ABE Education
Pty Ltd


Nov 9 • Dominic Ogburn

Owner builder permit QLD: how to apply, what it costs and how long it takes

You need a QBCC owner builder permit to do or supervise residential building work in Queensland valued at more than $11,000, including GST. To get one, complete an owner builder course or get an exemption, gather your title search and ID, then apply online and pay the $493.59 fee. Allow about 30 working days.
Reviewed by Warwick Smith, compliance and currency reviewer, on 9 November 2026.
Last verified against QBCC pages: 9 November 2026

Do you need an owner builder permit in Queensland?

You need a permit if you want to do or supervise a building project valued at more than $11,000, including GST, on your own land. The same applies to company-owned land if you are a director, and to leased land if the owner gives written permission. The permit makes you the head contractor for your project.
How to work out the value. Add up all materials and labour at trade prices, including GST. Price the labour at what a QBCC-licensed contractor would charge, even if friends do it for free, and price materials at retail even if they were free or second-hand.
Farm buildings. You can build or alter a genuine farm building up to $27,500 without a permit. Over $27,500, you need a licensed contractor.
If your costs rise during the build, tell the QBCC by applying to amend your permit.
Source: QBCC: Apply for an owner-builder permit   • QBCC: About owner-building    • Last verified 9 Nov 2026.

Who can apply for an owner builder permit, and who can't?

You can apply if you own the property, direct the company that owns it, or lease it with the owner's written permission. Every owner, director or lessee on the title search signs the application, and the person who did the course is named first as the Nominated Permit Holder.
You can't apply if you, or anyone applying with you:
  • has been served a QBCC notice for Tier 1 defective work
  • hasn't paid a fine from a QBCC infringement notice
  • had an owner builder permit cancelled by the QBCC in the last 3 years
  • already holds a permit issued in the last 6 years
In most cases the QBCC issues one owner builder permit every 6 years. It can approve another within 6 years in exceptional circumstances, such as a serious medical condition or severe financial hardship.

Source: AQBCC: About owner-building   • QBCC: Apply for an owner-builder permit  • Last verified 9 Nov 2026.

How do you get an owner builder permit in QLD?

Get your course or exemption first, then apply. The QBCC's process has eight steps:

Check you need a permit

Your project is valued at more than $11,000, including GST.

Check you're eligible

You're on the title, a director of the owning company, or a lessee with the owner's permission.

Estimate the value

Materials and labour at trade prices, including GST.

Complete the course, or get an exemption

One applicant completes an owner builder course before applying; the certificate must be no more than 5 years old. An exemption has to be approved before you apply.

Gather your documents

A title search no more than 30 days old from Titles Queensland, your course certificate (or exemption letter, or your QBCC licence number) and ID: a driver's licence, proof of age card or passport.

Describe the work

List everything, including carports, pools and pergolas. For a new home, give the bedrooms, bathrooms, storeys and main material. If you've started, say what's done.

Everyone on the title declares the application

Companies add all directors and a company extract. Lessees add the lease and the owner's letter describing the work.

Apply and pay

 Apply online and pay in the same step, or send the PDF form by email or post, or hand it in.
Source: QBCC: Apply for an owner-builder permit   • QBCC: Owner builder permit application form  Last verified 9 Nov 2026.

How much does an owner builder permit cost in QLD?

The QBCC owner builder permit application fee is $493.59 for 2026-27. It doesn't include your course. With ABE Education's QLD owner builder course at $179, the total to be ready to apply is $672.59. Course providers set their own prices; the QBCC fee is the same for everyone.

Item

Paid To

Cost

Owner builder permit application
QBCC
$493.59
QLD owner builder course
ABE Education
$179.00
Total
$672.59
You may also need an asbestos awareness training course (see below), and you'll pay for your title search, plans, approvals and insurance separately.
What the $179 course fee includes. The full course online, the assessment and your Certificate of Completion, emailed as a PDF when you finish. Pay in full or in 4 instalments with Afterpay. If you haven't started the course, you can get a refund less a $50 admin fee: see our cancellation and refund policy.
Questions before you enrol? Call 02 9798 5000 or email info@abeeducation.edu.au
Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.
Source: QBCC: owner builder permit application form  • Last verified 8 Nov 2026.

How long does it take to get an owner builder permit?

