No – not all plumbers are gas fitters. In Victoria, gasfitting is its own class of plumbing work, and a plumber can only do gas work if they’re registered or licensed in that class, so a plumber approved for water supply or drainage isn’t automatically approved for gas. You can check which classes a plumber holds on the Building and Plumbing Commission’s practitioner search, or by asking to see the photo ID card every registered and licensed plumber is issued.
This guide explains how plumbing licences work in Victoria, what the classes mean for gas work, and how to check a plumber before you let them start.
- Who regulates plumbers in Victoria?
- Registered or licensed: what’s the difference?
- Why gasfitting is a separate class
- How to check a plumber’s licence in Victoria
- Compliance certificates for gas work
- Why it matters for gas
- Checking us out
- Frequently asked questions
Who regulates plumbers in Victoria?
The Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) is Victoria’s regulator for the building and plumbing industries. It began operations on 1 July 2025, bringing together the functions of the Victorian Building Authority (VBA), Domestic Building Dispute Resolution Victoria and the domestic building insurance arm of the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority. As of October 2026 it is legally still the Victorian Building Authority, trading as the Building and Plumbing Commission.
So if you’ve heard of the ‘VBA licence lookup’, that search is now reached from the BPC’s website, bpc.vic.gov.au. Energy Safe Victoria also has a role with gas: it educates the community about gas and electricity hazards and publishes advice on gas heaters and leaks.
Registered or licensed: what’s the difference?
Each class of plumbing work in Victoria has two levels: registration and licence. Both let a plumber legally carry out the work in that class. The differences matter to you as a customer:
- Only a licensed plumber can issue a compliance certificate.
- A licensed plumber must hold insurance that protects you if the plumbing work is defective.
- A registered plumber can’t issue compliance certificates or supervise other plumbers. Where a certificate is needed, their supervising licensed plumber must issue it.
- Licences are granted for up to 12 months and registrations for up to three years, so status can change – check it’s current.
To do any plumbing work in Victoria, a person must be licensed, or registered (or provisionally registered) and working under a licensed plumber’s supervision, or in training under a licensed plumber’s supervision. The BPC only registers and licenses individuals, not companies, so it’s the person doing your job who needs the right class.
Why gasfitting is a separate class
Victoria’s Plumbing Regulations 2018 split plumbing work into classes, and a plumber must be registered or licensed in each class they work in. The main classes include:
- Drainage
- Gasfitting
- Mechanical services
- Roofing (stormwater)
- Sanitary
- Irrigation (non-agricultural)
- Water supply
On top of these sit specialised classes, which require the ‘parent’ main class first, and restricted classes that cover part of a main class. For household gas work, two classes matter most:
- Gasfitting – installing, replacing, repairing, altering, maintaining, testing or commissioning gas pipes, appliances, flues and fittings downstream of the gas supply point. It covers installing gas cooktops, heaters and hot water units, and LPG lines and appliances.
- Type A appliance servicing – the internal cleaning, maintenance and adjustment of a Type A gas appliance, including repairing or replacing its parts. It’s a specialised class, and a plumber must already be registered or licensed in gasfitting to apply for it.
Type A appliances are the everyday ones – Energy Safe Victoria lists cookers, space heaters, central heaters and water heaters among them. Complex gas systems fall under Type B gasfitting, a separate class again.
The upshot: a plumber can be licensed for water supply and drainage and still not be allowed to connect your gas cooktop. ‘Licensed plumber’ on its own doesn’t tell you which classes someone holds.
How to check a plumber’s licence in Victoria
There are four checks, and for gas work it’s worth doing them every time.
- Search the BPC register. On bpc.vic.gov.au, go to ‘Find and check a practitioner’, then ‘Find a plumber’. You can search by name, business name, licence or registration number, location or type of work.
- Read the result properly. Check that the registration or licence is current, what type of work they’re allowed to do, and whether there are any conditions or limits. For gas work, look for gasfitting – and Type A appliance servicing if they’re servicing or repairing a gas appliance.
