How do you check a builder’s or carpenter’s licence in SA?

Published 28 October 2026

Who needs a building work contractor’s licence in SA

Under the Building Work Contractors Act 1995, a building work contractor is a person who carries on the business of performing building work for others (s 3), and they must hold a licence (s 6(1)(a)). Building work means constructing, erecting, altering, repairing, improving, adding to or demolishing a building, and a building includes a wall, a structure and any part of one. The regulations add fencing (except post and wire). To “perform” building work includes causing it to be done, and organising or arranging it.

So a carpenter who hangs doors, fits skirting or builds a low deck for you needs a licence, the same as a business building a house. The licence doesn’t depend on the price of the job, and it doesn’t depend on approval: a deck that’s exempt from PlanSA approval is still licensed building work.

How to check a licence on the CBS register

• Get the licence number. SA building licence numbers start with BLD. sa.gov.au says the name and licence number should be on the business card, written quote, website or other advertising.
• Search the register by licence number, or by surname or trading name, on CBS’s occupational licence register.
• Match the name. A contractor must trade under the name on its licence, or a registered business name it has notified to CBS in writing beforehand (s 49). The business on your quote should be the one on the licence.
• Check the conditions. Ask what conditions the licence carries, and check they cover your job (below).

Licence conditions: carpentry, decks, fencing and doors

The Act has two classes: a building work contractor’s licence, and a licence with conditions that limit the work it covers (s 7(1)). CBS warns that contracting for building work that isn’t listed on a licence is a criminal offence. Its standard registration conditions set out these categories for the work on this site:

Carpentry, light steel framing and joinery

First-fix carpentry, including floor, wall and roof framing and timber verandahs, pergolas, carports and decks; second-fix work such as doors, locks, architraves and skirting; and joinery, including built-in furniture, staircases, windows and doors.

Carpentry limited to second fix

The second-fix work above, such as doors and door hardware, architraves, skirting, eaves and screens, plus installing and repairing timber flooring. It doesn’t include the first-fix scope.

Decks, and decks limited to 1 m

Decks, freestanding or attached at the ground-floor level of a building, including balustrades and external stairs. The limited class covers decks no more than 1 m above the adjoining ground.

Pergolas, verandahs and carports

Pergolas, freestanding gazebos, verandahs and carports in steel or timber.

Fencing

All forms of fencing and gates, including plinths, except post and wire fencing. Pool fencing is a separate category.

Window and door installation, and cabinet making

Windows and doors fitted into existing openings, without making an opening higher or wider. Cabinet making covers making or installing built-in furniture on site, such as kitchens, linen presses and laundry cupboards.

Work under every licence must also be supervised by a registered building work supervisor whose registration covers that kind of work (s 12).

Licence numbers on ads, quotes and websites

A licensed contractor’s advertisements must show the name on its licence, or a registered business name notified to CBS, and its licence number (s 50). Since 15 January 2026, CBS’s penalty table gives a maximum of $25,000 for leaving them out.

Carrying on business as a building work contractor without a licence, or advertising or holding yourself out as entitled to, is an offence under s 6(1): up to $550,000 or 6 months’ imprisonment for an individual since 15 January 2026, according to CBS’s penalty table. Holding yourself out as licensed when you’re not is a separate offence (s 47C). If the name or number on an ad doesn’t match the register, ask before going further.

Contracts from $20,000: deposit, cooling-off and insurance

Domestic building work under $20,000 is “minor domestic building work”. The figure rose from $12,000 on 10 November 2025, and it decides the paperwork, not whether a licence is needed. From $20,000, the Act and CBS require:

• a written contract setting out all its terms, the contractor’s licensed name and licence number, signed, with a copy and the prescribed notice (Form 1) given to you (s 28)
• the price and payment terms, with the words “This Price May Change” or “Estimate Only” where they apply (s 29)
• a deposit of no more than 5% of the contract price (CBS)
• a cooling-off period: you can end the contract by written notice, served personally or by certified mail, before the end of five clear business days after it’s made (s 36)
• building indemnity insurance, with the certificate given to you, where the work needs development approval (ss 33–34); the minimum cover for new policies has been $250,000 since 10 November 2025 (CBS)

Under $20,000 those contract rules don’t apply, but the contractor still needs a licence and the statutory warranties below still apply. Separate contracts for stages of the same job at one site count as a single contract for these rules (s 3(2)).

Statutory warranties and who does the work

Section 32 implies warranties into every domestic building work contract, whatever its size: that the work will be done in a proper manner to accepted trade standards and to the agreed plans and specifications, that the contractor’s materials will be good and proper, that the work will meet all statutory requirements and be done with reasonable diligence, and that it will be fit for any purpose you made known. Proceedings for a breach must start within five years after the work is finished, and that time can’t be extended (s 32(5)–(6)).

Quotes requested through this site come from licensed South Australian building work contractors. Their name and BLD number should be on the quote, so check them on the register like any other.

Questions about checking a builder’s licence