You can check a builder in a few minutes on the free public register of Licensed Building Practitioners (LBPs), run by MBIE. Search their name or practitioner number, then check their licence class matches the job.
This guide covers what an LBP is, what work needs one, how to read the register and what to ask for. It is general information, not legal advice.
The quick check
- Ask the builder for their LBP licence ID. The LBP website says it is a digital licence or a printout of one, with a QR code you can scan to see their credentials.
- Search the public register by name, practitioner number, town or company.
- Check the status shows as licensed, not just that a record exists. The search has a box to include practitioners who are not currently licensed, so read the result.
- Check the licence class fits the work (see the classes below).
- Look at the licence history and any discipline. The register page says it shows whether an LBP has been disciplined in the last three years.
- Use the register only to check a practitioner. The register page says section 307 of the Building Act 2004 stops you using the information for other purposes.
If the builder does not have a licence ID to show, or you cannot find them, ask why before you go any further.
What an LBP is
The LBP website describes LBPs as building practitioners who have been assessed as competent to carry out building work that is essential to the structure or weathertightness of residential buildings. All LBPs must follow a code of ethics, which has applied since 25 October 2022.
A licence shows a person was assessed as competent. It does not show how good a particular job will be, and it does not replace a written contract or your own questions.
What restricted building work is
Restricted building work (RBW) is work only an LBP in the right class may do or supervise. The LBP website says work is generally RBW when all of these apply:
- it is design, construction or alteration of a building
- the building is a residential house of any height, or a small to medium apartment building under 10 metres tall
- the building is purely residential
- the work relates to the primary structure, to external moisture management, or to the design of fire safety systems in a multi-unit building
It can include work that does not need a building consent. From 15 January 2026, small standalone dwellings up to 70 square metres (often called granny flats) can be built without a building consent, but the LBP website says some of that work is still RBW and must be done by an LBP.
If you are unsure whether your job is RBW, the LBP website says a licensed designer should be able to help, or you can ask your council.
What the licence classes mean
The LBP website says there are 7 licence classes, based on specific roles or occupations that are crucial to a building’s performance:
- Design
- Site
- Carpentry
- Roofing
- External Plastering
- Brick and Blocklaying
- Foundations
LBPs must not carry out or supervise RBW outside their class. Every class except Carpentry has areas of practice, which are specialised types of work inside the class. Design and Site have areas of practice 1 to 3, tied to three categories of building. The register’s drop-down for Roofing lists areas such as profiled metal roof, concrete or clay tile roof, membrane roofs and shingle or slate. The website says an LBP is not restricted to their area of practice, but must only do work they are competent to do.
So a Carpentry LBP is not automatically licensed to re-roof, and a Roofing LBP is not automatically licensed to build a deck’s structure.
The register page also lists some people who are treated as licensed because they hold other registrations, so they are not on the LBP register. It points to the architects register and Engineering New Zealand for Site and Design work. Electrical workers are not LBPs and have their own register.
Paperwork you should see
- Written contract. The Building Performance website says a building contractor must provide a written contract for residential work costing $30,000 or more including GST. The regulations set the prescribed minimum price at $30,000 including GST, and section 362F of the Building Act says a contract at that level must be in writing and dated. The page was last updated in 2016, so check the current rules if you can.
- Notice to council. The LBP website says that before RBW starts under a building consent, the owner must give the council written notice of the name of every LBP engaged to do or supervise it.
- Record of work. The Building Practitioners Board’s complaints page says an LBP must give the owner and the council a record of work when restricted building work is finished. Keep it with your house records.
Red flags
These are things to pause on, based on what the official sources require. None proves a problem on its own.
- No licence ID, or a licence ID that does not match what you find on the register.
- Licensed on the register, but in a class that does not cover your job.
- Says the work is “not restricted” or “doesn’t need paperwork” without checking with your council.
- No written contract on a job of $30,000 or more including GST.
- Will not tell you which LBP will supervise or do the restricted work.
If something goes wrong
Talk to the builder first. If that does not fix it, the Building Practitioners Board takes complaints about LBPs. The grounds include negligent or incompetent work, work that does not comply with a building consent and failing to provide a record of work. The Board cannot hear payment or contract disputes.
For someone doing RBW without a licence, the LBP website says to contact your council (a building consent authority) or MBIE through the Building Performance website.
How GoodTradie helps
GoodTradie is a referral service, not a builder. On roofing jobs we look the roofer up on the LBP register before we book them. We do not match builders for new builds or renovations at the moment, so use this guide whoever you hire for that kind of work. You can type a roofing job into the box at the top of the page.
Sources
- Licensed Building Practitioners, Find an LBP (page undated)
- Licensed Building Practitioners, When you need an LBP (page undated)
- Licensed Building Practitioners, Restricted Building Work (page undated)
- Licensed Building Practitioners, Licensing classes (page undated)
- Licensed Building Practitioners, Making a complaint (page undated)
- Licensed Building Practitioners, Complaints about non-LBPs (page undated)
- MBIE, LBP public register search
- Building Performance, Contracts (last updated 21 March 2016)
- Building (Residential Consumer Rights and Remedies) Regulations 2014
- Building Act 2004, section 362F