Owner-builder permits

On this page

Key information
When an owner-builder permit is needed
When a permit is not needed
Eligibility
How to apply
Replace an owner-builder permit
Qualifications needed
Contact us

Key information

• In NSW, you need an owner-builder permit to supervise or do work valued at over $10,000 on your own home, and you're not contracting a licensed builder to supervise the work.
• If the work is valued at more than $20,000, you also need to complete certain units of competency or have the approved equivalent qualifications and experience.
• As an owner-builder, you are responsible for the building work as a fully licensed builder would be.
• Only one owner-builder permit can be issued within any five-year period unless the application and any earlier permit relate to the same land, or special circumstances exist.

When an owner-builder permit is needed

An owner-builder permit is for people who have the skill or capacity to build their own house or supervise the construction work.

If you want to supervise or do building work worth more than $10,000 on your own home, and you're not contracting a licensed builder to supervise the work, you need an owner-builder permit.

While an owner-builder permit is not a builder’s licence, as an owner-builder, you are responsible for the building work just as a fully licensed builder would be.

What is owner builder work?

Owner-builder work is any work, including supervision and coordination of the construction, alterations, repairs or additions to a property:

• where the reasonable market cost (including labour and materials) exceeds $10,000, and
• which relates to a single dwelling-house, dual occupancy or a secondary dwelling that:
  • requires development consent under Part 4 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, or
  • is a complying development within the meaning of that Act.

To be eligible for an owner-builder permit, the development approval must be in respect of a single dwelling-house, dual occupancy or a secondary dwelling.

Note: an owner-builder permit will only be issued regarding a dual occupancy in cases of special circumstances.

An owner-builder permit cannot be issued for:

• renovations to an existing apartment/unit/flat/townhouse within a strata complex
• property not for residential purposes, such as commercial premises.

What are my limitations under the permit?

An owner-builder permit is not a building licence. It does not allow you to do:

• work other than the project covered by the development application or complying development certificate
• specialist work such as electrical, plumbing, gasfitting, air-conditioning and refrigeration work (unless you hold a licence for such work).

Only one owner-builder permit can be issued within any five-year period unless the application and any earlier permit relate to the same land, or special circumstances exist.

Learn more about your responsibilities working as an owner-builder.

When a permit is not needed

A permit is not needed when:

• the proposed residential building work does not require a Development Application (DA) or Complying Development Certificate (CDC)
• the value of work including labour and materials does not exceed $10,000.
• you have contracted a licensed builder to undertake the work.

Eligibility

Who can apply

To be eligible to apply for an owner-builder permit, you must:

• be least 18 years of age
• hold a valid general construction induction training qualification (GIT / white card) issued by SafeWork NSW or equivalent interstate authority
• have completed the owner-builder approved education requirements or other equivalent accreditation if the cost of building work is $20,000 or more
• be the owner or joint owner of the land, or
  • be a shareholder in the company that owns the land, or
  • have a minimum 3-year lease on the land registered with NSW Land Registry Services

• not have owned land that had an owner-builder permit issued for it within the last 5 years (unless special circumstances applied)

You can only apply if you will be the intended permit holder. You cannot apply on another person’s behalf.

The building work also needs to meet the following criteria to be eligible for an owner-builder permit:

• The reasonable market cost (including labour and materials) must be valued over $10,000, including GST.
• You must be constructing, altering, or adding to:
  • a single dwelling-house
  • dual occupancy dwelling - two dwellings that are either attached or detached, such as a semi-detached home on one lot of land (commonly referred to as a duplex). Note, permits are only issued under special circumstances if the land could potentially be sub-divided or sold as separate properties,
  • a secondary dwelling - a self-contained dwelling that is internal, attached, or detached from the principal dwelling (generally a granny flat).
• After the building work is complete, you must intend to live in:
  • the single-dwelling house, or
  • one of the dwellings (secondary / dual occupancy).

You must have either an approved Development Application (DA) or Complying Development Certificate (CDC)

Special circumstances

In some cases, you'll need to show that there are special circumstances that justify your application. Each application is considered on its individual merit and will be refused if you have not justified special circumstances in your application.

Please download and complete the additional details form to include with your online application if:

• you or any other registered parties have held an owner-builder permit within the last 5 years for different land, and/or
• the type of construction is dual occupancy.

You will need to visit a Service NSW centre to submit your application in person.

What type of properties will a permit not be granted for?

