Building engineering practitioner registration - New

Building engineering practitioner registration

Building engineering practitioners are registered under the Building Services (Registration) Regulations 2011 by both area (civil, structural, mechanical, fire safety) and level (professional, technologist, associate). Each level has different experience, qualification, and competence requirements, as well as different scope of work.

Scope of work

The type and size of buildings that building engineering professionals, technologists and associates can work on are:

Professionals – professional and technical engineering work for unlimited size and type of buildings.

Technologists – technical engineering work for low and medium rise buildings, which are:

• Class 1 and 10 buildings; and
• Class 2-9 buildings up to a maximum of 3 storeys above a class 7a storey, but not Type A construction except for class 2, 3 and 9 buildings.

Associates – technical engineering work for low rise buildings, which are:

• Class 1 and 10 buildings; and
• Class 2-9 buildings up to 2000m2, of Type C construction only.

For fire systems technologists and associates the scope of work is different.

Fire systems technologists – technical fire systems engineering work for unlimited size and type of buildings.

Fire systems associates – technical fire systems engineering work for low and medium rise buildings, which are:

• Class 1 and 10 buildings; and
• Class 2-9 buildings up to a maximum of 3 storeys above a class 7a storey, but not Type A construction except for class 2, 3 and 9 buildings.

Specific activities – by area

The types of work captured under each area of building engineering prescribed for registration are described below.

The descriptions are a guide to what is covered under each area of building engineering for the purposes of the Regulations. It is the responsibility of each individual practitioner and contractor to consider how the Act and Regulations apply to the building engineering services they intend to undertake to determine whether, and in which area(s) and level(s) of building engineering, they need to be registered to provide those services.

Where building engineering work falls in the intersection of two or more areas, the engineer providing the services need only be registered in the most appropriate area. However, some work may expand across two or more areas of engineering. In that case the person must be registered in both or all areas of engineering. Alternatively, multiple engineers may be required to carry out the work.

Registration is currently only required for engineering work in the building industry. The descriptions in this guide therefore focus on the work within each area of engineering as it relates to buildings, as defined under the NCC. The full scope of work undertaken within the prescribed areas of engineering includes work in other industries, such as infrastructure and mining. However, registration is not required to do this work in WA.

Civil

Civil engineering deals with the research, design, construction and maintenance of the human-made environment. Civil engineering has many different areas of focus or specialty areas. The main areas of focus that relate to buildings are: structural, geotechnical, and hydraulic engineering.

Civil engineers working in the building industry can work with foundations and footing systems, construction materials, structural systems, and hydraulic supply and waste systems.

Building engineers providing professional or technical engineering services in any of the above areas must be registered in the area of civil engineering.

However, design of water supply, sanitary and drainage plumbing is excluded from the definition of building engineering work. People contracting for or doing plumbing design work are not required to be registered as building engineers.

Structural

Structural engineering primarily deals with the research, design, construction, monitoring, maintenance, rehabilitation and demolition of buildings and incidental structures, both permanent and temporary.

Structural engineers working in the building industry can work with foundations and footings systems, construction materials and structural systems.

Building engineers providing professional or technical engineering services in any of the above types of work must be registered. As structural engineering is an area of focus of civil engineering, a practitioner may be registered as either a civil engineer or a structural engineer or may apply for dual registration.

Mechanical

Mechanical engineering involves the research, design, construction, analysis, manufacture and maintenance of devices, machines, and mechanical structures and systems.

Mechanical engineers working in the building industry work with mechanical systems for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC-R); smoke control; vertical transport; thermal and environmental systems; and systems to aid people with disabilities.

Building engineers providing professional or technical engineering services in any of the above types of work must be registered in the area of mechanical engineering.

Fire safety

Fire safety engineering involves the application of scientific and engineering principles, rules, and expert judgement based on an appreciation of the fire phenomenon, the effects of fire and the reaction and behaviour of people and materials to:

• save life, protect property and preserve the environment and heritage from destructive fire.
• assess the hazards and risk of fire and its effects.
• mitigate fire damage by proper design, construction, arrangement and use of buildings, materials, structures, industrial processes, and transportation systems; and
• evaluate analytically the optimum protective and preventive measures, including high-level fire safety design and strategies, necessary to limit, within prescribed levels, the consequences of fire.

Fire safety engineers develop holistic fire safety strategies and an integrated fire safety design which identifies all the fire safety measures required to meet the relevant performance requirements of the NCC to save life, protect property and preserve the built environment from destructive fire, through proper design, construction arrangements, and use of building materials.

Fire safety engineering is multidisciplinary in nature, having substantial relationships with building services, mechanical, electrical, electronics, chemical, structural and civil engineering, and embracing an understanding of human behaviour. However, a fire safety engineer who provides professional engineering services for buildings that span multidisciplinary areas is only required to be registered in the area of fire safety engineering.

Fire systems

Unlike the other areas of building engineering, fire safety engineers may only be registered at the professional level. The related technologist and associate levels, in the area of fire engineering, are fire systems engineers.

Fire systems technologists and associates may do technical engineering work for prescribed fire systems, including hydrant, hose reel and sprinkler systems; fire detection and alarm systems; and smoke control systems.

