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A building work contractor's licence must be obtained from Consumer and Business Services (CBS) when a business or individual carries out any type of building work for another person, or for the sale or lease of land or buildings.
A person or business must not advertise and hold themselves out as being entitled to carry on business as a building work contractor without a proper licence.
"Building work’ includes:
Plumbing, gas fitting and electrical work are also considered building work, but are subject to specialised plumbing, gas fitting and electrical (PGE) licences.
There are some types of work that are not considered ‘building work.’
Pest control and installation and maintenance of security systems are not considered building work. Although a building work contractor licence is not required for these activities, specialised pest control and security agent licences are required.
The installation, maintenance, repair or removal of a floating floor, carpet or vinyl flooring not used for waterproofing is also not considered building work. There are no licence requirements for this type of work.
The type of work the contractor is permitted to undertake will be outlined on their licence. There may also be conditions on your licence that restrict the type of work you can carry out. Examples include:
If you are subcontracted to do work for other licensed building work contractors, you must have a building work contractor licence for the type of work you are carrying out. However, if you are an employee, then you will not need a licence and can perform work for a licensed building work contractor, unless you are the nominated supervisor.
All building work must be supervised by a registered building work supervisor. The approved supervisor must properly supervise all your building work and ensure it meets the required standards. Therefore, the supervisor registration must cover the same type of work you contract for.
If you apply for a contractor licence as a sole trader, you can also register as a supervisor on the same application or nominate another person to supervise your work.
If you operate your business as a partnership, all active partners need to be licensed. However, if you have a business partner whose role is purely administrative, you can apply for an exemption (as a non-active partner).
If you are operating in a company structure, the company will be both the licensed and the contracting entity. The supervisor may be a registered supervisor who is a director or officer, an employee or an independent contractor.
To be eligible for this licence, either the individual applicant, or the company director (where the applicant is a company) must:
The business must:
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Find out all you need to know to get licensed in SA including qualifications, experience and how to apply.