-builders cannot buy building indemnity insurance, and contractors above the threshold must provide it. Our guide to home warranty insurance explains each state’s scheme.

Other cover to consider includes:

• Public liability. Tasmanian owner builder permits require public and products liability cover of at least $5 million. Elsewhere it is not always required, but it protects you if a visitor or neighbour is hurt or their property is damaged.
• Contract works or construction cover. Protects the partly built home against fire, storm, theft and vandalism. Check whether your home insurer covers a home under construction, as you may need a specific policy.
• Workers compensation. If you employ workers directly, you may need workers compensation under your state’s scheme.

Our guide to construction insurance explains how these covers work.

What are an owner-builder's WHS duties?

Once you engage trades, your site is a workplace. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland says that duties for an owner-builder managing contractors will generally be limited to those of a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) with management or control of the workplace, plus the duty to consult with other duty holders. A home owner doing their own DIY work without a permit is generally not a PCBU.

In states using the model WHS laws, the Construction Work Code of Practice treats a person building their own home under an owner-builder permit as a PCBU who takes on the responsibility that would normally fall on the principal contractor. In practice that means:

• Managing site risks, such as falls, excavations, electricity and site security.
• Engaging licensed and competent trades, and checking their licences and insurance.
• Making sure safe work method statements are in place for high risk construction work.
• Providing facilities and first aid, and keeping the public out of the site.
• Consulting and coordinating with each trade about shared risks.

Victoria has its own Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, and WorkSafe Victoria treats an owner-builder as having duties on site too. Our guide to principal contractor WHS duties explains what the principal contractor role involves.

Checklist: before you become an owner-builder

• Value the work properly, including labour, materials and GST, and check your state’s threshold.
• Complete the required training and get your white card.
• Get the permit, certificate or licence before you apply for the building permit or start work.
• Check the frequency rule if you have owner-built before.
• Engage only licensed trades for licensed work, and get written contracts and certificates of insurance.
• Arrange insurance for the build, including public liability and contract works cover.
• Set up site safety: fencing, fall protection, amenities, first aid and safe work method statements.
• Keep every record: approvals, inspections, certificates, contracts, invoices and photos.
• Plan for sale, including any warning, defects report or insurance your state requires.

Frequently asked questions