Is Your Plumber a Licensed Plumber? How to Check in 30 Seconds, and Why It Matters in NSW
In New South Wales, plumbing, draining and gasfitting work can only be done by a licence holder. Checking is free, takes half a minute on your phone, and it is the one step that protects the work, the warranty and the insurance claim if something goes wrong.
Ours is 306457C, and it is printed on every page of this site, every quote and every invoice. A licensed plumber will give you theirs without being asked twice. An unlicensed one will change the subject.
What the Law Says in NSW
Plumbing is licensed work in NSW because a bad job can contaminate drinking water, flood a building or, with gas, injure someone. The rules are not advisory.
A Licence Is Required for the Work Itself
Under the Home Building Act 1989 (NSW), plumbing, draining and gasfitting are specialist work that only a licence or certificate holder may carry out, whatever the value of the job. There is no small-job exemption for a leaking tap or a toilet cistern (NSW Fair Trading).
The Classes Are Separate
Plumber, drainer and gasfitter are separate classes on the licence. A plumbing licence does not cover gas work; gasfitting needs its own class. Check that the class matches the job you are booking.
You Must Be Given a Certificate of Compliance
Under the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 (NSW), the licensed plumber must issue a certificate of compliance for plumbing and drainage work and give the owner a copy. Keep it: it is the document a buyer, an insurer or a strata manager will ask for (NSW Fair Trading).
Contracts and Insurance Have Thresholds
Residential work over $5,000 including GST needs a written contract, and work over $20,000 including GST needs home building compensation cover in place before work starts (NSW Fair Trading). A licensed plumber knows this; an unlicensed one cannot provide either.
How to Check a Plumber's Licence in NSW
The public register is run by NSW Fair Trading and searched through Service NSW. No account, no fee.
A company can hold a licence with a nominated supervisor, and the tradesperson on site may work under that licence as an employee. That is normal. What is not normal is a person who cannot name the licence they are working under.
- Ask for the licence number. It is usually on the van, the quote, the website footer and the invoice. Ours is 306457C.
- Go to the Service NSW licence check (search "check a licence Service NSW") and choose the trade licence search.
- Enter the licence number, or the trading name if you do not have the number yet.
- Read the result: the licence holder's name, the licence classes (plumber, drainer, gasfitter), the status and the expiry date.
- Match the name to the business you are dealing with, and the class to the work you want done. A gas job needs the gasfitter class on the licence.
- If the licence is expired, suspended or in a different name, stop. Ask why before any work starts.
What an Unlicensed Job Actually Costs
The cheap quote is not the saving it looks like. These are the bills that arrive later.
The Work Done Twice
Unlicensed work that fails inspection or fails in service has to be opened up and redone by a licensed plumber. You pay the second plumber in full; the first one is usually gone.
No Certificate, No Paper Trail
Without a certificate of compliance there is nothing to show a buyer, a strata committee or Sydney Water that the drainage or water work meets the standard. On a sale, that becomes a negotiation against you.
Insurance Exposure
Home insurance policies commonly require work to be carried out by a licensed tradesperson. A flood from a fitting installed by an unlicensed person can be a declined claim.
Safety
Cross-connections that let waste water back into drinking water, gas fittings that leak, hot water without a tempering valve delivering scalding water: each is a real outcome of unqualified work, and each is exactly what the licence training exists to prevent.
Beyond the Licence: The Questions Worth Asking
A licence is the floor, not the ceiling. These five questions separate a licensed plumber you would call again from one you would not.
| Question | A good answer |
|---|---|
| Is the price fixed before you start? | Yes: a written fixed price on site, agreed before work begins, with the call-out and any diagnosis included or stated |
| Are you insured? | Public liability cover, stated plainly; home building compensation cover for larger residential jobs |
| Will I get a certificate of compliance? | Yes, for plumbing and drainage work, as the Act requires |
| What is the guarantee on the work? | A stated workmanship guarantee in writing (ours is lifetime on workmanship) |
| Can I see recent reviews? | A public Google profile with recent, specific reviews, not a page of testimonials on the plumber's own site |
Red Flags
None of these proves a plumber is unlicensed. Two or more together and you should check before anyone touches a pipe.
- No licence number on the van, the quote or the website, and a vague answer when you ask for it.
- Cash only, no written quote, no invoice, or an invoice with no ABN.
- A price quoted sight unseen over the phone for work that needs a look first, such as a blocked sewer or a hot water fault.
- Pressure to start today because the price is only good today.
- Reluctance to put the guarantee in writing, or a guarantee with no company name behind it.
- Gas work offered by someone whose licence shows plumber and drainer only.
How Mr Splash Handles It
So you can check us the same way.
Licence 306457C
Held with NSW Fair Trading, searchable on the Service NSW licence check, printed on every page of this site and every document we send.
Fixed Price Before Work
We look first, then quote a fixed price you approve before anything starts. The price you accept is the price you pay.
Certificate of Compliance
Issued for plumbing and drainage work as the Plumbing and Drainage Act requires, and sent to you to keep.
Lifetime Guarantee on Workmanship
If our workmanship fails, we fix it. Family-owned in Sydney since 2010, fully insured.
Licensed Plumber Questions, Answered
How do I check if a plumber is licensed in NSW?
Ask for the licence number, then search it on the Service NSW licence check, which reads the NSW Fair Trading register. The result shows the holder's name, the licence classes, the status and the expiry. Match the name to the business and the class to the job before work starts.
Do I need a licensed plumber for small jobs like a tap or a toilet?
Yes. In NSW, plumbing and draining are specialist work under the Home Building Act 1989 and must be done by a licence holder regardless of the job value. There is no small-job exemption.
What is a certificate of compliance for plumbing?
A document the licensed plumber must issue under the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2011 (NSW) certifying that plumbing or drainage work complies with the standard, with a copy given to the owner. Keep it with your house records; buyers, insurers and strata managers ask for it.
Can a plumber do gas work in NSW?
Only if the licence carries the gasfitter class. Plumber, drainer and gasfitter are separate classes, and a plumber and drainer licence alone does not cover gas fitting. The Service NSW check lists the classes held.
What happens if unlicensed plumbing work is found in my home?
It usually has to be redone by a licensed plumber to obtain a certificate of compliance, at your cost. It can also affect an insurance claim for damage the work caused and becomes a point of negotiation when the property is sold.
Is a licensed plumber more expensive?
Not necessarily for the job itself, and almost always cheaper over the life of the work. The licence brings the training, the insurance, the compliance certificate and a business you can find again if something fails.
What is Mr Splash Plumbing's licence number?
306457C, issued by NSW Fair Trading and searchable on the Service NSW licence check. It appears on every page of this site, every quote and every invoice.
Related: Plumber Sydney · About Mr Splash · Plumber prices in Sydney · You or Sydney Water: who is responsible · Strata plumbing: who pays
