What home jobs can you legally DIY in Queensland? 23 jobs checked
Short answer
Of 23 common home jobs, 9 are yours to do in Queensland, 12 need a licensed tradie and 2 depend on the details. Queensland’s unregulated plumbing list lets you change tap washers, shower heads and toilet cistern washers yourself. Anything on fixed wiring or gas is licensed.
Queensland is one of the more DIY-friendly states for small plumbing repairs, thanks to the QBCC’s list of “unregulated” work. Electrical work is a different story: the Electrical Safety Office is clear that almost anything beyond changing a globe is for a licensed electrician.
We checked 23 of the most common home jobs against Queensland’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; replace a screw-on showerhead; replace washers inside a toilet cistern; 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 the plug on an appliance or extension lead; 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: 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 QLD | 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 | Photoelectric alarms powered by a 10-year non-removable battery can be installed yourself. From 1 January 2027 every Queensland home needs interconnected photoelectric alarms in each bedroom, connecting hallways and every storey. |
| 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 | Queensland’s Electrical Safety Office lists installing a power point as licensed electrical work. Fines for individuals can reach $40,000. |
| Replace a light switch (guide) | Licensed tradie | Queensland’s Electrical Safety Office lists replacing a switch as licensed electrical work. |
| Replace a light fitting or downlight (guide) | Licensed tradie | Queensland’s Electrical Safety Office lists replacing a batten holder with a light fitting as licensed electrical work. |
| Install a ceiling fan (guide) | Licensed tradie | Queensland’s Electrical Safety Office lists replacing a light fitting with a ceiling fan as licensed electrical work. |
| 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 | Queensland’s Electrical Safety Office: hardwired appliances must be connected by a licensed electrician. Fitting a wall oven into its cabinet without connecting it is not electrical work. |
| Replace the plug on an appliance or extension lead (guide) | Licensed tradie | Queensland’s Electrical Safety Office lists replacing a plug on the end of an extension lead, and constructing an extension lead, as licensed electrical work. |
Plumbing
Plumbing is where the states differ most. Some let owners do small repairs; the rest is licensed.
| Job | In QLD | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Change a tap washer or jumper valve (guide) | DIY OK | Replacing a jumper valve or washer in a tap is on the QBCC’s list of unregulated plumbing work. |
| 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) | DIY OK | Replacing a shower head is on the QBCC’s unregulated plumbing work list. |
| Replace washers inside a toilet cistern (guide) | DIY OK | Repairing or replacing the drop-valve washer, float-valve washer or suction-cup rubber in a toilet cistern is unregulated work. |
| Replace a toilet suite (guide) | Licensed tradie | Replacing a toilet suite involves the water supply and the sewer connection, licensed plumbing work in every state. |
| 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 | Plunging is normal maintenance, and cleaning a ground-level trap grate is on the QBCC’s unregulated list. Anything beyond the grate needs a plumber. |
| 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 QLD | 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 QLD | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Waterproof your own bathroom (membrane) (guide) | Check first | Owners can do work on their own property valued up to $11,000 without a licence; above that needs an owner-builder permit. Must meet the building code. |
| 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 Queensland
These are the jobs where Queensland’s regulator has said something specific:
- Replace a battery-only smoke alarm: Photoelectric alarms powered by a 10-year non-removable battery can be installed yourself. From 1 January 2027 every Queensland home needs interconnected photoelectric alarms in each bedroom, connecting hallways and every storey.
- Replace or add a power point: Queensland’s Electrical Safety Office lists installing a power point as licensed electrical work. Fines for individuals can reach $40,000.
- Replace a light switch: Queensland’s Electrical Safety Office lists replacing a switch as licensed electrical work.
- Replace a light fitting or downlight: Queensland’s Electrical Safety Office lists replacing a batten holder with a light fitting as licensed electrical work.
- Install a ceiling fan: Queensland’s Electrical Safety Office lists replacing a light fitting with a ceiling fan as licensed electrical work.
- Connect a hardwired oven, cooktop or rangehood: Queensland’s Electrical Safety Office: hardwired appliances must be connected by a licensed electrician. Fitting a wall oven into its cabinet without connecting it is not electrical work.
- Replace the plug on an appliance or extension lead: Queensland’s Electrical Safety Office lists replacing a plug on the end of an extension lead, and constructing an extension lead, as licensed electrical work.
- Change a tap washer or jumper valve: Replacing a jumper valve or washer in a tap is on the QBCC’s list of unregulated plumbing work.
- Replace a screw-on showerhead: Replacing a shower head is on the QBCC’s unregulated plumbing work list.
- Replace washers inside a toilet cistern: Repairing or replacing the drop-valve washer, float-valve washer or suction-cup rubber in a toilet cistern is unregulated work.
- Clear a blocked sink or drain with a plunger: Plunging is normal maintenance, and cleaning a ground-level trap grate is on the QBCC’s unregulated list. Anything beyond the grate needs a plumber.
- Waterproof your own bathroom (membrane): Owners can do work on their own property valued up to $11,000 without a licence; above that needs an owner-builder permit. Must meet the building code.
If you’re not sure
Ask the regulator: QBCC / Electrical Safety Office. 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.