Becoming a Registered Building Practitioner

You must register with the Building Practitioners Board if you work in domestic building in Victoria and either:

  • handle a contract worth more than $5000
  • reblock, restump, demolish or remove a home, regardless of the value of this work.

You do not have to register with the Building Practitioners Board for jobs that involve only one of the following:

  • plastering
  • tiling (wall and floor)
  • electrical work
  • glazing
  • installing floor coverings
  • insulating
  • painting
  • plumbing, gas-fitting and draining
  • attaching external fixtures (awnings, security screens, insect screens and balustrades)
  • erecting a chain wire fence around a tennis court
  • erecting a mast, pole, antenna, aerial or similar structure.

You must register if you are using a combination of skills (such as plastering and painting) to complete a job.

To register, you must have the required qualifications, knowledge and expertise, and carry domestic building insurance (formerly builders warranty insurance). The board registers individual builders, not businesses and companies.

Building practitioners include:

  • building surveyors
  • building inspectors (unlimited/limited)
  • quantity surveyors
  • engineers (civil/mechanical/electrical/fire safety)
  • draftspersons (building design - architectural, interior, services)
  • commercial builders (unlimited/limited)
  • domestic builders (unlimited/limited/manager)
  • demolishers (low-rise buildings/medium-rise buildings/unlimited)
  • erector or supervisor (temporary structures - Class 1 and 2).

Some categories in the building profession, such as electricians and plumbers, must register with other industry organisations.

View our Becoming a registered building practitioner checklist page.

Last updated: 07/04/2013

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