What home jobs can you legally DIY in New South Wales? 23 jobs checked
Short answer
Of 23 common home jobs, 7 are yours to do in New South Wales, 11 need a licensed tradie and 5 depend on the details. NSW lets owner-occupiers repair a tap or showerhead, but replacing fittings, and anything on fixed wiring or gas, is licensed.
New South Wales requires a licence for plumbing and electrical work “regardless of the cost”, with a small set of exceptions for owner-occupiers doing repairs. Here’s where the line sits for the jobs people ask about most.
We checked 23 of the most common home jobs against New South Wales’s regulators. Each row says whether you can do it yourself, and why.
The quick list
You can DIY: change a light globe; replace a battery-only smoke alarm; plug an appliance into an existing power point; change a tap washer or jumper valve; clear a blocked sink or drain with a plunger; patch a hole in plasterboard; regrout tiles or replace shower silicone.
Needs a licensed tradie: replace or add a power point; replace a light switch; replace a light fitting or downlight; install a ceiling fan; install a hardwired smoke alarm; connect a hardwired oven, cooktop or rangehood; replace a whole tap or mixer; replace a toilet suite; connect a dishwasher to water and drain; replace a hot water system; install or move a gas appliance or bayonet.
Check with the regulator first: replace the plug on an appliance or extension lead; replace a screw-on showerhead; replace washers inside a toilet cistern; plug a portable gas heater into an existing bayonet; waterproof your own bathroom (membrane).
Electrical
Anything connected to fixed wiring is licensed electrical work in every state. What you can do is anything that plugs in, and changing globes.
| Job | In NSW | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Change a light globe (guide) | DIY OK | Changing a globe is normal use of the fitting, not electrical work. Switch off at the wall and let hot globes cool first. |
| Replace a battery-only smoke alarm (guide) | DIY OK | A battery-only alarm isn’t connected to mains wiring, so you can fit or replace it yourself. Check your state’s smoke-alarm rules for rentals and sales, some require interconnected hardwired alarms. |
| Plug an appliance into an existing power point (guide) | DIY OK | Plugging an appliance into an existing power point is normal use. Adding or moving the power point is licensed electrical work. |
| Replace or add a power point (guide) | Licensed tradie | In NSW a licence is needed for any electrical wiring work, regardless of cost or type. Your electrician lodges a CCEW when finished. |
| Replace a light switch (guide) | Licensed tradie | Replacing a light switch is electrical installation work that needs a licensed electrician in every state and territory. |
| Replace a light fitting or downlight (guide) | Licensed tradie | Light fittings and downlights are wired into the lighting circuit, so replacing them needs a licensed electrician in every state. |
| Install a ceiling fan (guide) | Licensed tradie | Installing a ceiling fan connects to fixed wiring and needs a licensed electrician in every state. You can assemble it before the electrician arrives. |
| Install a hardwired smoke alarm (guide) | Licensed tradie | Hardwired (mains-powered) smoke alarms connect to fixed wiring, so they must be installed by a licensed electrician. |
| Connect a hardwired oven, cooktop or rangehood (guide) | Licensed tradie | Hardwired appliances must be connected by a licensed electrician. You can position and fit the appliance, just not make the connection. |
| Replace the plug on an appliance or extension lead (guide) | Check first | We couldn’t confirm your state’s position from the regulator. Don’t assume it’s allowed, ask your electrical regulator, or have an electrician do it. |
Plumbing
Plumbing is where the states differ most. Some let owners do small repairs; the rest is licensed.