- Ask to see their ID card. Every registered and licensed plumber is issued a BPC photo ID card, and the back lists the classes they hold. Plumbers must carry it while working and show it when asked.
- Check the Compliance and Enforcement Register. It’s also on the BPC site and shows certain disciplinary or prosecution action taken against practitioners. Not every complaint appears there.
The BPC’s own advice is not to rely only on advertising, business cards, quotes or what someone tells you, and to check before you sign a contract or let work start.
Compliance certificates for gas work
A compliance certificate is a licensed plumber’s certification that the work meets the prescribed plumbing standards. For gas, one is required regardless of the job’s value when a plumber:
- installs, relocates or replaces any Type A gas appliance,
- converts a gas appliance to run on a different gas, or
- installs, modifies or relocates consumer gas piping.
The licensed plumber must give you the certificate within five days of finishing the work, and lodge it with the BPC within five days too. Keep it with your house paperwork. It’s an offence for a licensed plumber to issue a certificate for work they didn’t do or supervise, so a certificate from someone who wasn’t involved is a red flag.
Why it matters for gas
Energy Safe Victoria doesn’t mince words: it’s illegal and potentially fatal for unlicensed and unqualified people to do gasfitting work. Faulty gas work can leak gas or spill carbon monoxide, a gas you can’t see or smell. That’s why it advises asking a gasfitter if they’re licensed for the work you need, and checking the classes on the back of their card when they arrive.
Smell gas right now? Don’t wait to check a licence – follow our steps for what to do if you smell gas, then call.
Checking us out
Plummers Plumbing is run by Peter Plummer, a licensed plumber (licence 119671). Ask to see the ID card on any job. For gas cooktops, gas lines and gas leaks, see our gas fitter in Geelong page, and for heaters, our gas heater service and repairs page. You can read more about our team, or if you can smell gas, see what to do if you smell gas.
Frequently asked questions
Can a plumber do gas work without a gasfitting licence?
No. To do gas work, a plumber must be licensed in the gasfitting class, or registered in it and working under a licensed plumber’s supervision, or in training under supervision. A licence in water supply, sanitary or drainage doesn’t cover gas. Look for gasfitting on the back of their ID card or on the BPC register.
Is the VBA licence lookup still available?
Yes, under a new name. The Building and Plumbing Commission took over from the Victorian Building Authority on 1 July 2025, and the practitioner search is now reached from bpc.vic.gov.au under ‘Find and check a practitioner’. You can search by name, business name, licence or registration number, location or type of work.
What’s the difference between a gas fitter and a gas plumber?
There’s no difference in law. A ‘gas fitter’ or ‘gas plumber’ in Victoria is a plumber registered or licensed in the gasfitting class. What matters is the class on their ID card, not the title on the van. For servicing or repairing a gas appliance, look for Type A appliance servicing as well.
Do I get a certificate for gas work?
For gas installation work, yes. A compliance certificate is required, whatever the job’s value, for installing, relocating or replacing a Type A gas appliance and for installing, modifying or relocating consumer gas piping. Your licensed plumber must give it to you within five days of finishing the work.
Does a plumbing licence cover a whole company?
No. The BPC only registers and licenses individuals, not plumbing companies. That means the person who turns up to do your job needs the right class for the work, whatever business name is on the quote. Ask to see their own ID card, and check the name against the BPC register.
Sources
The official pages this guide is based on, checked on 16 October 2026:
- Building and Plumbing Commission: Find and check a practitioner
- Building and Plumbing Commission: Which registration or licence do I need?
- Building and Plumbing Commission: Engaging a plumber
- Building and Plumbing Commission: Plumber classes and categories
- Building and Plumbing Commission: Gasfitting work
- Building and Plumbing Commission: Type A appliance servicing work
- Building and Plumbing Commission: Plumbing compliance certificates
- Building and Plumbing Commission: New BPC putting consumers first from day one
- Energy Safe Victoria: Using gas safely
- Energy Safe Victoria: Heating your home with gas
- Victorian Legislation: Plumbing Regulations 2018
