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Proposal for an owner builder exemption to the restricted building work regime

Launched in November 2007, the Licensed Building Practitioner Scheme is one of the key changes introduced by the Building Act 2004 (the Act). Since then, practitioners in the building industry have been able to apply to be licensed in a range of classes depending on the type of work they do.

In total, there are 13 licensing classes. These cover things like carpentry, site supervision, design and some specialist trades, like roofing and plastering.

To become licensed, people have to show they have the skills, knowledge and experience to do their work competently. There is a formal assessment of their skills and once they’re licensed, they have to keep learning and training in their particular field(s).

From November 2010, it is intended that some design and construction work will only be able to be done or supervised by licensed practitioners. This is called ‘restricted building work’. Restricted building work will be work that is critical to the integrity of a building.

Owner builder exemption

The Government has proposed that owner builders will be exempt from the restricted building work regime. This would allow homeowners to do restricted building work on their own houses (without the need to use licensed building practitioners) while still protecting future owners of the property. However, the proposed exemption will require a change to the Act. The Government wants your views about the proposed exemption and the amendments needed to the Act.

This consultation will run until Friday 1 August.

Proposal for an owner builder exemption to the restricted building work regime [PDF 196 KB, 20 pages]