A permit will not be granted for work related to:

• Commercial premises
• Boarding house, guest house, hostel, or lodging house.
• Any residential part of:
  • an educational institution
  • a health care building that accommodates staff
  • a hotel or motel.

• Accommodation (other than self-contained units) specially designed for the aged, persons with a disability, or children.
• A house or unit designed, constructed, or adapted for commercial use as tourist, holiday or overnight accommodation.
• Any part of a non-residential building that is constructed or adapted for use as a caretaker’s residence.
• A moveable dwelling (with or without a flexible annexe) within the meaning of the Local Government Act 1993. This means a dwelling that is capable of being registered under the Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Act 1997 (such as a caravan or a motor home).
• A residential building that can only be granted development consent under Schedule 5 of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Primary Production) 2021.

How to apply

What you need

Before you begin your application make sure you have:

• a MyServiceNSW account
• proof of identity
• acceptable documentation showing proof of ownership or long-term lease agreement relating to the land specified in your application, such as:
  • council rates or water rates notice less than one year old
  • Certificate of Title from NSW Land Registry Services
  • solicitor settlement letter showing settlement date (cannot be future dated and must be less than 3 months old)
  • copy of the lease (minimum 3 years) registered with NSW Land Registry Services.
• estimated cost of the building work for labour and materials
• details of the proposed plans
• a copy of approved development consent (not an application number) such as:
  • development approval (DA) from the local council
  • complying development certificate (CDC) from the local council or accredited certifier.
• a current white card (general construction induction training card)
• evidence that you've completed the owner-builder approved education requirements (or equivalent accreditation) if the value of work exceeds $20,000
• payment for the licence fee. See our fees page for details.

All owners of the land must be listed in the application. Other owners will not be able to apply for another owner-builder permit relating to different land for 5 years.

For the current white card (general construction induction card) mentioned above, Fair Trading will also accept a Safework Statement of Training issued within 60 days before your application. This acknowledges that it may take up to 60 days to issue the white card once you have completed the relevant training.

Fair Trading will also accept, in certain circumstances, interstate general construction induction training cards or cards issued in NSW under previous arrangements that are recognised under Work Health and Safety laws.

False or misleading information

You can be prosecuted under the Crimes Act 1900 if you falsely state or leave out information in an application for an owner-builder permit.

The penalty for making a false or misleading application is imprisonment for up to 2 years, or a maximum fine of $22,000 or both.

The Fair Trading Commissioner can also cancel a permit if it is discovered that a permit holder misrepresented information in their application.

Apply now

Apply online at the Service NSW website. Select the ‘Apply now’ button below to get started.

Your application will take about 20 minutes to complete.

To apply in person, download and complete the relevant application form, gather any documents you need and book an appointment to submit your application at a Service NSW Centre.

What happens next?

Replace an owner-builder permit

If your permit has been damaged, lost or stolen, you can apply for a replacement at a service centre.

• Download and complete the Application for Duplicate Licence, Certificate or Permit (PDF) form.
• Visit a service centre and submit your application and fee payment in person.

Change the details on an owner-builder permit

If any details have changed since your permit was issued (except for a change of name), you'll need to visit a service centre and apply for a new permit.

If details such as your name or address have been incorrectly recorded, you can visit a Service NSW centre and have your permit amended.

Once an owner-builder permit has been granted, there is no option for cancellation unless a clear error was made at the time of granting, and the permit should not have been issued.

Changing your mind, altering plans, or contracting a licensed builder to carry out the work are not considered errors, and the permit cannot be cancelled.

Qualifications needed

If your home renovation work is valued over $10,000, you need an owner–builder permit.

If the work is valued at more than $20,000, you will also need to complete certain units of competency or have the approved equivalent qualifications and experience. Find out what you need below.

If the work does require an owner-builder permit, you must hold a current white card (or general construction induction training card).

Owner-builder education providers

Choose an organisation that can deliver the five units of competency.

Before enrolling in any training, you should ensure the provider is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). Visit the training.gov.au website to check the RTO status of a training provider.

Current white card (general construction induction training card)

Visit SafeWork NSW to apply for a white card (or general construction induction training card). This is a mandatory requirement for all owner-builder permit applications.

Contact us

Need help applying?

If you need help with your application or have a question, please call Building Commission NSW on 13 32 20.

Unsuccessful applications

If your application is unsuccessful, you can ask for a review.

For more information about the process, visit the Building Commission NSW website.