In Queensland, owner-builder permits are issued by the QBCC (Queensland Building and Construction Commission) — the same regulator that licenses builders, which tells you how the state thinks about it: you’re stepping into a builder’s shoes, and the permit is the paperwork that makes that legal. This guide covers when you need one, the course requirement, the trades you’re not allowed to do yourself, and the sale rules that follow the house for years.
Verify everything against the QBCC before acting — thresholds, fees and rules change, and this guide is general information, not advice for your project.
When you need a permit
You need a QBCC owner-builder permit when:
- the building work is valued at over $11,000 (labour and materials, at market value — not what your mates charge you), and
- it’s on land you own (or are buying), registered in your name, and
- you intend to live in the completed home — the scheme is for owner-occupiers, not spec building.
The $11,000 threshold is lower than most people expect and catches serious renovations, sheds and secondary work — not just full houses. Under the threshold, no permit is needed, but the licensing rules for the trades you engage still apply in full.
The course requirement
Before applying you must complete an approved owner-builder course (or pass the QBCC’s assessment path if you hold relevant qualifications). It’s delivered online, covers your legal obligations, contracts, licensing rules and site safety, and most people finish it across a few evenings. Keep the certificate — it goes in with your application.
If you hold a current QBCC contractor licence of a relevant class, you may be exempt — check your specific class with the QBCC rather than assuming.
Applying to the QBCC
The application asks for:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Proof of ownership | Title search or registration confirmation in your name |
| Course certificate | The approved owner-builder course completion |
| Project description | The work, its value, and the property address |
| Identity documents | Standard checks |
| Fee | Check the current QBCC fee schedule — it updates annually |
The permit attaches to you and the specific land. It can’t be transferred, and each new project needs its own permit.
What you cannot do yourself — QLD is strict
Queensland draws harder lines than most states on work an owner-builder can perform personally. Regardless of your permit, you must engage licensed contractors for:
- Plumbing and drainage — licensed plumber, always
- Electrical work — licensed electrician, always
- Gas fitting — licensed gas fitter, always
- Termite management systems — licensed installer
- Fire protection work — licensed contractor
Your permit covers coordinating the project and doing the genuinely unregulated work yourself. Check any trade’s licence on the free QBCC online register before engagement — an unlicensed contractor on your site becomes your problem, legally and financially.
Deposits and payments to your trades
QBCC rules cap what contractors can ask up-front on domestic building work: 10% for contracts under $20,000, 5% at $20,000 and over (up to 20% where more than half the contract value is off-site work, like kitchen fabrication). Run any ask through the deposit checker — an over-cap request is both unlawful and the classic marker of a contractor funding the last job with your money.
Selling an owner-built home: the 6-year tail
This is the part most QLD owner-builders discover too late:
- Sell within 6 years of completion and the contract of sale must carry a prescribed notice to the buyer stating the work was owner-built and is not covered by the QBCC Home Warranty Scheme.
- That’s the second half of the equation: owner-builder work has no Home Warranty Scheme cover — the insurance a licensed builder’s client would automatically have. Buyers (and their solicitors, and sometimes their lenders) price this in.
- Miss the notice requirement and the buyer may gain rights against you — get the contract wording right with your conveyancer.
Your defence file is your build record: certificates, inspection records, photos, licensed-trade invoices. Assemble the pack at handover while everything is findable.
The certificate trail
Your building certifier’s mandatory inspections anchor the build — footings/slab, frame, and final at minimum, more depending on the work. Nothing gets covered up before its inspection is done and recorded. Alongside those, collect every compliance certificate as trades finish: Form 15/16 design and inspection certificates, plumbing compliance, electrical safety certificates, termite system, glazing, waterproofing. That pile of paper is your handover pack, your sale-disclosure evidence and your dispute defence, all in one.
Common QLD-specific mistakes
- Assuming southern-state rules — QLD’s licensed-work list is stricter than NSW’s; the “I’ll do the plumbing rough-in myself” plan is illegal here.
- Under-valuing the work to dodge the permit or the course — it surfaces at certification and sale, with penalties.
- Forgetting the 6-year permit spacing — if a second project is remotely likely (a shed, a granny flat), sequence your permits deliberately.
- Discovering the Home Warranty gap at sale time — price the disclosure reality in before you decide to owner-build, not when the buyer’s solicitor does.