Licensing demerit points

Licensing demerit points are points a building regulator records against a licensee when it takes action for a breach. They work like driver demerit points: each recorded breach attracts a number of points, and once the total crosses a threshold within a set period, the regulator can suspend or cancel the licence. In Queensland this is the QBCC demerit-points scheme; other states run comparable disciplinary registers.

The point of the scheme is that it is a separate lever from fines. A penalty infringement notice costs money; demerit points threaten the licence itself, which is the right to trade. A builder can absorb a fine and keep working, but accumulated points put the business at risk, so the scheme bites harder on repeat or serious conduct.

How it typically works:

• A recorded breach (for example failing to rectify defective work, or breaching a direction) attracts a set number of points.
• Points sit on the record for a defined window (commonly a few years).
• Reaching the threshold in that window triggers automatic consequences, escalating from suspension to cancellation and, for serious cases, exclusion.

For a builder the practical points are to treat directions and rectification notices seriously (ignoring one is often the breach that attracts points), to keep your own record clean because points follow the licensee and, in some schemes, related entities and directors, and to check your standing before licence renewal. A stop-work order or a direction to rectify is the kind of trigger that, left unactioned, converts into points.

Also known as: Disciplinary demerit points, QBCC demerit points, licence demerit scheme.

Category: Licensing / Compliance.

Related

• Demerit point
• Builders licence renewal (QLD)
• Stop-work orders

See also

• Construction Occupations Registrar

References

• Builders licence renewal QLD (Chalkline) (verified 2026-06-09)

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Last updated: 2026-06-09. Verified: 2026-06-09. Quarterly review for currency.