Swimming pool building work
You must have a licence or certificate to do swimming pool building work. You need the required qualifications and experience before you apply.
Key information
- In NSW, you need a contractor licence to do any residential building or trade work, including swimming pool building, which is valued at more than $5000 in labour and materials (including GST).
- There are different types of licences and certificates available depending on the work you need to do.
- You must have the right qualifications and experience before you can apply for a licence or certificate.
- You can apply for a 1, 3 or 5 year licence or certificate.
What is swimming pool building work?
Swimming pool building is in the other building category of work.
Swimming pool building refers to all work involved in the construction, renovation, alteration, repair, extension, maintenance, decorative or protective treatment of a swimming pool.
It includes all other work directly associated with a swimming pool installation such as landscaping, safety fencing, pool water filtration and heating.
Any other work not directly associated with the correct and safe installation and functioning of a swimming pool is excluded.
Swimming pool building also includes all work referred to in the swimming pool repairs and servicing work category.
Any contract for swimming pool building can include any specialist work that needs to be done as part of the overall job. A holder of an appropriate endorsed contractor licence or qualified supervisor certificate in the relevant category can subcontract to do this work.
To learn more about what is considered swimming pool building work, see the definition in schedule 4 of the Home Building Regulation 2014.
You must have a contractor licence to carry out, advertise or contract for building or trade work that is valued at more than $5,000 in labour and materials (including GST).
You can be fined $22,000 as an individual or $110,000 as a company under the Home Building Act 1989 for doing unlicensed work.
Applying for a licence or certificate
Licence types you can apply for
There are different types of licences available in NSW depending on whether you want to:
- contract to do the work,
- supervise work,
- do the work, or
- do a combination of these roles.
The licence types that apply to this category of work are:
- Individual contractor licence (or endorsed contractor licence)
- Company or partnership contractor licence
- Qualified supervisor certificate
You can apply for these licence types for 1, 3 or 5 years.
You can also get started with applying for your licence or certificate at Service NSW.
Time frames for licensing and registration applications
Find out about the current application processing times for different licence and registration categories.
Qualifications and experience needed
To get a licence or certificate to do swimming pool building work, you must complete one of the qualifications listed below.
Note: If you are currently bankrupt, we cannot issue you a contractor’s licence for the categories of building or swimming pool building work.
- CPC40820 (current) Certificate IV in Swimming Pool and Spa Building, including the following electives:
- CPCCBC4003 Select, prepare and administer a construction contract;
- BSBOPS304 Deliver and monitor a service to customers; and
- CPCCBC4024 Resolve business disputes.
- CPCSPS4003 Install swimming pool & spa subsoil drainage, and
- CPCSPS4004 Install swimming pool & spa circulation systems & components,
- and one of the following:
- CPCSPS4008 Install above-ground swimming pool, or
- CPCSPS4011 Install precast concrete swimming pools, or
- CPCSPS4006 Apply sprayed concrete to shape and finish swimming pools and spas, or
- CPCSPS4005 Install prefabricated fibreglass swimming pools;
OR
- CPC40808 Certificate IV In Swimming Pool and Spa Building
- A Licence Skills Assessment formerly conducted by the Building Industry Skills Centre and a minimum of four years acceptable practical experience if you started or completed both the assessment and experience prior to 29 March 2010.
You may not need to show your qualifications if you have
either:
- ever held an endorsed contractor licence or qualified supervisor certificate in swimming pool building that had no restrictions or conditions. If you apply for a new endorsed contractor licence or qualified supervisor certificate, we will accept your previous licence or certificate in place of the current qualification requirements.
or:
- held an endorsed contractor licence or qualified supervisor certificate in the last 5 years in swimming pool building that had restrictions or conditions. We will assess your application and reissue you a licence or certificate that reflects the scope of work that your licence or certificate covered. This may include some conditions or restrictions.
If your application is approved, you will be issued the same licence or qualified supervisor number you had before.
To find organisations that deliver nationally recognised training, go to https://www.yourcareer.gov.au/learn-and-train/courses and search via the course code or name.
If you are currently an apprentice or trainee, you cannot be issued with a licence or certificate. Once you have completed your apprenticeship or traineeship, you will need to apply for a contractor licence if you intend to do, or contract for, building or trade work.
If you hold a licence from interstate or New Zealand, and want to work in NSW, see Working interstate and mutual recognition.
This category of building and trade work is included under the NSW Automatic Mutual Recognition (AMR) scheme.
If you trained overseas, see Overseas trained applicants.
Do not make false or misleading claims
Providing false or misleading information is a serious offence.
If your license was obtained based on false or misleading information, you could face criminal prosecution, and your licence or certificate may be cancelled.
Builders' continuing professional development (CPD)
If you are an individual who holds a swimming pool building or a general building licence or certificate, you need to complete continuing professional development (CPD) each year as a condition of your licence renewal.
You must keep a diary record of your CPD participation, including documentary proof where possible. You are not required to send these records to Fair Trading, however, you must be able to prove that you complied with CPD requirements, or face the possibility of losing your licence.
Details of the current CPD program are explained on our Commissioners guidelines for continuing professional development page.
What would you like to do now?
Get in touch with Building Commission NSW
Need help with an application or want to know more about training and accreditation? Get in touch with Building Commission NSW.