Fire systems technologists may design fire systems in buildings of any class and size. Fire systems associates may design fire systems in medium rise buildings. These scopes of work vary from those prescribed for engineering technologists and associates in other areas, being medium and low-rise buildings respectively. This is because low rise buildings do not tend to have fire safety systems.

Specific activities – by level

Professional

Professional building engineering contractors may do both professional and technical engineering work, for any size or class of building. This means applying engineering principles and data to a design, or construction or production activity, both in accordance with a prescriptive standard and otherwise.

Registered professional building engineers are professional engineers in accordance with the NCC definition and may provide a certificate or report as evidence of suitability in accordance with the NCC Part A5.2, and undertake any other work that the NCC states may or must be done by a professional engineer.

Technologist

Building engineering technologist contractors may do technical engineering work for medium rise buildings without supervision. This means applying engineering principles and data to a design, or construction or production activity, in accordance with a prescriptive standard, for medium rise buildings.

The exception to this rule is fire systems technologists, who may do technical engineering work without supervision for buildings of any size or class. Low-rise buildings don’t tend to contain fire safety systems, so the permitted scope of work for fire systems technologists is unrestricted.

The general restriction to medium rise buildings does not mean that building engineering technologists may undertake all engineering work for medium rise buildings. The restriction to technical engineering work also applies. Professional engineering work for medium rise buildings must still be undertaken by a registered professional building engineer.

Registered building engineering technologists may, subject to the determination of the certifying building surveyor and/or permit authority, be ‘appropriately qualified persons’ in accordance with the NCC definition. As an appropriately qualified person, building engineering technologists may provide a certificate or report as evidence of suitability in accordance with the NCC Part A5.2, or undertake any other work that the NCC states may be done by an appropriately qualified person.

Associate

Building engineering associate contractors may do technical engineering work for low rise buildings without supervision. This means applying engineering principles and data in accordance with a prescriptive standard, for low rise buildings. The exception to this rule is fire systems associates, who may do technical engineering work without supervision for medium rise buildings.

The general restriction to low rise buildings does not mean that engineering associates may undertake all engineering work for low rise buildings. The restriction to technical engineering work also applies. Professional engineering work for low rise buildings must still be undertaken by a professional engineer.

Registered building engineering associates may, subject to the determination of the certifying building surveyor and/or permit authority, be ‘appropriately qualified persons’ in accordance with the NCC definition. As an appropriately qualified person, building engineering associates may provide a certificate or report as evidence of suitability in accordance with the NCC Part A5.2, or undertake any other work that the NCC states may be done by an appropriately qualified person.

Prescriptive standards

Approved assessment entities’

Approval has been granted to the following assessment entities, for each class of building engineering practitioner registration:

The Board is unable to accept and consider applications for registration as a building engineering practitioner without the necessary certificate from an approved assessment entity.

The Board registers building engineering practitioners by area (civil, structural, mechanical, fire safety) and level (professional, technologist, associate).

You can use the information below to better understand the minimum qualification and experience requirements that apply to each area and level. The experience requirement is generally 5 years full-time, relevant building engineering experience in the 10 years before the date of the application for registration, with at least 4 years being post-graduate experience.

Practitioner registration areas

Civil

Structural

Mechanical

Fire Safety

Fire Systems

Compliance requirements in WA

To get a WA registration:

• Must have an appropriate qualification or equivalent.
• Must have appropriate experience.
• Must have an Australian Police Check.
• Must be a fit and proper person to hold a registration.
• Must pay an application fee.

To keep a WA registration:

• Must renew the registration every three years.

You must also comply with the Building Services (Registration) Act 2011, Building Services (Complaint Resolution and Administration) Act 2011, Building Act 2011, Building Regulations 2012, Building Services (Registration) Regulations 2011, and Building Services (Complaint Resolution and Administration) Regulations 2011.

How do I apply?

To be registered as a building engineering practitioner you must first have your qualifications and experience assessed by an approved assessment entity (See Approved assessment entities’ section above).

Important: 

If your assessment certificate predates 1 July 2024, you need to obtain written confirmation from the assessment entity that your qualifications and experience were assessed in accordance with the prescribed requirements for registration in Western Australia from 1 July 2024.

Once an approved assessment entity has assessed your qualifications and experience, you can apply to the Building Services Board for registration. 

• To apply for registration as a building engineering practitioner you must complete an application form for the relevant area and level below. 
• Choose the area and level that accord with the assessment entity’s assessment of your qualifications and experience. 
• When you have completed the application form submit it and your supporting documentation to Licensing Services with the applicable fees. 
• Your application can be submitted online, by post or in person.

Complete an application form for the relevant area and level below.

• Download the PDF application form: Form 90 – Building engineering practitioner registration

Automatic mutual recognition and mutual recognition

If you are registered or licensed as a building engineer elsewhere in Australia or New Zealand and want to carry out building engineering work in Western Australia, you can find out more information about having your licence recognised in WA.

Automatic mutual recognition will be available to engineers registered in participating states and territories from 1 July 2027, when WA’s transition period ends and registration becomes mandatory for engineers to work in the WA building industry.

Still unsure which form to use?

If you are unsure of which form to use or about any of the information above, contact Licensing Services on 1300 489 099 or email be.info@demirs.wa.gov.au