This question comes up regularly when homeowners are sorting out who to call for what. The short version: plumbing and gas-fitting are separate licensed trades in Queensland, with separate training, separate qualifications and separate certifications. Many tradespeople hold both, but not all do.
The QBCC plumbing licence
The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) plumbing licence covers all water and drainage work, hot and cold water supply, drainage, sewer connections, stormwater, backflow prevention, water treatment, fixtures and tapware. Without this licence, a tradesperson cannot legally do any of that work for hire in Queensland.
The licence requires completion of a Certificate III in Plumbing (typically 4 years apprenticeship plus formal study) plus ongoing continuing professional development. There are different classes (general plumbing, drainage, fire protection, irrigation) that cover specific specialisations.
The Queensland gas work authorisation
Gas work is regulated separately under the Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act, not under QBCC. The gas work authorisation is held by individuals (not businesses) and covers installation, modification, repair and disconnection of gas appliances and gas pipework. Both natural gas and LPG fall under the same authorisation.
The authorisation requires completion of a Certificate III in Gas Fitting (sometimes done as a post-trade qualification on top of plumbing, sometimes as a standalone trade) plus successful application to the Petroleum and Gas Inspectorate.
Who can do what
- Licensed plumber, no gas authorisation: can do all water and drainage work, cannot touch any gas appliance or line.
- Licensed gas fitter, no plumbing licence: can do all gas work, cannot do water supply or drainage.
- Both licences: can do the full residential and commercial scope, plumbing plus gas. This is what most established Gold Coast trades hold.
Why this matters when you engage someone
If you are calling out a plumber for a job that involves gas (gas hot water unit, gas cooktop, gas leak, pool heater connection), confirm before they arrive that they hold the gas authorisation. Some plumbing-only operators will arrive and either refuse to do the gas work (which is the legal answer) or do it anyway without a compliance certificate (which is illegal and creates liability for you).
Reputable trades list both licence numbers on their website, vehicle and quote documents. The QBCC public register lets you verify a plumbing licence by number or name. The Petroleum and Gas Inspectorate verifies gas authorisations.
What we hold
Hills Plumbing & Gas holds both. Current QBCC plumbing licence covering the full residential and commercial scope, plus current Queensland gas work authorisation. Every gas job we do leaves a compliance certificate as required.
The compliance paperwork differs by trade
- Plumbing work: QBCC Form 4 plumbing compliance certificate for notifiable work (new builds, major renovations, drainage changes, backflow installs).
- Gas work: gas compliance certificate from the licensed gas fitter for every gas job, no matter how small. Lodged with the Petroleum and Gas Inspectorate.
Both certificates are your legal proof that the work was done by a licensed trade to code. You need them for insurance claims, sale of the house, and any future related work.
What about drainage specialists, hot water specialists, BBQ installers?
Drainage specialists are typically licensed plumbers with a drainage class on the QBCC licence. Hot water specialists are usually licensed plumbers (and gas fitters if installing gas hot water). BBQ installers from retail stores sometimes do not hold gas authorisation, even if the retailer markets the service, ask before scheduling. Connecting a gas BBQ to a permanent gas point is gas work and requires authorisation plus a compliance certificate.
Who you call for what
- Burst pipe, blocked drain, leaking tap, water-only emergency: licensed plumber.
- Smell of gas, gas appliance not working, gas leak suspected: licensed gas fitter, 24/7 emergency.
- Hot water unit dead: either, but gas-fired units need someone with gas authorisation.
- Bathroom renovation: licensed plumber (gas only if gas appliances change).
- Kitchen renovation with gas cooktop: licensed plumber AND licensed gas fitter (or one trade with both).
- New home build: licensed plumber, plus separate gas fitter if gas is in scope, plus electrician, plus other trades.
What unlicensed work looks like
Common unlicensed scenarios on the Gold Coast that we see and have to re-do:
- Kitchen installer connecting a gas cooktop during install (illegal unless they hold the gas authorisation)
- Hardware-store-bought hot water unit installed by a handyman
- BBQ connected to a permanent gas point by an outdoor kitchen builder
- DIY irrigation tap installs onto the household water supply without backflow prevention
All of the above are illegal in Queensland and create legal liability for the homeowner. They also void home insurance for any related incident. If you have inherited any of this from previous owners, we can inspect, remediate as needed and issue proper compliance certification.
