Classes of licences
It is illegal to do electrical work in Queensland without a licence.
Section 55 of the Electrical Safety Act 2002 (ES Act) states that only very limited unlicensed tasks are allowed, such as:
- authorised testing of electrical equipment
- installing or repairing telecommunication cables
- electrical work while performing the profession of an electrical engineer
- learning electrical work as an apprentice or trainee.
Section 18 of the ES Act provides more examples that are not classified as electrical work.
Section 56 of the ES Act states that businesses carrying out electrical work for others must have an electrical contractor licence.
For the public
Only an electrical contractor can do electrical work in your home. It is unlawful to do this work without a licence.
You can check the status of electrical contractor licence numbers through our online Electrical Licence Search.
For safety reasons your electrician will need to turn power OFF. Working with a power supply still live is generally not allowed in Queensland.
The law says all homes built since 1992 must have safety switches installed on power circuits.
There are 6 different classes of electrical work licences. These are:
Open electrical work licence.
An electrical mechanic can perform all electrical work, such as:
- install or change an overhead electrical line
- install electrical wiring
- repair any electrical equipment.
Refer to Section 43 of the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 for more information on eligibility requirements for an electrical mechanic licence.
Allows you to perform all electric line work, such as:
- electrical work involved in building or maintaining an overhead electric line
- electrical work in the building or maintenance of street lighting connected to an overhead or underground electric line
- testing of overhead electric lines.
Refer to Section 43 of the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 for eligibility requirements for an electrical linesperson licence.
Allows you to perform electrical equipment work, such as:
- rewinding and repairing an electric motor
- building and assembling a switchboard
- maintain/repair electrical equipment.
Refer to Section 43 of the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 for eligibility requirements for an electrical fitter licence.
Allows you to perform limited specialist installing, jointing and terminating electrical cables and work relating to electrical cables and equipment, such as:
- jointing and terminating a high voltage cable.
Refer to Section 43 of the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 for eligibility requirements for an electrical jointer licence.
This licence limits you to specific electrical work associated with work from another trade or calling.
Your need to perform electrical work must be legitimate, saving time or money are not good enough reasons.
Examples of trades and callings that may be eligible for a restricted electrical work licence include:
- Refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment tradespeople
- Motor and armature rewinders
- Electronic equipment technicians
- Gas fitters
- Instrumentation/process control tradespeople
- Mechanical fitters
- Plumbers
Refer to Section 44 of the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 for eligibility requirements for a restricted electrical work licence.
For more information on restricted electrical work licences refer to the Electrical licensing eligibility guide (PDF, 0.67 MB).
This is a restricted permit which allows electrical work to be performed under specified conditions while you are being trained.