Tasmania’s owner-builder permit comes from CBOS (Consumer, Building and Occupational Services) — and unlike most states, the trigger isn’t a dollar figure. Tasmania classifies building work by risk category, and the moment your project is “notifiable” or “permit” work, owner-building it means a permit, a course, a White Card and a $5 million insurance policy. This guide covers the whole path.
Verify everything against CBOS before acting — fees index every July, and this guide is general information, not advice for your project.
When you need a permit: categories, not dollars
Tasmania’s Building Act 2016 sorts work into four categories, and the category — not the price — decides your obligations:
| Category | What it covers | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Low risk | Small structures, minor repairs | No permit, no building surveyor — NCC compliance still applies |
| 2 — Low risk (licensed) | Low-risk work reserved to licensed builders | Not owner-builder territory |
| 3 — Notifiable | Most residential work: new dwellings, extensions, decks, sheds | Certificate of Likely Compliance from a building surveyor |
| 4 — Permit work | Highest risk | Licensed designer drawings, CLC, and a council building permit |
An owner-builder permit is required to personally carry out notifiable or permit work on your own residence — and note the escalation: work that would merely be “notifiable” for a licensed builder gets permit-level oversight when an owner-builder does it. Permits cover residential classes only: your house (Class 1a), farm buildings (Class 8) and sheds/garages/carports (Class 10). No commercial buildings.
The course, the White Card, the two-in-ten rule
- Approved owner-builder course — mandatory for Class 1a applications (building or extending a residence), completed within the 12 months before applying. Tasmanian-approved courses only, delivered online. Not required for sheds and farm buildings.
- White Card — mandatory for every application, whatever the class.
- Two projects per 10 years — Tasmania caps you at two Class 1a owner-builder projects in any 10-year period (both may be new dwellings). There’s no waiting out a bad decision with a quick second permit.
- All owners apply — everyone on the title signs the application.
Applying: what it takes
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Application | CBOS form via any Service Tasmania shop, email or post |
| Course certificate | Approved TAS course, within 12 months (Class 1a) |
| White Card | Current construction induction card |
| Insurance | Public and construction liability of no less than $5 million |
| Fee | Class 1a roughly $380; Class 8/10 roughly $190 — check the current CBOS schedule |
During the build
The building surveyor is your central figure — issuing the Certificate of Likely Compliance, inspecting through the build, and standing between you and an occupancy problem at the end. Keep the building permit alive: if it expires before final inspection, you’re applying again. And Tasmania has no home warranty insurance scheme — there’s no statutory insurance layer behind your build, which makes your trade contracts, certificates and records the entire safety net.
Selling an owner-built home in Tasmania
No insurance-on-sale obligation, no special vendor warning form — but the Residential Building Work Contracts and Dispute Resolution Act hands your purchaser the full statutory warranties for 6 years from practical completion. The handover pack — inspections, certificates, photos, compliance documents — is what answers a claim in year five, and it can only be assembled during the build.
Common mistakes with the permit itself
- Doing the course too early — the 12-month currency window is tight; sequence it against a real project timeline, not enthusiasm.
- Burning both permits — two Class 1a projects per decade means the second permit is precious. Don’t spend it on a project the suitability quiz would have talked you out of.
- Treating Category 3 casually — “notifiable” sounds soft; the CLC, surveyor oversight and your permit obligations are not.
- Skipping deposit discipline because Tasmania feels informal — deposit and payment-schedule rules still reward the careful; run every ask through the deposit checker.