Licence number on your website, van and social media: every state and trade
Which Australian states and territories require a trade licence or registration number in advertising, where it must appear, and what we could not confirm, from the regulators and the Acts, as at November 2026.
On this page
A licensed builder or tradie in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, the ACT or (for electricians, from 1 July 2026) the Northern Territory must show a licence or registration number in advertising, and websites count. The exact rule, the trades it covers and where it applies differ by jurisdiction. The table below compiles what each regulator or Act says, as at November 2026. It is general information, not legal advice, and each row names the source to check.
Which states require a licence number in advertising?
Seven of the eight jurisdictions have a confirmed duty for at least some trades. Tasmania is unconfirmed. Where a source does not name social media, the row says so and does not guess.
| Jurisdiction and trade | What must appear | Where it applies, per the source | Penalty named by the source | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW, building over $5,000 and specialist trades (electrical, plumbing, draining, gas fitting, air conditioning and refrigeration) | Licensee name, licence number with the correct category, business phone number | Print, internet, television, radio and other advertising | Not stated on the page | NSW Government |
| QLD, QBCC licensees (building, plumbing, drainage, gas fitting and other QBCC licences) | Licensed name (a trading name must be accompanied by it), a statement that you are licensed under the QBCC Act and the licence number, easily legible and reasonably prominent | Websites, social media pages, online directories, newspaper ads, flyers, business cards, vehicle signage, radio and television. Not required on high-vis clothing | Up to 35 penalty units, which the QBCC states as $6,044 for individuals and $30,222 for companies | QBCC |
| VIC, registered building practitioners (domestic building work) | Registered name and registration number | An advertisement or written statement offering domestic building work. The section does not list media, so social media is not named | 60 penalty units | Building Act 1993 s169H |
| VIC, registered electrical contractors | REC registration number | All promotional materials, including advertisements, notices and statements | Not stated on the page | Energy Safe Victoria |
| WA, registered builders, painters and building surveyors | Registration number | Advertisements such as newspaper, radio, television or website advertisements | Up to $25,000 | WA Government, builders |
| WA, electrical contractors | Licence number with the EC prefix, conspicuously displayed. Guideline: at least 50% of the largest lettering used | Any advertisement, including web pages and signage on vehicles. Each vehicle advertisement, front, back or sides, must carry it | An offence under the regulations | Building and Energy WA guidelines |
| SA, building work contractors | Name as on the licence or a registered business name, and the licence number, plus the number of each partner | Any advertisement relating to the licensed business. Not employment ads or ads directed to other contractors | Up to $25,000, expiation fee $3,000 | Building Work Contractors Act 1995 s50 |
| SA, plumbing, gas fitting and electrical contractors | Licence number | Any advertisement relating to the licensed business. For electricians, Consumer and Business Services says this includes the website, business card, trade vehicle and paid radio, television, online or newspaper advertising | Up to $25,000, expiation fee $3,000 | Plumbers, Gas Fitters and Electricians Act 1995 s33A, CBS |
| ACT, all licensed construction occupations | Name on the licence, licence number and, for a corporation, the ACN | Any advertising that you provide a service in a construction occupation. The Act's examples include vehicle signage, clothing such as a T-shirt, caps, mugs and a sign at a construction site | 5 penalty units | Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004 s83 |
| NT, electrical contractors (from 1 July 2026) | Licensed name or registered business name, a statement that you are licensed under the Act and the contractor licence number | Advertising. Identifying the business on an employee's uniform, the licensee's vehicle or the licensee's buildings is not advertising for this rule | 50 penalty units, strict liability | Electrical Safety Regulations 2024 reg 46 |
| NT, building practitioners that are corporations | Name of the registered individual. The section does not require a number | All advertisements published by the corporation relating to the function | 40 penalty units | Building Act 1993 s25 |
| TAS | Not confirmed | The CBOS requirements page lists "No" for licence number in advertising for some building services classes, while the 2005 text of the Occupational Licensing Act (s100) requires a contractor to show a licence number in any advertisement. We could not confirm the current law | CBOS |
We did not confirm Queensland electrical licences, which fall outside the QBCC, or Victorian plumbing and Northern Territory plumbing. Check the regulator for those trades.
