Trades and construction marketing
Advertising rules
for tradies.
In most states, trade and building ads must show your licence details, and online ads count. NSW wants your name and licence number on ads, including internet ads, and Queensland names websites, social media pages, online directories and vehicles. On top of that, Australian Consumer Law applies everywhere: claims you can prove and a single total price.
Written by Dan Picken, a marketer who checks the sources. Last checked 2 November 2026.Why licence numbers
go on ads.
Licensing rules exist so customers can check who they're hiring, and most states extend that to advertising. NSW wants your name or registered business name, licence number and category, and a business phone number on ads, internet ads included. Queensland spells it out most clearly: your ad needs the name on your licence, a statement that you're licensed under the QBCC Act, and the licence number, legible and reasonably prominent, and that includes your van and your Facebook page.
The rules carry penalties. In South Australia the maximum for not showing your licence number is $5,000, and in WA it's up to $25,000 for registered builders.
It's also good marketing. Customers are told to check licences before they hire. A number they can find in two seconds is one less reason to ring someone else.
Check your
state and trade.
Pick your state and trade. Each answer links to the regulator's page so you can read the rule yourself. Where an official source couldn't be found, it says so.
Ad rules checker
What must your
ads show?
Pick your state and trade. You'll see what licence details your ads need, whether online ads count, and the official page to check. Checked 2 November 2026.
The rules
by state.
A summary for building work. Electrical, plumbing and gas can differ: use the checker above.
| State | What building ads must show | Online counts? |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Name or registered business name, licence number and category, and a business phone number (home building work over $5,000, and specialist trades at any value) | Yes, internet ads are named |
| QLD | Licence name, 'licensed under the QBCC Act', licence number | Yes, including social media and vehicles |
| VIC | Practitioner's name and registration number on ads and written offers for domestic building work | Yes, including social media |
| WA | Registration number (registered builders and painters) | Websites named |
| SA | Name or registered business name, and licence number | Not stated, so assume yes |
| TAS | Not confirmed for builders. Not required for electrical, plumbing and gas | n/a |
| ACT | Licence needed to advertise. Ad content not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| NT | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
Rules that apply
in every state.
Australian Consumer Law sits over all of it, and the ACCC's guidance is plain.
- Total price: If you show a price in parts, the full total must be shown, at least as prominently. '$1,000 + GST' on its own isn't allowed.
- 'Free quote': Fine if it's free. If there's a call-out fee or a condition, it can't sit only in the fine print.
- Claims: 'Cheapest on the Coast', 'fully insured', '20 years experience': you need reasonable grounds and the ability to prove them. Intent doesn't matter.
- Reviews: No fake ones, and no hiding the bad ones. The ACCC's rules on reviews apply to tradies as much as shops.
Where your licence
number should go.
The rules talk about 'advertisements'. In practice that's anywhere you promote the business. A simple list to work through:
- Website: the footer of every page, and on each service page.
- Google Business Profile: in the business description.
- Facebook and Instagram: the page's about section, and in ads where the state requires it.
- Google Ads: in the ad itself where your state requires it (an asset or description line), and on every landing page. Do not rely on the landing page alone.
- Vehicle signage, uniforms, flyers and letterbox drops.
- Every quote and invoice.
What I see most often
What I see
most often.
- 1
Number on the website, nowhere else
It's in the footer, but not on the Facebook page, the Google profile or the landing page the ads go to.
- 2
'Licensed and insured' with no number
The claim is there, the proof isn't. A customer who checks has nothing to check.
- 3
'Free quote' with a call-out fee
The fee turns up in small print or on the phone. That is exactly what the ACCC warns about.
- 4
Prices without GST
'From $199 + GST' in an ad aimed at homeowners. The total needs to be there too.
The honest bit. This page is a marketing summary, not legal advice. Rules change and some details here couldn't be confirmed from an official source. If you're unsure, ask your regulator or your industry association: they get this question all the time.
Questions
people ask.
Do tradies have to put their licence number on ads?
In most states, yes. NSW, Queensland, Victoria, WA and SA all require licence or registration details on ads for at least some trades. In Queensland that includes websites, social media and vehicles.
Does a Facebook page count as an ad?
In NSW, the rule covers internet ads. Queensland says yes outright: social media pages are covered. Victoria's building rule covers all print and online advertising, including social media. Elsewhere, assume it does.
Can I advertise a 'free quote'?
Yes, if it's genuinely free. If there's a call-out fee or condition, the ACCC says it can't be hidden in the fine print.
Do I have to show prices including GST?
If you show a price, the single total price must be there, at least as prominent as any part of it.
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