The dual-trade pathway, how someone becomes both
Most established Gold Coast residential trades hold both plumbing and gas-fitting qualifications because the apprenticeship pathway is designed to deliver both, but the structure is worth understanding so you know what your tradesperson actually went through to get there. The standard pathway is a 4-year plumbing apprenticeship under a host employer, completing a Certificate III in Plumbing with units covering water supply, drainage, sanitary, roofing and stormwater. The QBCC plumbing licence application requires completion of this Certificate III plus documented logged hours and supervisor sign-off. Gas-fitting can be done as a post-trade qualification, typically a Certificate III in Gas Fitting taken over 12 to 18 months after completing plumbing, covering Type A appliances (residential), Type B appliances (commercial), gas pipework, and regulators. The gas authorisation issued by the Petroleum and Gas Inspectorate is a separate ticket from the QBCC licence and requires its own renewal cycle. Some apprentices do a combined plumbing and gas-fitting program from day one, slightly compressed timeline. Either way, the dual-trade plumber-gas-fitter you engage on the Gold Coast has typically completed 5 to 6 years of formal training plus ongoing CPD. There is also a small population of gas-fitting-only tradespeople (no plumbing licence), most commonly former gas industry workers who moved into residential work, they can install and service gas appliances but cannot do water supply or drainage. Rare on the Gold Coast residential market, more common in commercial gas. When you ask any quoting tradesperson to confirm both licences and they hesitate, you have learned something important.
Why the two trades feel like one but are not
From the customer perspective, plumbing and gas-fitting feel like the same trade because they touch the same fixtures and the same operator usually does both. A hot water unit install involves water supply (plumbing) and gas appliance connection (gas-fitting) and is done in a single visit by one person with both licences. A gas cooktop install involves removing the old fixture (plumbing skill), connecting the gas line (gas-fitting), and connecting any water-fed accessories like steam ovens (plumbing). The trades blur in practical execution. But from a regulatory perspective the two are deliberately separate because the risk profiles are very different. Water leaks cause property damage, gas leaks cause explosions and asphyxiation. The compliance framework reflects this asymmetry. Every gas job requires a gas compliance certificate, even a simple appliance changeover that takes 30 minutes. Many plumbing jobs do not require compliance certificates (anything that is not notifiable plumbing work under the Plumbing and Drainage Act). The penalties for unlicensed gas work are higher than for unlicensed plumbing work, individual fines can reach $25,000 for serious breaches and prosecution can include prison terms for incidents involving injury. Insurance companies routinely deny claims involving unlicensed or uncertified gas work, regardless of whether the gas work itself caused the loss. Treat the two trades as separate for verification purposes even when one person is doing both, and never accept gas work without a written compliance certificate at completion.
What an emergency call looks like for each trade
Emergency response differs by trade, and knowing the difference helps you call the right number at 2am. Plumbing emergencies (burst pipe, blocked sewer with sewage backing up, leaking hot water unit flooding the house, blocked drain causing toilet overflow) generally do not require evacuation, the response sequence is to shut off water at the meter (or at the HWU isolation valve for hot water leaks), contain the water damage with towels and buckets, and call the after-hours plumbing line. We will attend within 1 to 4 hours for genuine emergencies on the Gold Coast and the cost is typically $280 to $580 callout plus repair. Gas emergencies (gas smell inside the dwelling, suspected gas leak, gas appliance malfunction with unusual flame behaviour, carbon monoxide alarm activation) are higher risk and the response sequence is different. Get everyone out of the dwelling immediately, do not switch any electrical switches on or off (sparks can ignite gas accumulations), shut off the gas at the meter or bottle cage if safely accessible from outside, do not re-enter until the gas fitter has cleared the property. Call us on the after-hours line from outside the dwelling. Call 000 if anyone has been overcome by gas or if the smell is overwhelming. Gas emergency response involves leak detection, isolation of the affected appliance or pipework, ventilation of any accumulated gas, leak repair, recertification, and only then return to service. Gas emergencies typically cost $400 to $900 for the initial response plus whatever repair is needed. The seriousness of gas emergency response is why gas authorisation is regulated more tightly than plumbing licensing, the consequences of getting it wrong are catastrophic.
Spotting unlicensed work after you have moved in
The hardest situation is discovering after moving into a property that previous work was done by someone unlicensed and you have inherited the liability. Common patterns we see on Gold Coast pre-purchase inspections and post-purchase service calls. A kitchen company has installed a gas cooktop and connected it themselves, no compliance certificate, often the gas connection is a flexi hose run through cabinetry in violation of AS5601 separation requirements. A previous owner has installed a gas BBQ on a permanent bayonet point themselves, no compliance certificate, the bayonet may not be the correct type. A solar hot water unit has been moved to a new roof location during a re-roof, the plumbing and gas connections redone by the roofer, no compliance paperwork. A handyman has replaced a gas water heater on a like-for-like basis without holding the gas authorisation, fine until the unit develops a leak and the insurance company asks for the original compliance certificate during a claim. The remediation pathway when you discover any of this, engage a licensed gas fitter to inspect the installation, identify any non-compliance, remediate as needed, and issue a current compliance certificate that documents the work. Cost is typically $400 to $1,500 for a simple recertification, more if significant rework is needed. The certificate then sits in your house records to support insurance claims and future property sale. Worth doing proactively if you suspect or discover unlicensed historical work, much better than discovering the problem during an insurance claim when cover gets denied. We do these recertifications regularly and the process is straightforward when the underlying work is recoverable, occasionally we find work that has to be ripped out and redone because it is unsafe.