Water bore driller’s licensing

As a driller, you must have the correct licence classification and endorsements for the construction, decommission or maintenance of water bores and other water bore drilling activities.

Queensland is part of a national licensing system for water bore drillers. This helps protect groundwater resources by ensuring all drillers are properly skilled and the work meets construction standards.

How to apply

To obtain a Queensland water bore driller’s licence you’ll need to:

You can request an application kit by emailing drillers.licensing@dlgwv.qld.gov.au. The application kit includes information on fees, the application process, copies of construction standards and examination notes.

For more details, read the water bore driller’s licensing handbook (PDF, 1MB).

Application forms

You can access driller’s licence application forms online and submit your forms directly to the department:

Alternatively, you can access driller’s licence application forms on the forms and fees page.

When we receive all required documentation, we will contact you to arrange payment of the licence fee.

Interstate licences

You cannot drill in Queensland if you hold a licence issued by another state or territory. If you hold an unrestricted interstate licence you must apply for an equivalent Queensland licence by:

Upgrading a water bore driller’s licence

To progress from one licence classification to another, you need to apply to upgrade your water bore drillers licence. You must provide:

  • three drill logs of bores you have drilled—these must demonstrate the class and endorsements you’ve listed in your application
  • any certificates of relevant courses completed
  • a recent passport quality photo
  • two references of drilling work performed.

The drill logs provided must be drilled under the supervision of a licensed driller who has held their licence for more than 2 years.

Water bore driller’s licence classifications

The class of a water bore driller’s licence relates to the skill level required to construct water bores in different types of aquifer systems. The classifications are:

  • Class 1: allows work in non-flowing (subartesian) single aquifer systems.
  • Class 2: allows work in non-flowing (subartesian) multiple aquifer systems (in addition to operating in Class 1 conditions).
  • Class 3: allows work in flowing aquifer systems (in addition to operating in Class 1 and 2 conditions).

Licence endorsements

The drilling methods that can be endorsed for your water bore driller’s licence include:

  • auger
  • cable tool
  • rotary air
  • rotary mud
  • non-drilling rig
  • sonic drilling.