Showing Your Licence Number Online in Victoria: What Tradies Need to Know
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In Victoria, registered electrical contractors must show their REC number on promotional material, and domestic builders must show the responsible practitioner's name and registration number in advertising. Websites count as advertising. For other trades, such as plumbers, showing your licence or registration number isn't always a stated advertising rule, but it lets customers check you on the public register and builds trust. Put it in your footer so it's on every page.
Which trades must show a number?
| Trade | What to show | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Registered electrical contractor | REC number on all promotional material, including ads | Energy Safe Victoria |
| Domestic builder | Name and registration number of the responsible building practitioner, clearly legible | VBA |
| Plumber | We didn't find a stated advertising rule; show your licence or registration number as good practice | BPC register |
| Health practitioner | Follow Ahpra's advertising rules | Ahpra |
Rules change, and other licensed occupations have their own regulators. Check with yours before publishing.
Where should the number go on your website?
- The footer, so it appears on every page
- Next to the main call button or quote form on the homepage
- On your About page, with the licence class or registration type
- On quotes, invoices and email signatures too
Placement is our general guidance; the rules require the number to appear, and for builders to be clearly legible.
Electricians: REC number versus licence number
Your electrical licence and your REC registration are different things. Energy Safe Victoria's advertising rule refers to the REC number, so make sure that's the one on your website (Energy Safe Victoria). More in electrician websites in Melbourne.
Builders: name and registration number
The VBA notice says advertising for domestic building work must carry the name and registration number of the responsible building practitioner, and both must be clearly legible (VBA). If your company holds the registration, make clear who will do the work. More in builder website design in Melbourne.
Why show it even when it isn't required?
- Customers can check you on the public register before calling
- It separates you from unlicensed operators
- It answers a question many customers have but don't ask
- It's consistent with the details you'll need for platforms that screen businesses. See Google Local Services Ads in Australia
Don't forget other places you advertise
The same rules apply wherever you advertise: Google Business Profile, Facebook, vans, flyers and directory listings. Keep the number identical everywhere. See what an Australian business website must show.
Who regulates which trade in Victoria now?
The Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) came into being on 1 July 2025 and brought together the Victorian Building Authority and other bodies (VBA). Some older notices and pages still carry the VBA name during the changeover. In short:
| Trade | Regulator | Public check |
|---|---|---|
| Builders and plumbers | Building and Plumbing Commission | BPC find and check a practitioner |
| Electrical contractors | Energy Safe Victoria | Energy Safe Victoria |
| Registered health practitioners | Ahpra and the national boards | Ahpra |
If your trade isn't listed, search your regulator's website for "advertising" before you publish anything.
What does the builders' rule actually say?
The VBA notice explains that sections 169H and 169I of the Building Act 1993 require all advertising and written offers relating to domestic building work to carry the name and registration number of the responsible building practitioner (VBA). A few details matter for websites:
- If you hold a company registration, your advertising must show whether you or your company will do the work
- Both the name and the registration number must be clearly legible, so not tiny grey text in a busy footer
- Practitioners in a partnership must include their name and registration number on advertising and written quotes for all types of building work
"Written offers" means your quotes and proposals count too, not just ads. Put the same details on your quote template.
How do customers check you?
The BPC tells consumers to check a builder or plumber is registered or licensed before engaging them, and not to rely only on advertising, business cards, quotes or what someone tells them (BPC). Its search lets people look up a practitioner by name, business name, registration or licence number, location or type of work.
That has a few practical consequences for your website:
- The name on your website should match the name on the register, or explain the link, such as "Smith Building, a trading name of J Smith Pty Ltd"
- Your number should be easy to copy, so customers can paste it straight into the search
- A short line such as "Check our registration on the BPC website" with a link shows you've got nothing to hide
Where else should the number appear online?
Your website isn't the only place customers see you. Keep the same number, in the same format, in each of these:
| Place | Where to put it | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Business description, and on photos of signed vans | Don't add it to the business name field; Google's guidelines say the name should match your real-world name (Google) |
| Facebook and Instagram | About section or bio | The rules cover advertising, so include it in ads that offer building or electrical work |
| Directory listings | Licence field if there is one, or the description | Old listings showing an expired number |
| Email signature | Under your name and phone | Different staff using different versions |
| Quotes and invoices | Header or footer | Templates from before your registration changed |
Vehicles, signs and printed material
Energy Safe Victoria's rule for electrical contractors covers all promotional material, not just websites (Energy Safe Victoria). For builders, the rule covers advertising and written offers about domestic building work (VBA). In practice that means checking:
- Vehicle signage and trailer wraps
- Site signs and fence banners
- Flyers, letterbox drops and fridge magnets
- Business cards and brochures
- Trade show and sponsorship materials
Reprinting a van wrap costs money, so get the number right before anything goes to the printer.
What if your licence or registration changes?
Numbers change when you move from an individual to a company registration, add a new class, or change business structure. When that happens:
- Update your website footer and About page the same day
- Update your Google Business Profile, social media and directory listings
- Change quote, invoice and email signature templates
- Plan replacements for signage and printed material
- Keep a note of the date you changed each item, in case a customer or regulator asks
A simple list of everywhere your number appears makes the next change quick. For checking that your name, address and phone match everywhere too, see how to check NAP consistency.
| Mistake | Why it's a problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Showing an electrical licence number instead of the REC number | Energy Safe Victoria's advertising rule refers to the REC number | Show the REC number, and the licence number too if you like |
| Number only on the Contact page | Ads and landing pages may not include it | Put it in the site-wide footer |
| Tiny, low-contrast text | Builders' details must be clearly legible | Use readable size and contrast |
| Company name on the site, individual's number only | Customers can't tell who'll do the work | Say whether you or your company will do the work |
| Old number after a change | Customers find a mismatch on the register | Keep a list of everywhere it appears |
Most of these take ten minutes to fix once you know about them.
Adapt these to your own details. Keep them on one line where you can, and make sure the text is large enough to read on a phone.
- Electrician: "[Business name] | ABN [number] | REC [number]"
- Domestic builder (company): "[Company name] Pty Ltd, registered building practitioner [number]. Works carried out by [Company name] Pty Ltd."
- Domestic builder (individual): "[Your name], registered domestic builder [number], trading as [Business name]"
- Plumber: "[Business name] | Licensed plumber [number] | Check our registration on the BPC website"
These are examples, not legal wording. Check the exact requirements with your regulator, especially if your business structure is unusual.
Morphic builds Victorian tradie websites with licence and registration numbers in the right places from day one. We're not lawyers, so confirm the rules with your regulator. Get a free quote, or book a 30-minute call.
Related service. tradie websites.
Related reading: Plumber websites in Melbourne and The Tradie Website Checklist.
Key Takeaways
Victorian RECs must show their REC number on all promotional material.
Domestic builders must show the practitioner's name and registration number.
Other trades should show their number anyway as a trust signal.
Put it in the footer and near the main call button.
Use the same number everywhere you advertise.
Emon Datta
Founder, Morphic Agency
Morphic Agency is a Melbourne-based UX design agency. We've shipped 50+ products across 15+ countries.
