Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004 (ACT)
COLA is the ACT statute licensing builders, surveyors, plumbers and electricians via the Construction Occupations Registrar. Carpenters aren't licensed in the ACT.
Ask Chalkline about this →The Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004 (ACT), known as COLA, is the principal ACT statute that licenses construction practitioners: builders, building surveyors, plumbers, drainers, gasfitters, and electricians. It is the ACT counterpart to the licensing parts of NSW’s Home Building Act, Queensland’s QBCC Act, and Victoria’s building law (verified 2026-05-25, ACT legislation).
Who must be licensed in the ACT:
- Builders, building surveyors, building assessors.
- Plumbers, drainers, gasfitters, plumbing plan certifiers.
- Electricians.
- Notably, carpenters and bricklayers do not need a licence in the ACT.
Who administers it: the Construction Occupations Registrar within Access Canberra, with a public register of licensed practitioners on the Access Canberra website. The Act carries the disciplinary and complaints processes, and works alongside the “operational Acts” (the Building Act 2004, Electricity Safety Act 1971, Gas Safety Act 2000) that set the technical requirements (verified 2026-05-25, Access Canberra).
For a builder working in the ACT:
- Hold the right COLA licence for the occupation. Do not assume an interstate licence covers you; licensing is state and territory based, with some mutual-recognition pathways.
- Check the Access Canberra register for any practitioner you engage.
- COLA is the licensing and conduct layer; the Building Act 2004 (ACT) is the technical and approvals layer.
Other jurisdictions: the NSW Home Building Act 1989, the QLD QBCC Act, and the VIC building law each license practitioners under their own scheme.
Also known as: COLA, ACT construction licensing law.
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Last updated: 2026-05-25. Verified: 2026-05-25. Quarterly review for currency.