When landscaping needs a QBCC licence
In Queensland, individuals and companies need a QBCC licence to contract for building work valued over $3,300, and for some kinds of work at any value. For landscaping, the QBCC has a licence class of its own, structural landscaping, whose scope names decking, fences, pergolas, “retaining walls of a height that do not require an engineering certification under a local law”, and paving “not intended to carry vehicular traffic”.
General information, not legal advice. The QBCC’s own pages, listed at the foot of this page, are the place to check the rules for your job.
The threshold
The QBCC’s $3,300 line
The QBCC’s rule for who must hold a licence reads:
“In Queensland, individuals (sole traders, partners, trustees), and companies must hold a QBCC licence to carry out (contract for) building work that is:”
- “valued over $3,300”
- “valued over $1,100 where it involves Hydraulic Services Design”
- “of any value where it involves: drainage” , “plumbing and drainage” , “gas fitting” , “fire protection” , “completed residential building inspection” , “building design – low rise, medium rise and open” , “site classification” , “mechanical services.”
A selection: the QBCC’s list names one more kind of work at any value. The full list is on the QBCC’s page.
The QBCC’s page still gave these figures when this guide was checked on 9 October 2026; the page itself shows it was last reviewed on 11 August 2021.
- Over $3,300
Building work over this value needs a QBCC licence for an individual or company contracting to do it.
- Up to $3,300
A handyman needs no QBCC licence, as long as the work “isn’t electrical or plumbing work and doesn’t require an occupational licence”.
- Up to $11,000
An owner working on their own property needs no QBCC licence for work valued at no more than this.
Exemptions
When the QBCC says no licence is needed
The QBCC lists the people who can do building work without a QBCC licence. Here is its list in its own words, less one line naming a specialist removal trade that falls outside garden work; the full list is on the QBCC’s page, linked at the foot of this one.
“You do not need a QBCC licence when carrying out building work as:”
- “a trust cannot obtain a QBCC licence. The individual or company who is the trustee of the trust undertaking the building work must apply for a QBCC licence.”
- “an unlicensed person working in partnership with a licensee where the licensed partner holds the correct QBCC licence for the work being performed. However, as an unlicensed partner, you cannot offer to tender or enter into a contract to carry out building work and you must meet QBCC’s fitness and propriety requirements.”
- “an owner carrying out work on your own property where the work is valued at no more than $11,000 or as an Owner-builder carrying out building work under a permit”
- “a demolition worker – contact Workplace Health & Safety”
- “an insulation installer – the installation of home insulation in Queensland does not require a licence”
- “an electrician carrying out electrical work (an electrician cannot carry out building work without a QBCC licence) – contact the Electrical Safety Office in Workplace Health & Safety”
- “a handyman – as long as the value is no more than $3,300, isn’t electrical or plumbing work and doesn’t require an occupational licence”
- “an architect - carrying out building design work or building inspections on all types of buildings - contact Board of Architects Queensland”
The QBCC adds that there are other circumstances where a licence may not be needed. It calls its subcontractor guidance a general guide only, and points to “53 exemptions listed in Schedule 1 of the QBCC Regulation that exempt work from being defined as building work”. Further exemptions sit in Schedule 1A of the QBCC Act, and one of them matters to gardens: the QBCC says they include “design work by landscape gardeners”.
The licence class
What the structural landscaping class covers
The QBCC sets out the scope of its structural landscaping (trade) licence. It includes:
- “Prepare, fabricate and erect carports, decking, fences, gazebos, pergolas, retaining walls of a height that do not require an engineering certification under a local law, and ornamental structures.”
- “Install prefabricated sheds, including associated concrete slabs, with a floor area of not more than 10m².”
- “Install surface and subsoil drainage systems for landscaping work.”
- “Prepare site and lay paving or concrete, not intended to carry vehicular traffic, for landscaping.”
- Building, maintaining and repairing tennis and other sporting courts, with examples the QBCC gives in full on its page.
- “Incidental work of another class.”
Incidental work has limits. In the QBCC’s words, “To be allowed to perform incidental work that is outside the scope of your class, you must:”
- “be permitted to do so in the scope of work for your licence class”
- “only perform work that is valued at less than $3,300”
- “not perform occupational work such as plumbing, drainage, pest control, or fire protection work (unless you hold the appropriate occupational licence).”
A bigger job can need more than one licence class to cover its scope.
What it takes to hold the class
To hold the licence, an applicant shows the QBCC the technical skills for the class’s scope of work, completes an approved managerial qualification, and meets minimum financial requirements, shown by a report or declaration with the application.
Quotes
Reading a quote with the licence in mind
The QBCC’s page for home owners puts the risk this way: “With the popularity of do-it-yourself DIY shows and social media, home renovations can seem quick and easy, but many building and trade jobs require a QBCC licence.”
For a garden, that means reading a quote against two things on this page: the value of the work against the $3,300 line, and the work itself against the class that covers it. A retaining wall, a fence or a small shed also has its own conditions in the Building Regulation 2021; a pool fence answers to the pool safety laws; and in Brisbane, work on protected vegetation needs Brisbane City Council’s permission unless an exemption applies.