The QBCC usually processes an owner builder permit application within 30 working days on average. It can take longer if your application is complex, if the QBCC needs more information from you, or when many applications come in. The QBCC tells you by email when your permit is approved.
Don't start before it arrives. You can't begin any work on site, including excavation, until you hold the permit. Your certifier can't sign off your plans until they have seen it.
Source: QBCC: Apply for an owner-builder permit   •  QBCC: Responsibilities of an owner-builder  • Last verified 9 Nov 2026.

Do you need an owner builder course, and can you be exempt?

Unless you're exempt, one applicant must complete an owner builder course before applying, and the certificate must be no more than 5 years old. On jointly owned land only one person does the course: the Nominated Permit Holder. Current QBCC licence holders are exempt automatically and just add their licence number to the form.
You can also apply to the QBCC for an exemption if you:
  • hold a qualification that meets the minimum technical qualification for any QBCC licence
  • hold a current interstate builder or trade contractor's licence
  • are a civil engineer, architect, building surveyor, assistant building surveyor, building technician, quantity surveyor or electrician (not a restricted licence), or hold a qualification for one of those professions
The QBCC can't give an exemption for building experience alone. You must apply for the exemption, and get the answer, before you apply for your permit.
Source: QBCC: Required courses for owner-builders  • Last verified 9 Nov 2026.

What can an owner builder do, and what can't they?

With a permit you can build or renovate your own home and its outbuildings. That covers a new home; renovating, altering or extending; a garage, carport or residential shed; a residential pool, pergola or entertainment area; or finishing a new home from a stage a QBCC-licensed builder was contracted to. QBCC-licensed contractors do the building work.
You can't, unless you hold the licence for it:
  • do plumbing, drainage, gasfitting or chemical termite management
  • do fire protection or mechanical services work valued over $1,100
  • remove more than 10 m² of asbestos
You can't at all: build commercial or industrial buildings, build or renovate multiple dwellings such as duplexes, attached granny flats or units, or do work your permit doesn't list.
Source: QBCC: About owner-building  • QBCC Responsibilities of an owner-builder  • Last verified 9 Nov 2026.

Do you need a White Card or asbestos awareness training?

Anyone carrying out construction work in Queensland needs general construction induction training (CPCCWHS1001), known as the White Card. If you'll do any of the work yourself, you need it too. As an owner builder you're also responsible for the health and safety of everyone on your site.
Asbestos awareness. The QBCC says you need an asbestos awareness training course if your house was built before 1990, or if your work involves renovating, altering, extending, improving or repairing a building where asbestos may be present. The QBCC doesn't prescribe a particular course, and a current asbestos removal licence may count instead. You don't lodge the certificate with your application, but the QBCC may ask to see it within 48 hours.
Source: WorkSafe Queensland: General construction induction  • QBCC: Required courses for owner-builders  • QBCC: Responsibilities of an owner-builder  • Last verified 9 Nov 2026.

What are your duties once you have the permit?

Before work starts, put up an owner builder sign with your permit number. It must be visible from the street, weatherproof, at least half a square metre, with letters at least 50 mm high. Then you run the site: supervise and coordinate the trades, keep quality and safe work practices, and do only the work your permit lists.
  • Use written contracts with every trade, including their licence number, the scope, the price including GST, the payment timing and the dates.
  • Pay on time. Pay a contractor's claim, or give them a payment schedule, within the time in your contract or 15 business days. If you don't, they can apply for adjudication and you can be fined.
  • Keep deposits within the limits. For contracts of more than $3,300 and under $20,000, the deposit is capped at 10%; for $20,000 or more, at 5%.
  • Notify QLeave before work starts if the work costs $150,000 or more (excluding GST). Give your permit number: once QLeave confirms it, no levy is payable for work under the permit.
  • No home warranty cover. Owner builders can't get Queensland Home Warranty Scheme cover for their own work, and trades working under your permit pay no premium, so their work isn't covered either.
Your work is complete when your certifier issues the final certificate.
Source: QBCC: Responsibilities of an owner-builder  • QBCC: Deposits and progress payments  • QLeave: Levy exemptions  • QBCC: Who pays home warranty  • Last verified 9 Nov 2026

What happens when you sell an owner-built home?

