Plumbing and Drainage Licence ACT: Access Canberra Classes

What it is

In the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), plumbing and drainage are licensed construction occupations under the Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004 (ACT). Licences are issued by Access Canberra through the Construction Occupations Registrar. You must hold the right class of licence to carry out plumbing, drainage or gasfitting work in the ACT, and each class has its own scope and conditions.

The Act sits at the top of a single regulatory framework that covers builders, electricians, plumbers, drainers and gasfitters in the territory. That single framework is one of the things that makes the ACT different from most other Australian jurisdictions, where plumbing usually has its own dedicated Act.

Who has to be licensed

The Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004 makes it an offence to do plumbing, drainage or gasfitting work in the ACT without the right licence. That applies to:

• Individuals doing the work on the tools
• Businesses contracting to do that work for a customer
• Anyone signing off on the work or certifying it as compliant

Homeowners cannot lawfully do their own regulated plumbing or drainage work in the ACT, with very narrow exceptions like changing tap washers. The Act is administered by the Construction Occupations Registrar in Access Canberra.

Licence classes

Each construction occupation under the Act has multiple licence classes that set the scope of work. For plumbing and drainage in the ACT the main classes you will see on a residential job include the following.

Sanitary plumber

A Sanitary Plumber can perform sanitary plumbing work in the ACT without supervision. The class is not automatically authorised for backflow prevention testing. That work requires a separate endorsement or a holder of a class that includes it.

Water supply plumber

A Water Supply Plumber can perform water supply plumbing work without supervision in the ACT. The class includes some work on fire sprinkler networks for class 1 and class 2 buildings (residential buildings) where the pipework of the system is less than 25 mm in diameter. Work outside those limits needs the relevant fire-protection class.

Drainer

A Drainer is licensed to install and alter sanitary drainage systems and stormwater drainage, subject to the scope set in the licence regulations.

Gasfitter

Gas work in the ACT is carried out under a Gasfitter licence class issued under the same Act. A residential plumber installing a gas hot water unit needs to hold the gasfitting class, not just a plumbing class.

Provisional, unrestricted and contractor levels

Within each occupation the Act provides for several tiers. Common tiers include:

1. Provisional, which lets you work under supervision while you complete training
2. Unrestricted, which lets you work and sign off without supervision in your scope
3. Contractor, which lets you contract to do the work for a customer

A business contracting to do plumbing work for an ACT homeowner needs at least one nominee on the licence who holds the unrestricted licence in the relevant class.

Verifying a licence

Access Canberra publishes a public register of licensed construction practitioners. Builders engaging a plumber or drainer on a residential job in the ACT should look the practitioner up on that register before work starts. The register confirms the licence number, the class held, any conditions and the current status.

Practical takeaway for residential builders

For a residential project in the ACT, the builder should expect:

1. A licensed plumbing or drainage contractor (the business)
2. At least one nominee with the right unrestricted class
3. Tradespeople on the job working inside the scope of their own class
4. Gas work performed by a Gasfitter, not just a plumber

If you cannot tie a real Access Canberra licence to each role, the work is not lawful in the ACT.