| Job | In NSW | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Change a tap washer or jumper valve (guide) | DIY OK | An owner-occupier may repair a tap in their home (not thermostatic mixing or tempering valves). |
| Replace a whole tap or mixer (guide) | Licensed tradie | Replacing a whole tap or mixer means disconnecting and reconnecting the water supply, licensed plumbing work. The homeowner exemptions cover repair only. |
| Replace a screw-on showerhead (guide) | Check first | NSW lets an owner-occupier repair a showerhead. Replacing one outright isn’t clearly covered, check with NSW Fair Trading. |
| Replace washers inside a toilet cistern (guide) | Check first | We couldn’t confirm a homeowner exemption from your regulator, treat it as licensed work unless they confirm otherwise. |
| Replace a toilet suite (guide) | Licensed tradie | NSW requires a licence for any plumbing work regardless of cost; individuals face fines of up to $22,000. |
| Connect a dishwasher to water and drain (guide) | Licensed tradie | Connecting a dishwasher to the water supply and drain isn’t on any state’s homeowner exemption list we could confirm, use a licensed plumber. |
| Clear a blocked sink or drain with a plunger (guide) | DIY OK | Using a plunger on a blocked sink or basin is normal household maintenance. Opening up drains or using drain machines is licensed work. |
| Replace a hot water system (guide) | Licensed tradie | Replacing a hot water system is licensed plumbing work everywhere, and gas units also need a licensed gasfitter. |
Gas
Gasfitting is licensed everywhere. Using an existing bayonet is what it’s designed for; installing one isn’t DIY.
| Job | In NSW | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Install or move a gas appliance or bayonet (guide) | Licensed tradie | All gasfitting, pipework, installing or moving gas appliances, and installing a bayonet point, needs a licensed gasfitter in every state. |
| Plug a portable gas heater into an existing bayonet (guide) | Check first | Plugging a portable appliance into an existing bayonet is what bayonets are designed for. Installing the bayonet is licensed gasfitting. Some states restrict unflued gas heaters, check the heater is legal to use where you live. |
Building and finishing
Finishing work is generally yours to do, as long as it doesn’t touch the plumbing, wiring or waterproofing.
| Job | In NSW | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Waterproof your own bathroom (membrane) (guide) | Check first | Contractor licences apply to waterproofing work for others over $5,000. On your own home, an owner-builder permit is needed over $10,000 if the work needs a DA or CDC. Must meet AS 3740. |
| Patch a hole in plasterboard (guide) | DIY OK | Patching plasterboard is cosmetic work with no licence needed. Check for cables and pipes before cutting; repairs to either need a licensed electrician or plumber. If the wall might be asbestos-containing fibro, get it tested first. |
| Regrout tiles or replace shower silicone (guide) | DIY OK | Regrouting and replacing silicone is maintenance you can do yourself everywhere. If water is getting behind the tiles, the waterproofing may have failed; that needs more than new grout. |
Rules specific to New South Wales
These are the jobs where New South Wales’s regulator has said something specific:
- Replace or add a power point: In NSW a licence is needed for any electrical wiring work, regardless of cost or type. Your electrician lodges a CCEW when finished.
- Change a tap washer or jumper valve: An owner-occupier may repair a tap in their home (not thermostatic mixing or tempering valves).
- Replace a screw-on showerhead: NSW lets an owner-occupier repair a showerhead. Replacing one outright isn’t clearly covered, check with NSW Fair Trading.
- Replace a toilet suite: NSW requires a licence for any plumbing work regardless of cost; individuals face fines of up to $22,000.
- Waterproof your own bathroom (membrane): Contractor licences apply to waterproofing work for others over $5,000. On your own home, an owner-builder permit is needed over $10,000 if the work needs a DA or CDC. Must meet AS 3740.
If you’re not sure
Ask the regulator: NSW Government, trade licensing. Rules change, and the details of your job matter. When a job needs a licensed tradie, a clear brief with photos gets you quicker, more accurate quotes, see how to write a job brief tradies can quote from.
Compare the same job in another state with the free DIY legality checker.
Sources
Every rule on this page is taken from these official sources. If a rule has changed, please tell us and we’ll fix it.
This guide is general information, not legal or professional advice. Rules differ between states, councils and individual properties, and they change. Confirm with your state regulator or council before starting work, and if in doubt, get a licensed tradesperson.