Yes. In NSW, a business that installs, maintains or repairs CCTV, alarms or other security equipment must hold a Security Master Licence from the NSW Police Security Licensing & Enforcement Directorate (SLED), and its technicians need their own Class 2C operative licences. Any 240 V wiring on the job must be done by an electrician licensed through Building Commission NSW.
Who regulates security installers in NSW?
Two regulators, for two parts of the job. Security equipment — the cameras, detectors, panels and locks, and the people who install them — is regulated under the Security Industry Act 1997 and the Security Industry Regulation 2016.
Both are administered by the Security Licensing & Enforcement Directorate (SLED) of the NSW Police Force. SLED issues the licences and keeps the public register.
Electrical work sits with a separate regulator. Electrical licences in NSW are issued under the Home Building Act 1989 by Building Commission NSW, which took over trade licensing from NSW Fair Trading on 1 December 2023. If older advice says 'Fair Trading', it's the same licence with a new name on the door.
Which licence class covers installing CCTV and alarms?
SLED's Class 2 licences cover the technical side of the industry. The one that matters for installation is Class 2C, the Security Equipment Specialist licence: it authorises a person to sell, install, maintain, repair, service and advise on security equipment, and SLED's own guidance names CCTV cameras and alarm systems as examples.
- Class 2A, Security Consultant: assesses risk and recommends solutions; does not install
- Class 2B, Security Seller: sells equipment and advises on its use; SLED is explicit that 2B does not permit installing, maintaining or repairing it
- Class 2C, Security Equipment Specialist: sells, installs, maintains, repairs and services security equipment, including CCTV and alarms
A quote from a 'licensed' seller isn't a quote from a licensed installer. If someone is quoting to put cameras or detectors on your walls, the licence to ask about is 2C.
Does the installer's business need a licence as well?
Yes. The operative licence belongs to the individual technician. The business that employs or subcontracts those technicians must separately hold a Security Master Licence from SLED, and SLED is clear that the people working under a master licence still need their own Class 1 or Class 2 operative licences.
A sole trader who does the installs personally needs both. Master licences are graded (MA to ME) by how many licensed people the holder can put to work on any one day.
Two licences, two levels: a master licence for the company that sends the technician, and a Class 2C operative licence for the technician who turns up. Ask for both numbers.
I've found a licensed electrician. Can they install my cameras?
Only if they also hold a security licence. SLED answers this directly on its own FAQ page: a licensed electrician who installs security cameras for clients still needs a Class 2C security licence, because anyone involved in the sale, installation, maintenance, repair or servicing of security equipment needs one.
An electrical licence covers the wiring; it doesn't stand in for the security licence, or vice versa.
'Security equipment' is defined broadly in the Act — mechanical, electronic, acoustic or other equipment designed or adapted to provide or enhance security or to protect property — which is why CCTV, intruder alarms, electronic locks and access control all sit inside it, not just safes and grilles.
Where does the electrical licence come in?
Cameras, detectors and keypads usually run at low voltages fed from the recorder, a PoE switch or the alarm panel. Very few real installations stop there.
- A new power point behind the recorder
- A circuit for a gate operator or a maglock power supply
- An RCD added to a switchboard that has none
That is electrical wiring work, and in NSW any electrical wiring work must be done by, or under the supervision of, a licensed electrician — whatever the job is worth and whether the site is a home, a shop or a factory.
A contractor licence is what lets a person or company contract to do that work for you.
When licensed electrical work is finished and tested, the electrician must lodge a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW) with Building Commission NSW within seven days of the test, with a copy to you. If your CCTV or alarm quote includes 240 V work and no CCEW arrives at handover, ask why.
What about DIY cameras and video doorbells?
The licensing regime is about businesses carrying on security activities, and the regulation carves out basic household security items an owner or occupier can fit themselves.
Plugging in a doorbell camera at your own front door isn't a licensing matter for you. Paying someone to install, maintain or repair security equipment is, and any 240 V connection brings in the electrical rules regardless of who owns the camera.
How do you check an installer's licences?
- Ask for the business's Security Master Licence number and the operative licence number of the technician who'll be on site.
- Check both on SLED's public register of security licences (search 'verify a security licence' on the NSW Police website). The business name on the master licence should match the name on your quote.
- For any electrical work, ask for the electrical contractor licence number and check it with the NSW Government's online licence check (Service NSW's 'check a builder or tradesperson's licence').
- Make sure the quote says who is doing the electrical work. If it's subcontracted, the subcontractor's licence is the one to check.
Five minutes on two public registers tells you more than any brochure. A licensed installer won't mind being asked; most will put the numbers on the quote before you do.
How Bioni Security & Electrical is licensed
Bioni Security & Electrical Pty Ltd holds NSW Security Master Licence 000108088 and NSW Electrical Contractor Licence 350318C. The crew that mounts the cameras and fits the detectors also runs the power, upgrades the board where needed and issues the CCEW — one licensed team, no second contractor to coordinate.
We've been installing across Sydney, the Sutherland Shire and St George since 2013 from our Caringbah workshop, with a second depot in Nowra. Both licence numbers are published on this site so you can check them on the registers before we visit.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a Security Master Licence the same as a Class 2C licence?
- No. The master licence is held by the business that provides licensed people; the Class 2C is the operative licence held by the individual installer. A compliant installation involves both.
- Does an alarm installer need an electrical licence?
- For the detectors, panel and low-voltage cabling, the security licence is the one that applies. For any 240 V work — the panel's mains supply, a new circuit, switchboard changes — a licensed electrician is required and a CCEW must follow.
- Does a Class 2B licence let someone install the equipment they sold me?
- No. SLED states that a Class 2B Security Seller is not licensed to install, maintain or repair security equipment. Installation needs 2C.
- What if work has already been done by someone unlicensed?
- Get it inspected. We can test what's there, make it safe and certify the electrical side where it complies, then quote any remediation line by line.
If you're weighing up a CCTV or alarm installation anywhere in Sydney or the Shire, ask us for a free site visit, free within 100 km of Caringbah. You'll get a camera or zone schedule, an itemised ex-GST quote and both licence numbers to check before a single cable goes in.