After the QBCC issues your permit, a notice of the work goes on your property title for 7 years. If you sell within 6 years of finishing the work, you must warn the buyer in writing before they sign the contract.
The notice must give the details of the work, the permit holder's name, that the work was done under an owner builder permit, and the statutory warning that the work isn't covered by insurance under the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991. Give the buyer two copies; they sign one and return it to you on or before signing. If you don't, the law treats you as having warranted that the work was done properly.
Source: QBCC: Sell an owner-builder property  • QBCC: About owner-building  • Last verified 9 Nov 2026.

What if you've already started without a permit?

Apply for a permit straight away for the work still to be done, and tell the QBCC what you've already done. If you've already completed more than $11,000 of work, you also send the QBCC's work-already-completed application. Expect a fine: building without a permit is unlawful.
If the work is finished, the QBCC can't issue a permit, but it can send a letter so you can apply to your council for development approval, and you'll pay a fine.
Don't start before it arrives. You can't begin any work on site, including excavation, until you hold the permit. Your certifier can't sign off your plans until they have seen it.
Source: QBCC: Responsibilities of an owner-builder   • QBCC: About owner-building  • Last verified 9 Nov 2026.

ABE Education's QLD owner builder course in numbers

All time to 6 November 2026: 410 learners have taken ABE Education's QLD owner builder course (the QBCC-approved NONACCABE course), 91% have completed it, and 373 certificates have been issued. Average study time is 3 hours 10 minutes, and the average assessment score is 94%.
The notice must give the details of the work, the permit holder's name, that the work was done under an owner builder permit, and the statutory warning that the work isn't covered by insurance under the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991. Give the buyer two copies; they sign one and return it to you on or before signing. If you don't, the law treats you as having warranted that the work was done properly.
Source: ABE Education LearnWorlds course data, all time to 6 Nov 2026.

Start with the course

Your course certificate comes first: you can't apply for the permit without it, unless you're exempt. ABE Education's QLD owner builder course is approved by the QBCC, 100% online and self-paced, and costs $179. Your Certificate of Completion is emailed as a PDF when you finish.
Source: WorkSafe Queensland: General construction induction  • QBCC: Required courses for owner-builders  • QBCC: Responsibilities of an owner-builder  • Last verified 9 Nov 2026.

QLD owner builder permit: questions people ask

Is an owner builder permit the same as an owner builder licence?

People often say "licence", but in Queensland it's an owner builder permit, issued by the QBCC. It isn't a builder's licence: it lets you manage your own residential project and engage licensed trades.

Can I do my own plumbing as an owner builder?

No. Plumbing, drainage, gasfitting and chemical termite management need an occupational licence, so you hire a licensed contractor for that work.

Can I get a second owner builder permit within 6 years?

Usually not. The QBCC issues one permit every 6 years in most cases, and can approve another only in exceptional circumstances, such as a serious medical condition or severe financial hardship.

Can I search the QBCC owner builder register?

Yes. The QBCC keeps an online register of owner builder permit holders that anyone can search by name or address.

When does my owner builder work count as finished?

When your certifier issues the final certificate. That date also starts the 6 years in which you must warn buyers if you sell.

How we keep this page accurate

This guide was drafted with AI assistance and checked line by line against the QBCC's own pages, listed below. Warwick Smith reviews it for accuracy before it's published, and we re-check the sources whenever the QBCC changes its rules or fees. The date at the top shows the last check.
This page is general information, not legal advice. For advice on your own project, contact the QBCC or a lawyer.
Questions about the course? Call 02 9798 5000 or email info@abeeducation.edu.au.
Sources (all read 9 November 2026 unless noted):
ABE Education — online construction training, Australia. Return to homepage.
ABE Education
abeeducation.edu.au
ABE Education delivers Owner Builder and CPD training online across five states and territories. Our owner builder courses are listed by regulators in Tasmania, the ACT and Queensland, and support your Form 75 application in Western Australia. Australian-owned and operating since 2007, trusted by 31,000+ students.
 info@abeeducation.edu.au
 02 9798 5000
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ABE Education — Online Construction Training Courses Australia. Return to homepage.
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abeeducation.edu.au
ABE Education delivers Owner Builder and CPD training online across five states and territories. Our owner builder courses are listed by regulators in Tasmania, the ACT and Queensland, and support your Form 75 application in Western Australia. Australian-owned and operating since 2007, trusted by 31,000+ students.
 info@abeeducation.edu.au
 02 9798 5000

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