How to check a builder or tradie licence in Tasmania

CBOS is gone: who handles what now

On 1 October 2026, Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) was split in two. Consumer Affairs Tasmania now runs occupational licensing for builders, plumbers, electricians and gas fitters, along with electrical and gas safety. Building Standards Tasmania looks after building and plumbing standards and residential building disputes. Both answer the old CBOS line, 1300 654 499.

The licence register itself hasn’t moved, and its search page still carries the CBOS name, so don’t let that throw you. A few trades sit outside it: refrigerant handling is licensed nationally through ARCtick, pest controllers are licensed by NRE Tas, and asbestos has to be carted by an EPA-registered controlled waste transporter.

How to run the check, step by step

1. Get the details. Ask for the full name, the business name, the ABN and the licence number. Tradies licensed in Tasmania as individuals get a photo licence card, so ask to see that too.
2. Pick the right area. On the occupational licensing search, builders sit under Building Services Provider. Electricians, plumbers and gas fitters sit under Electrical, Plumbing, Gas Fitting and Automotive Gas Fitting.
3. Search. For a builder, choose whether you’re checking a person or a company, then search by licence number, surname or business name. Adding a suburb or postcode helps with common surnames.
4. Check both licences. Plumbing and electrical businesses need a contractor licence, and the person who turns up needs their own practitioner licence. You want to see both.

What the result tells you

The register only lists current licence holders. If a name doesn’t appear, treat the licence as not current until you see proof otherwise.

For builders, read the class. Builder, General Construction, Domestic covers houses, townhouses, garages and sheds, while Low Rise, Medium Rise and Open take on progressively bigger work. A Demolisher can’t do new building work. Licences can carry conditions too, such as a Domestic licence limited to houses and outbuildings, which rules out a block of units.

Interstate tradies working under automatic mutual recognition appear with their home state licence number and a status: Notified but not Validated, Validated or Invalid. Invalid means they can’t work in Tasmania.

Red flags worth pausing on

• No match on the register, or a licence number on the quote that brings up somebody else.
• The name or ABN on the quote doesn’t match the licence holder. Run the ABN through ABN Lookup.
• The wrong class for the job, like a demolisher quoting a new deck, or a restricted electrical licence being used to run new circuits.
• A mainland builder with no Tasmanian licence. Builders aren’t covered by automatic mutual recognition here.
• On a building contract of $20,000 or more: no written contract, no licence number in it, a deposit above 5% (20% is only allowed when more than half the work is built off-site), or pressure to waive the five-business-day cooling-off period.

When you need a licensed tradie in Tasmania

Tasmania doesn’t use a dollar threshold for licences. It sorts work by risk instead. Owners and competent people can handle low-risk jobs such as general maintenance and repairs, fences, low decks and small sheds up to 18 square metres. Larger low-risk structures, notifiable work (most new houses, extensions, bigger decks and swimming pools) and anything that needs a building permit must be done by a licensed builder. Electrical work always needs a licensed electrician, and plumbing needs a licensed plumber for everything except very minor jobs.

The $20,000 mark matters for contracts. From that figure up, residential building work needs a written, signed contract that lists the statutory warranties, the deposit is capped as above, and the builder should hand you the Residential Building Consumer Guide before you sign. Our guide to tradie licences explains how other states compare.

No compulsory home warranty insurance yet

Tasmania has had no compulsory home warranty insurance since 2008. A new scheme was passed by Parliament in 2023, but it still hadn’t started when we checked in October 2026. Until it does, your protection is a licensed builder, a proper written contract, a small deposit, progress payments that match work actually done on site, and the statutory warranties.

Reporting unlicensed or dodgy work

Raise the problem with the tradie in writing first. If that goes nowhere, call 1300 654 499. Building Standards Tasmania takes complaints about building and plumbing work and licensed builders, and can mediate residential building disputes, which can be lodged up to six years after practical completion. Consumer Affairs Tasmania handles licensing itself and electrical and gas safety.

Rather not do the checking yourself? Get a free quote and we’ll match you with one local tradie whose licence, insurance, ABN and reviews we’ve already checked.