Check a Concreter’s Licence in NSW: What to Look Up Before You Sign

Nearly every concreter’s ute, quote and website carries a licence number. Few people look it up, and those who do aren’t always sure what they are reading. The check takes a couple of minutes and shows more than whether the number is real. It also sets off a short list of rules about contracts, deposits and insurance that protect you once the job is over a certain size. This guide covers when a concreter needs a licence in NSW, what the public register shows, and what to check that the register doesn’t cover.

When a concreter needs a licence in NSW

The NSW Government’s page on general concreting work sets the line. A licence or certificate is needed for any residential building or trade work, including general concreting, valued at more than $5,000 in labour and materials, including GST. General concreting covers laying and placing concrete, concrete stencilling, and the excavation that has to be done before the concrete goes down.

That last part matters on bigger blocks. If the same contractor is doing the excavation and site preparation for the slab or driveway, the licence covers that work as well as the pour.

Licences are issued to individuals and to companies or partnerships, for one, three or five years, so one that was current when a neighbour used the same contractor may not be now. Doing licensed work without one carries fines of $22,000 for an individual and $110,000 for a company.

What the NSW licence check shows

The register is public. According to the NSW Government’s guide to checking a contractor, a search brings up the following, and each line tells you something different.

If you’d like to see what a result looks like, ours is NSW contractor licence 398552C. There is more on who holds it and how we work on the About Southo Concrete page.

Contract, deposit and insurance rules that come with it

Once a residential job goes over $5,000, the licence is only the first requirement. The NSW Government’s rules for residential building contracts add these, and a concrete driveway or shed slab can reach them quickly.

• A written contract. Work worth more than $5,000 including GST needs one. Between $5,000 and $20,000 it is a small jobs contract. Over $20,000 it is a full home building contract.
• A capped deposit. The most you can be asked to pay as a deposit is 10 percent.
• Home building compensation cover. Required where the work is worth more than $20,000. The contractor can’t ask for a deposit or any other payment until the cover is taken out and you’ve been given the certificate.
• A cooling-off period. For contracts over $20,000 you have five clear business days after being given a copy of the contract.
• Statutory warranties. The NSW Government says residential building work must be free of major defects for six years after completion, and for two years for all other defects.

These figures were current on nsw.gov.au on 9 October 2026. They can change, so check the contract page linked above before you sign.

How to check a concreter’s licence, step by step

Do this before you accept a quote. After the deposit has been paid is too late.

1. Get the details in writing. Ask for the licence number, the exact business name and the ABN on the quote.
2. Search the register. Go to Verify licence, or start from Service NSW. You can search by name, licence number, ABN or suburb.
3. Match the name, category and expiry. All three should line up with the quote in front of you.
4. Read the conditions and compliance history. One old penalty notice is a question to ask. A cancelled licence means you look elsewhere.
5. If the job is over $20,000, check the insurance certificate too. Home building compensation certificates can be looked up on the same site.

What a licence check doesn’t tell you

The register shows whether someone is allowed to do the work. It doesn’t show their public liability or workers compensation insurance, so ask for certificates of currency and read the dates on them. If the job includes the crossing between your boundary and the road, the council has its own rule. Hawkesbury City Council’s driveway crossing specification requires contractors to carry at least $20 million in public risk insurance.

It also can’t tell you how the work turns out. For that, ask where you can see recent jobs like yours and what exactly the quote includes. Ours are on the recent concreting projects page, and every quote we send lists each stage on its own line so it can be compared with any other.

Before you sign with a concreter

• Licence number on the quote
• Name on the licence matches the business
• Licence covers concreting
• Licence current past the finish date
• Contract in writing
• Deposit no more than 10 percent
• Insurance certificate if over $20,000
• Certificates of currency sighted