How to Check an Electrician’s Licence in Queensland: A Checklist for Owners, Property Managers and Businesses

Byron Knight, Licensed Electrical Contractor

QLD Lic. 1511406 · 20+ years’ experience · Gold Coast & SEQ · Updated October 2026

Most people never check. They find an electrician online or through a friend, the work gets done, and it’s fine. Until it isn’t: an insurance claim is questioned, a tenant gets a shock, or a strata audit asks who did the work and nobody can produce a certificate.

Checking takes a couple of minutes. This guide shows you how to do it, explains what the different Queensland licences mean, and sets out what else to ask for before you let anyone work on your property. It’s written for homeowners, but especially for people who hire electricians on someone else’s behalf: property managers, strata and building managers, and business owners.

How to check an electrical licence in QLD

1. Ask for the electrical contractor licence number. Not just the electrician’s name, and not an ABN. The Electrical Safety Office’s advice is to “always look for their electrical contractor licence number and confirm that it’s current before agreeing to any work.”
2. Search it online. The ESO’s Electrical Licence Search lets you check the status of electrical contractor licence numbers.
3. Check that the details match. Make sure the licence is current and that the business named on it is the one quoting you.
4. Call if it doesn’t show up. If you can’t find the business, the ESO asks you to call 1300 362 128.

Worker licence vs contractor licence: the difference that matters

Queensland has two separate kinds of electrical licence, and people often confuse them.

WorkSafe Queensland says you must hold an electrical contractor licence to perform electrical work for others as a sole trader, partnership or company. Its classes of licences page puts it simply: “Only an electrical contractor can do electrical work in your home.”

So a qualified electrician working for cash on weekends, outside a licensed business, is not someone you can lawfully engage directly, even though they may be fully trained.

The “restricted” licence trap

Some trades hold a restricted electrical work licence. WorkSafe says this licence “limits you to specific electrical work associated with work from another trade or calling”, such as air-conditioning and refrigeration mechanics, plumbers and gas fitters. An air-conditioning installer may be allowed to disconnect and reconnect their own equipment. That doesn’t make them the right person to add circuits, upgrade a switchboard or run new wiring. If the job goes beyond their trade’s equipment, you need a full electrical contractor.

What else to check before work starts

A current licence is the minimum. If you’re hiring for a rental, a strata building or a business, these checks protect you if something goes wrong later.

Insurance

Insurance is a condition of a contractor licence. WorkSafe says the policy must be in the legal name of the business and include public and products liability with a limit of indemnity of at least $5,000,000, plus consumer protection insurance of at least $50,000. Many commercial and strata clients ask for a certificate of currency before the first job. That’s reasonable, and a well-run contractor will have one ready.

A certificate for the finished work

WorkSafe says electrical contractors must give their customers a certificate of testing and compliance (for installation work) or testing and safety (for equipment), and must keep a copy for five years. Ask for it, file it, and pass it to the owner if you’re acting for one. Our guide to when you need an electrical compliance certificate in QLD explains what it covers.

A written, itemised quote

Get the scope and price in writing before work starts. For managed properties, that’s also what the owner or committee needs to approve the spend.

What’s the risk of using someone unlicensed?

For the person doing the work, it’s illegal. The ESO says unlicensed electrical work carries penalties of up to $40,000 for individuals, with much higher maximums where someone is exposed to a risk of death or serious injury. The regulator does act: in 2022 the ESO took a man to the Townsville Magistrates Court and obtained an injunction after he carried out unlicensed electrical work and ignored improvement notices.

For the person who hired them, the risks are practical:

• Safety. Work that hasn’t been tested can leave a fault hidden in the wall until someone gets a shock or there’s a fire.
• Insurance. A claim connected to unlicensed work may be questioned. We cover this in does DIY electrical work void home insurance.
• No paper trail. Without a certificate, there’s no record of what was done or that it was tested.
• Your own duties. Landlords and businesses have their own electrical safety duties. Using an unlicensed worker makes those harder to show you’ve met. See our guides for landlords and commercial maintenance.

And if you’re wondering what you’re allowed to do yourself, the answer is very little. Our most-read guide, DIY vs licensed electrician in QLD, sets out the line.

A contractor checklist for property and strata managers

If you keep a list of approved contractors, it’s worth recording these for each electrician, and re-checking them once a year. WorkSafe says contractor licences are issued for one year, so a licence that was current at onboarding may have lapsed since.

1. Electrical contractor licence number, checked as current on the ESO licence search.
2. Licence holder’s business name matches the name on quotes and invoices.
3. Certificate of currency for public and products liability insurance.
4. Agreement to provide a certificate of testing for every job.
5. Emergency availability and response arrangements, if you need after-hours cover.

Hiring for a body corporate? Committee spending limits, the two-quote rule and SWMS add a few more steps. Our guide to hiring an electrician for a body corporate covers them.

We work this way for property managers and committees across the southern Gold Coast, including Robina, Varsity Lakes, Burleigh Heads, Palm Beach, Elanora and Coolangatta. That covers one-off electrical repairs and installations, strata and body corporate work, and fixed-price preventative maintenance plans.