Does the rule cover social media posts?
Sometimes, and only Queensland says so in terms. The QBCC lists social media pages such as a Facebook page and online directories as advertising. NSW covers print, internet and "other advertising". Western Australia lists web pages and vehicles. The Victorian section covers an "advertisement or written statement offering to carry out domestic building work" without naming media, so the Act does not settle whether a social post is one. If a post offers work, put the number on it.
What if I am not licensed?
Do not advertise work you are not licensed to do. The NSW page says the Act prohibits advertising residential building work over $5,000, or specialist work of any value, without a current contractor licence. In Queensland, an unlicensed advertiser for building work must state the value of work it can do without a licence, and the maximum penalty for failing to is $17,270 for individuals and $86,350 for companies. The QBCC gives examples such as "Cannot perform building work valued in excess of $3,300". Work such as plumbing and drainage, gas fitting and termite inspections needs a licence at any value, and the statement for those is "Cannot perform building work valued in excess of $0".
Where does the number go on a website?
Put it where visitors and search engines see it on every page.
- In the header or footer of every page, as text and not only in an image.
- On the contact page, beside the phone number.
- On each service page, if the page offers the work.
- In the Google Business Profile description and any directory listing you control, since the QBCC counts directories as advertising.
- On vehicle signage, with the wording the regulator uses.
- In social media bios and in posts that offer work.
Copy the number and the licensed name from your certificate or the regulator's register, not from old copy. You can check any licence yourself with our guide to checking a builder's licence by state on Digital Pages.
What we've seen across our client sites
On the trade sites we run, the licence block sits in the page HTML the server sends. It is there for crawlers and for visitors with scripts blocked, and it appears in the header and footer rather than on one page. We copy the details from the client's certificate.
How do I check my own site and van?
- Find your jurisdiction and trade in the table and read the source.
- Check the name matches the licence exactly. QBCC says a trading name alone is likely non-compliant.
- Search the site, Business Profile and social pages for the number.
- Check the van, uniform exemptions and business cards against the rule for your state.
- Recheck when your licence number or category changes.
Our web design for electricians, plumbers and builders pages cover how we build the licence block into a trade site.
Common questions
- Do I have to put my licence number on my website in NSW?
- Yes. Fair Trading NSW says the licensee's name and licence number must be shown in all advertising for building and trade work, and that the rule covers print, internet, television, radio and other advertising. It also asks for the licence category and a business phone number.
- Do I have to show my QBCC licence number on social media in Queensland?
- Yes. The QBCC counts websites, social media pages, online directories such as Gumtree and hipages, and vehicle signage as advertising. Licensee advertising must carry the licensed name and the licence number.
- Does a Victorian builder have to show their registration number in ads?
- Yes for domestic building work. Section 169H of the Building Act 1993 requires a registered building practitioner who publishes an advertisement or written statement offering domestic building work to state the registered name and registration number. An electrician must show their registered electrical contractor number on all promotional materials.
- Does my electrician licence number have to be on the van in Western Australia?
- Yes. Western Australian guidance says the electrical contractor licence number must appear in any advertisement, including web pages and vehicle signage, and that each advertisement on the front, back or sides of a vehicle must include it.
- Do ACT tradies have to put a licence number on caps and shirts?
- Section 83 of the Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004 requires the licence name, number and, for a corporation, the ACN in advertising that a person provides a construction service. The Act gives examples including vehicle signage and clothing that states the occupation.
- Do Tasmanian tradies need a licence number in ads?
- We could not confirm this. The Tasmanian Consumer Building and Occupational Services pages list no requirement for some building services classes, but an older text of the Occupational Licensing Act 2005 requires contractors to show a licence number in advertisements. Check with CBOS before relying on either.
- What if I am not licensed?
- In Queensland, an unlicensed advertiser for building work must state the value of work it can do without a licence, currently $3,300 for most work, and some work such as plumbing and gas fitting needs a licence at any value. Elsewhere, advertising work you are not licensed to do is also an offence in several states.
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