We put our licence number on this website, our invoices and our quotes because we want you to check it. The register exists precisely so homeowners can verify who is working on their house, and the two minute search filters out the operators who cause most of the horror stories. Here is exactly how to do it, and what you are looking at when the result loads.
Which licence covers which work in Queensland
| Work being done | Licence required | Where to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Taps, toilets, hot water, water and drainage | QBCC plumbing and drainage licence | QBCC free online licence search |
| Sewer and stormwater drainage | QBCC licence with drainage authorisation | QBCC free online licence search |
| Gas cooktops, gas hot water, gas lines | Gas work licence (separate from QBCC) | Ask to sight the gas work licence card |
| Waterproofing in bathroom renovations | QBCC waterproofing licence | QBCC free online licence search |
| Builder-scope renovation work | QBCC builder licence class | QBCC free online licence search |
| Backflow prevention testing | Endorsed licensee | QBCC search plus ask for the endorsement |
How do I search the QBCC register?
Go to the QBCC website and open the free online licence search, no login needed. Enter the licence number from the quote, or the business or individual name, and the register returns the licence holder, their licence classes, and the licence status. You are checking three things. First, the licence exists and is current, not expired, suspended or cancelled. Second, the name matches the person or entity actually quoting you, not a mate whose number is being borrowed. Third, the licence class covers the work you are hiring for. Searching us takes seconds: Hills Plumbing & Gas, QBCC licence 15243081. If any plumber hesitates when you ask for their number, or the search result does not match their story, stop there. Licensed operators volunteer this information because it costs them nothing and wins the job.
What licence is needed for gas work?
This is the detail most homeowners miss: gas is licensed separately from plumbing in Queensland. A QBCC plumbing licence does not authorise anyone to touch gas. Gas work, connecting a cooktop, running a gas line, servicing a gas appliance, capping a supply, requires a gas work licence issued under Queensland's petroleum and gas safety laws, and the person on the tools should be able to show you their gas work licence card on request. So the full check for a combined job, say a gas hot water replacement, is two steps: QBCC search for the plumbing side, and sight the gas work licence for the gas side. Any gas appliance work should also end with a compliance certificate in your hand. A tradesperson who bristles at either request is telling you something useful.
Why does checking actually matter?
Because the licence is what stands behind the work. Licensed plumbing work in Queensland sits inside the QBCC framework, which brings defect accountability and, for the work it covers, statutory protections that unlicensed work forfeits. Unlicensed work can void home insurance claims, creates real problems at sale time when certificates cannot be produced, and with gas it is genuinely dangerous. The pattern we see on the Gold Coast is blunt: the jobs we get called to fix, weeping DIY connections, botched drainage falls, uncertified gas swaps, are overwhelmingly the ones where nobody ever asked for a number. The two minute search is the cheapest quality control you will ever run.
What else should I check besides the licence?
Insurance, in writing: ask for evidence of current public liability cover. A physical address and a phone number that gets answered, 0472 657 042 in our case. Reviews with detail rather than volume, and how the business responds to imperfect ones. And fixed pricing in writing before work starts, because a licence proves someone may do the work, while the quote proves how they do business. We hold QBCC licence 15243081, we carry insurance, and every job gets a fixed price up front. Check us first, then call.
Want a Gold Coast plumber you can verify in two minutes? Search QBCC licence 15243081, then call Hills Plumbing & Gas on 0472 657 042 or book through /services/gas-fitting/ for licensed plumbing and certified gas work at fixed prices.
Sources: QBCC free online licence search; Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 (Qld); Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 (Qld) gas work licensing; QBCC consumer guidance.