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Quick answer
A QBCC Open builders licence is the unrestricted Builder class, authorising work on any building class, at any height, including Type A construction. It requires an Advanced Diploma of Building and Construction, Management (CPC60220), and 2 to 4 years of experience that genuinely reflects large, high-rise or complex project management.
Builder – Open sits at the top of QBCC’s three-tier Builder system, and it is the only class with no ceiling at all: no storey limit, no floor area cap, no construction type exclusion. That freedom comes with the highest qualification bar QBCC sets and an experience assessment that looks past years on the job to the genuine complexity of what you actually managed.
This guide explains exactly what Open authorises, the Advanced Diploma it requires, why QBCC assesses experience on complexity rather than tenure, and the mistakes that most often catch out builders upgrading from Medium Rise or Low Rise.
Table of Contents
1. What Is a QBCC Open Builders Licence?
The Builder – Open licence is the highest of QBCC’s three Builder classes, and the only one without a scope ceiling. It authorises you to contract, manage and supervise construction work on any building class, at any height, using any construction type, including the higher-risk Type A construction that Low Rise and Medium Rise cannot touch.
If you have not yet compared all three Builder classes side by side, the broader guide to QBCC Builder licences is a useful starting point before committing to the Open pathway specifically.
The senior-level pathway, not just “the top tier”
Open is generally treated as the qualification pathway for senior managers, principal contractors and directors, not simply the next box to tick after Medium Rise. The step up in both qualification and experience expectation reflects that.
2. What Work Does the Open Class Cover?
Open Builders can perform work within the scope of the Low Rise and Medium Rise classes as well, on top of everything those two classes exclude.
- ✓Building work on all classes of buildings, Class 1 through Class 10, with no gross floor area limit.
- ✓Buildings of any height, with no storey cap of any kind.
- ✓Type A construction, the higher fire-resistance and structural category excluded from both Low Rise and Medium Rise.
- ✓Large, high-rise and complex commercial or residential building projects of any scale.
The exclusions that still apply to Low Rise and Medium Rise, completed building inspections for an interested party, and personally performing work needing a separate fire protection, mechanical services or occupational licence, still apply to Open as well. Unrestricted scope of construction work does not mean unrestricted authority across every regulated discipline.
No ceiling, but not a licence for every discipline
Open removes every height and building-class restriction on general building work, but it still does not extend into occupational licences like plumbing, fire protection or mechanical services. Those require their own separate licences regardless of your Builder class.
3. The Technical Qualification: Advanced Diploma (CPC60220)
For Builder – Open, QBCC’s benchmark qualification is the Advanced Diploma of Building and Construction, Management (CPC60220), or a formally recognised equivalent. It is the highest-level nationally recognised qualification in the building and construction training package, built specifically around large, high-rise and complex building projects.
- ✓Covers units including applying building codes and standards to large building projects, structural principles for large and high-rise buildings, and assessing construction faults in large projects.
- ✓A Diploma of Building and Construction (CPC50220), the Medium Rise qualification, does not automatically satisfy the Open requirement, since it is focused on low-to-medium-rise work specifically.
- ✓Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is available for builders already working at this level, converting demonstrated senior experience into the formal qualification.
Builders who already hold a Certificate IV or Diploma and upgraded to Medium Rise may still need a fresh qualification step for Open, since the key variable is whether the existing qualification genuinely covers the building classes and construction types Open includes, particularly Type A construction.
Confirm equivalency before assuming your existing diploma counts
QBCC’s assessment of qualification equivalency varies case by case. Confirm exactly what your existing qualification covers before investing time building an Open-level experience case around it.
4. Experience: Why Complexity Matters More Than Years
Most Open applications need 2 to 4 years of experience, depending on the qualification pathway, but the number of years is only the starting point. QBCC’s assessors look for evidence that the actual complexity of your project history reflects genuine Open Builder-level work.
There is a common assumption among Medium Rise builders that stepping up to Open is largely a paperwork exercise, that a strong track record of successful Medium Rise projects should speak for itself. In practice, the Medium Rise to Open upgrade is one of the more demanding change-of-class applications QBCC assesses, precisely because the two scopes involve fundamentally different management challenges. Building a three-storey Class 2 apartment block and building a twelve-storey tower are not the same job scaled up, they involve different structural principles, different fire and safety systems, and different contract and risk frameworks entirely.
- ✓Document projects that genuinely involved large, high-rise or complex construction, not simply successful smaller projects repeated many times.
- ✓Ensure referees themselves hold a licence class appropriate to the work being verified.
- ✓Show your specific role and decision-making authority on each project, not just presence on site.
A Medium Rise licence cannot verify Open-level experience
A referee licensed only at Medium Rise level cannot verify experience on a project that exceeded Medium Rise scope. Confirm every referee holds a licence class genuinely appropriate to the specific work you are asking them to verify.
5. Open vs Medium Rise vs Low Rise
Seeing all three Builder classes together shows exactly how much ground Open covers compared to the other two.
There is also a related Site Supervisor – Open licence, achievable through four specific units drawn from the CPC60220 qualification, for builders who want to supervise high-rise and complex projects without holding the full Contractor-level Open licence. If your business is weighing up company structuring alongside an Open upgrade, the QBCC Company & Nominee Licence page explains how the nominee arrangement works alongside a Builder licence.
Open is a destination, not a default
Not every builder needs to reach Open. Plenty of successful, long-running businesses operate entirely within Low Rise or Medium Rise. Aim for Open when your genuine project pipeline demands it, not as an assumed end point.
6. Common Mistakes That Delay or Reject Applications
7. How QBCC Express Helps You Get an Open Builders Licence
An Open Builder application is the most demanding of the three Builder pathways, and it is assessed accordingly. QBCC Express helps builders and senior managers confirm the qualification pathway, structure a genuinely complexity-focused experience case, and prepare an application that anticipates the level of scrutiny QBCC applies to Open.
Start with the QBCC Builder licences page to confirm the right pathway, or use the QX Checker to sense-check where you currently stand.
Prepare for scrutiny, not a formality
Treat the Open application as a genuine assessment of senior-level capability, not a rubber stamp on an already-successful Medium Rise career. That mindset shift is often what separates a smooth approval from a stalled one.
8. FAQs
Does the Open licence let me build anything, anywhere?
It removes height, building class and construction type restrictions on general building work, but it does not replace separate occupational licences needed for plumbing, fire protection or mechanica
l services.
Can I upgrade from Medium Rise to Open using my existing Diploma?
Not automatically. CPC50220 is focused on low-to-medium-rise work, and QBCC generally requires CPC60220 or a formal equivalency assessment for the Open pathway.
Does successful Medium Rise experience automatically support an Open application?
Not on its own. QBCC assesses whether your experience genuinely reflects large, high-rise or complex project management, not just a track record of smaller successful projects.
How much experience do I need for an Open licence?
Typically 2 to 4 years depending on your qualification pathway, but the depth and complexity of that experience matters as much as the number of years.
Is there an Open licence for site supervisors, not just contractors?
Yes. A Site Supervisor – Open licence exists, achievable through four specific units drawn from the CPC60220 qualification, for supervising high-rise and complex work without holding the full Contrac
tor-level licence.
Where should I start if I want a QBCC open builders licence?
Start with the QBCC Builder licences page or contact QBCC Express with your current qualification and project history.
Ready to plan your Open builders licence pathway?
Get clarity on your qualification status and whether your project history genuinely supports an Open-level application before you commit to a course or lodge one.
