Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Licensing New South Wales

A licence from Fair Trading is required before any air-conditioning and/or refrigeration work can be undertaken in NSW, regardless of the cost of the work and whether the work is residential, commercial, or industrial. Tradespeople handling refrigerants will also need to obtain a Commonwealth Government refrigerant handling licence through the Australian Refrigeration Council.

Scope of Licence

Air-conditioning work

Under the Regulation, air-conditioning work is:

  • any work required to install, maintain and service an air-conditioning system (other than a self-contained single-phase plug-in domestic air-conditioning system) in a structure, building, vessel, container, or railway vehicle
  • work required to comply with the requirements of Australian Standard AS 1668.2 – 2002, The use of ventilation and air-conditioning in buildings, Part 2: Ventilation design for indoor air contaminant control
  • work required to comply with the requirements of Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 3666:2002, Air-handling and water systems of buildings – Microbial control, relating to the maintenance of cooling towers,
  • associated electrical wiring work of the kind described in the section below.

Refrigeration work

Under the Regulation, refrigeration work is:

  • any work required to install, maintain and service a refrigeration system (other than a self-contained single-phase plug-in domestic refrigeration system) in a structure, building, vessel, container or vehicle
  • work required to comply with the requirements of Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1677:1998, Refrigerating Systems
  • associated electrical wiring work of the kind described in the section below.

Associated electrical wiring work

The Regulation also refers to associated electrical wiring work, which consists of electrical wiring work relating to the general servicing and maintenance of an air-conditioning system or a refrigeration system, involving any of the following:

  • testing of, and diagnosis of problems in, control and power circuits and electrical equipment and electric motors
  • disconnection and reconnection of electrical components designed to be permanently connected
  • the replacement of electrical components on the load side of the mains supply
  • the repair and adjustment (in accordance with normal trade practice) of electrical components,
  • the repair, replacement or making good of cable terminations or defective electrical wiring,
  • minor alterations to electrical wiring.

Remember, it is an offence to undertake air conditioning or refrigeration work except with a licence. You can be fined $22,000 as an individual or $110,000 if you are a company for doing this type of work unlicensed.

Please click on the below state link to understand what qualification you will require for your trade license.

Qualification required for your trade license

Completion of one of the following qualifications:

  • UEE32211 Certificate III in Air conditioning and Refrigeration
  • UEE31307 Certificate III in Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning
  • UEE31306 Certificate III in Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning
  • UTE30999 Certificate III in Electrotechnology (Refrigeration and Air Conditioning)

OR

If you have ever held a NSW licence in air conditioning and/or refrigeration and you apply for an equivalent licence, your former licence will be accepted in lieu of the current qualification requirements.

Please contact your state’s licensing body for up-to-date information as requirements do change. ITEC Australia is not an RTO or licensing body

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The links below provide specific information by industries

The links below will let you know which qualification you will need to get your licence. Alternatively, fill out the GET IN TOUCH form or
call 1300 535 922 and one of our specialists will help you get qualified