How to check a builder licence in the Northern Territory

In the Northern Territory, building contractors are registered with the Building Practitioners Board. Before you give a builder or contractor work, check their registration, not just the licence number on a quote.

Search the Board's register

The Board publishes a register of building practitioners. Start from the Building Practitioners Board and use its register search, or the registration check on the NT licensing site. You can search by name or by other details, and you need to fill in at least one field.

The register carries a notice that it may not always be accurate. If a result is unclear or does not match what you were told, confirm it with the Board directly before you rely on it.

Compare the result with the work

Registration is split by class, for example residential or commercial, and restricted or unrestricted. A class that fits a small residential job may not cover a larger commercial one. Compare the register with the work you plan to give them:

• Whether the registered person or business is the one you are contracting with.
• The class of registration, and whether it covers the type and size of work.
• The current status, and any conditions or restrictions.
• Whether other trades on the job need their own registration or licence.

Builders from other states

Some interstate builders can work in the NT under automatic mutual recognition. The NT Government lists which interstate building practitioners this covers on its interstate building practitioner page. Check that page, and check their home state register as well, before you assume they can work in the NT.

Keep a record

Record the date, the name and registration number you searched, the class, the result and any conditions. Keep a copy or a screenshot. Check again when the registration is due to expire, when the scope changes, or when a new contractor joins the job.

A missing record is not proof that someone is unregistered. It may be a name difference. Ask for the exact name on the registration, and check with the Board if it is still unclear.

Where Novato fits

For the Northern Territory, Novato links you to the official register and keeps your check as a manual review. You record the registration number, class, date and any conditions against the subcontractor, and the record stays with the project for audit and handover.

See how Novato records licence checks and manual reviews.

Source and review

Reviewed 31/10/2026 against the Building Practitioners Board and the NT Government builders and building certifiers page. Confirm current requirements with the Board for the actual work. This guide is not a full list of registration classes.