When a WA door job needs a registered builder
Building and Energy says a registered building contractor is needed only when three things line up: the work needs a building permit, it is in the prescribed area of the state, and it is worth $20,000 or more. Where the work relates to a Class 10a building, the non-habitable kind such as a garage, carport or shed, the registration figure is $50,000 instead.
The prescribed area takes in 122 local government areas. Building and Energy's list of work that needs no builder registration includes glazing, timber decking and cabinet making, and its pages do not mention garage doors either way.
So door work carries no licence of its own in WA. Before work starts, ask whether your job needs a building permit, because that is what brings builder registration into play. Building and Energy's licence and registration search links to the WA Online Licence Search if you want to look a builder up.
Openers and wiring in WA
WA law requires all electrical work to be done by someone holding the relevant electrical licence. That means a licensed electrical contractor, who must employ licensed electricians, with licences issued by the Electrical Licensing Board.
Putting a power point near the ceiling for an opener, or hard-wiring one, is that contractor's job. Building and Energy's advice is blunt: never attempt your own electrical work.
Licence numbers tell you who is who: EC at the front for an electrical contractor, EW for a licensed electrician. Under regulation 33 of the Electricity (Licensing) Regulations 1991 it is an offence to advertise or hold out as an electrical contractor without a licence, and regulation 45(1) says the licence number must be clearly shown in any ad.
The Electrical Safety Certificate
WA calls its compliance certificate the Electrical Safety Certificate. After electrical installing work, the contractor must give you a copy within 28 days of finishing, so note the date the job was done.
Wind-rated doors, from region B north
The NCC 2022 Housing Provisions require garage doors in openings up to 3 m high in wind regions C and D to meet AS/NZS 4505. Western Australia's variation of that clause adds wind region B.
The ABCB's note on the WA variation says that in region B, including B2, designers must allow for higher pressures inside the building and use a cyclonic wind classification rather than a non-cyclonic one. NCC 2025 applies in WA from 1 May 2026, with a 12 month transition.
The WA Tropical Cyclone Preparedness Guide (August 2020) puts Geraldton in region B, Broome in region C, and Port Hedland and Karratha in region D. Building and Energy describes region D as unique to WA, a band about 50km wide along the north-west coast from around Port Hedland to Carnarvon.
That guide lists garage doors blown in or out among the most common cyclone damage in north-west towns. It recommends wind and debris rated doors, and a temporary bracing system to put in place before a cyclone.
Bushfire prone areas
If the WA Map of Bush Fire Prone Areas touches even a small part of a block, the Shire of Capel says the whole property counts as bushfire prone.
The City of Joondalup notes the construction requirements apply to new building work, not to existing structures, while Capel adds that extensions and renovations may still have to meet AS 3959. For a door on that land, the BAL assessment and the building surveyor set what it must meet.
WA rules at a glance
| The rule | Who says so | |
|---|---|---|
| Registered builder | Permit work in the prescribed area worth $20,000 or more, or $50,000 for a Class 10a building | Building and Energy |
| Electrical work | A licensed electrical contractor employing licensed electricians | Building and Energy |
| Certificate | An Electrical Safety Certificate within 28 days of installing work | Building and Energy |
| Ads for electrical work | The contractor's licence number, clearly shown | Electricity (Licensing) Regulations 1991 |
| Wind-rated doors | AS/NZS 4505 in wind regions B, C and D | NCC 2022, WA variation |
Questions to ask before a WA door job
- Does this job need a building permit, and who applies for it?
- Does the opener need a new power point, and which electrical contractor will put it in?
- What is that contractor's EC number?
- If the home is in wind region B, C or D, does the new door meet AS/NZS 4505?
- On bushfire prone land, does the door need to meet the home's BAL?
What we would do
If your town is in wind region B, C or D, ask for the AS/NZS 4505 rating to be written on the quote, not just mentioned on site. While you are at it, ask whether a temporary brace for cyclone season comes with the door or is extra.