Rules and complianceFor builders
What QBCC licence details do builders need to show in their advertising?
Short answer
If you hold a QBCC licence, Queensland law requires any advertisement connected with your business to show the name you are licensed under, a statement that you are licensed under the QBCC Act, and your licence number. The advertisement must not be misleading, and written details have to be easy to read. The QBCC treats websites, social media pages, online directories and vehicle signage as advertising, and says a trading name on its own will most likely not comply.
Builders advertise in a lot of places: a website, a Google Business Profile, social media pages, directory listings, paid ads and the side of the ute. In Queensland, licence details have to go with that advertising. This article sets out what the law and the QBCC actually say, then how that translates channel by channel.
The rule in plain English
Section 54 of the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 (the QBCC Act) applies to anyone who holds a licence under that Act. When you publish an advertisement in connection with your business — or have someone publish it for you — the advertisement must (QBCC Act, s 54):
- contain the name you are licensed under;
- state that you are licensed under the QBCC Act, and give your licence number;
- not include false or misleading information, or leave out information in a way that makes it misleading; and
- meet any other requirements set by regulation.
The regulation adds one requirement about presentation: written details must be easy to read, and spoken details must be no less audible and clear than the rest of what is said (QBCC Regulation, s 50). The QBCC’s guidance also asks for licence details to be “reasonably prominent” in written or visual material (QBCC, Advertising).
Whose name and licence number to show
- A licence in your own name. Show that name and that licence number.
- A company licence. If your business operates through a company that holds the licence, the QBCC says to show the company’s name and the company’s licence number (QBCC, Advertising).
- A trading name. You can use one, but the QBCC says it must be accompanied by your licence name. The QBCC does not license trading names, and it says an advertisement with only the trading name will most likely be non-compliant (QBCC, Advertising).
- A partnership with someone who is not licensed. A licensed contractor can carry on business under the licence in partnership with an unlicensed person, on conditions. One of them is that advertising for that business states the name the licensed contractor is licensed under, that the contractor is licensed under the Act, and the contractor’s licence number (QBCC Act, s 56; QBCC Regulation, s 52).
What counts as advertising
The QBCC says an advertisement includes, but is not limited to (QBCC, Advertising):
- websites;
- social media pages, such as a company Facebook page;
- online service directories, such as Gumtree, hipages and ServiceSeeking;
- newspaper ads;
- posters, brochures, flyers and business cards;
- vehicle signage;
- radio and television commercials, including online;
- on-hold messages;
- Yellow Pages ads;
- billboards; and
- signage at home shows.
The same page says you do not need to put your licence number on high-vis shirts and vests.
Where to put your details, channel by channel
For each channel, “What the sources say” is what the law or the QBCC says. “A practical approach” is our suggestion for applying it — not a rule from the QBCC, and not a guarantee that an advertisement complies. Where the sources do not settle a question, we say so.
Website
What the sources say: websites are on the QBCC’s list (QBCC, Advertising).
A practical approach: put your licensed name, the statement that you are licensed under the QBCC Act and your licence number in the site footer, so they appear on every page, and on your contact page. See how we approach websites for tradies.
Social media pages
What the sources say: “social media pages” are on the list. The QBCC page does not say whether each individual post needs the details.
A practical approach: put the details in the profile or About section of each page, which is where the page itself shows who you are. That does not settle whether individual posts also need them; the sources do not answer that, so ask the QBCC if you need certainty. Paid or boosted posts are ads you pay to show, so treat them like the paid ads below. More on our social media work.
Paid ads on Google and Meta
What the sources say: section 54 applies to any advertisement a licensee publishes in connection with their business, and it sets out no exception for short or small-format advertisements (QBCC Act, s 54). We did not find QBCC guidance written specifically for search ads or other short-format online ads.
What the sources leave open: how the required details should be presented in an ad with very little space. We cannot answer that from the sources. Showing your details on the page the ad links to is good practice, but it is not a substitute for what section 54 requires of the advertisement itself. Before you run ads in these formats, ask the QBCC how the rule applies to them. More on Google Ads and Meta Ads.
Google Business Profile
What the sources say: online service directories are on the QBCC’s list; the QBCC does not name Google Business Profile. Google says your business name should reflect your real-world name, without unnecessary information (Google).
A practical approach: Google’s guidelines rule out adding licence details to the business name field, so keep it as your real business name. The sources do not say whether the QBCC treats a Business Profile as advertising, or where in a profile the details should appear. Showing them elsewhere in the profile, such as the business description, is our cautious suggestion, not a confirmed way to comply; ask the QBCC if you need certainty. More on Google Business Profile.
Directory listings
What the sources say: online service directories are on the list.
A practical approach: check that your licensed name and licence number are displayed on the public listing, not only stored in your account.
Vehicles, signs and print
What the sources say: vehicle signage, posters, brochures, flyers, business cards, billboards and home show signage are on the list.
A practical approach: use a size that is easy to read at the distance people will see it.
Radio, video and on-hold messages
What the sources say: radio and television commercials (including online) and on-hold messages are on the list.
A practical approach: say the details as clearly as the rest of the script.
The QBCC logo
The QBCC says its logo cannot be used on your own promotional material at all. Linking to the QBCC website from your own site is fine (QBCC, Advertising).
Not misleading, either
Section 54 also rules out false or misleading information, and omissions that make an advertisement misleading. The Act gives two examples: saying that particular work may only lawfully be done by a licensee when an unlicensed person could lawfully do it, and saying work must be done by a particular date to comply with a law when the law sets no such deadline (QBCC Act, s 54).
When a different rule applies
- You do not hold a contractor’s licence. If you advertise that you are available to carry out building work without holding a contractor’s licence, a separate section applies: the advertisement must state the value of the work you are entitled to carry out without a licence (QBCC Act, s 53C). The QBCC’s page explains the wording it expects (QBCC, Advertising).
- You hold another kind of licence as well. This article covers licences issued under the QBCC Act. If part of your work needs a licence from a different regulator — an electrical licence, for example — check that regulator’s own advertising rules too.
A quick checklist
- My licensed name appears — not only my trading name.
- My advertising states that I am licensed under the QBCC Act, with my licence number.
- If a company holds the licence, the company’s name and licence number are the ones shown.
- Written details are easy to read, on a phone as well as a desktop.
- My website, social media pages, directory listings, vehicles and printed material all carry the details.
- I do not use the QBCC logo.
- Nothing in my advertising misstates what the law requires.
Licence details are one of the things people check before they contact a builder. Our Builders page covers the others.
About this article
This is a plain-English summary of sections 53C, 54 and 56 of the QBCC Act, sections 50 and 52 of the QBCC Regulation and the QBCC’s published guidance, as checked on the dates listed under Sources. It is not legal advice, and LC Performance Marketing is a marketing agency, not a compliance adviser. If you are unsure how the rules apply to your business, ask the QBCC.
Sources
The sources this article relies on, and the day each was last checked.
- Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 — sections 53C, 54 and 56 — Queensland Legislation (Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel). Version in force from 1 February 2026. Checked .
- Queensland Building and Construction Commission Regulation 2018 — sections 50 and 52 — Queensland Legislation (Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel). Version in force from 1 September 2026. Checked .
- Advertising — Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC). The page shows last reviewed 30 August 2021 and last published 30 June 2025. Checked .
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google — Google Business Profile Help. Checked .
About the author
Alfred Jr. · LC Performance Marketing
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