ESA permit or building permit?
| ESA notification | Building permit | |
|---|---|---|
| Who issues it | Electrical Safety Authority | Your municipality |
| Who files it | Your Licensed Electrical Contractor | Usually the property owner or their contractor |
| What it covers | Compliance with the Ontario Electrical Safety Code | Structure, occupancy and the Building Code |
| What you get | Certificate of Acceptance | Final inspection sign-off |
Many projects need both. A basement renovation with new walls and new circuits needs a building permit from the city and an ESA notification from the electrician, and neither substitutes for the other.
Which work needs a notification?
An honest answer here, because it matters. The ESA publishes the principle clearly — electrical work must comply with the Ontario Electrical Safety Code and licensed contractors file notifications as part of their job — but it does not publish a simple homeowner-facing list of every job that does and does not need one.
So the practical rule is this: assume it does. New circuits, panel and service changes, a hot tub or pool, an EV charger, a subpanel to a garage, rewiring, a basement or second unit — all of it is notification territory. Replacing a light fixture or a receptacle on an existing circuit generally is not.
The person who decides is your LEC, and that is the useful question to ask them: “Is this being filed with ESA, and will I get a certificate?” A straight yes is what you want. Hesitation is your answer.
How to check a contractor is licensed
Every Licensed Electrical Contractor holds an ECRA/ESA licence number. It should appear on quotes, invoices and the van. ESA maintains a public register you can search, and it takes about a minute.
Do it before work starts, not after. An unlicensed person doing electrical work in your house is not a paperwork problem — it means no notification, no inspection, no certificate, and a very awkward conversation with an insurer if anything ever goes wrong.
Our contractor checklist covers the ESA register alongside WSIB clearance and liability insurance.
What happens at inspection
An ESA inspector checks the work against the Ontario Electrical Safety Code. On a larger job this happens in stages: rough-in, while wiring is exposed, and final, once devices and panels are complete.
The rough-in inspection is the one with a deadline attached, because it has to happen before the walls are closed. Insulation and drywall going up ahead of an inspection is how a renovation turns into opening finished walls again — the same trap as the building inspection in an unpermitted project, and it costs the same to fix.
If work fails, the contractor corrects it and it is re-inspected. That is the system doing its job.
Red flags around electrical permits
| What you hear | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| “No permit needed for this” | Sometimes true, often convenient. The LEC decides, and should explain why | Ask whether it is being filed and whether you will get a certificate |
| No ECRA/ESA number on the quote | The company may not be a Licensed Electrical Contractor at all | Search the ESA public register before hiring |
| “My handyman can do the wiring” | Only a licensed contractor may do it in Ontario | Decline. This is the one trade with no informal version |
| Drywall before rough-in inspection | The inspection has to see the wiring; closed walls may have to be reopened | Confirm which inspections have passed before anything is covered |
| Certificate never mentioned | Without it the work is invisible to insurers and buyers | Make the certificate a condition of final payment |
| Cash price without paperwork | No notification, no inspection, no recourse | Walk away |
Frequently asked questions
The document issued when electrical work passes ESA inspection. Keep it: insurers and buyers’ lawyers ask for evidence that electrical work was inspected, and there is no other record of it.
Contact a Licensed Electrical Contractor and ask about having the work inspected retroactively. As with an unpermitted building project, finishes may need to be opened so the work can be seen.
No. A building permit comes from your municipality and covers structure and the Building Code. An ESA notification comes from the electrical contractor and covers the Electrical Safety Code. Many projects need both.
Ask for the ECRA/ESA licence number and search the ESA public register. It should also appear on quotes, invoices and the company vehicle.
By law only a Licensed Electrical Contractor may be hired to do electrical work on a home in Ontario, and the contractor files the notification. Before doing anything yourself, check the current rules directly with ESA.
It is a notification filed with the Electrical Safety Authority that electrical work is being done, which triggers an inspection against the Ontario Electrical Safety Code and produces a Certificate of Acceptance when the work passes.
Sources
- Electrical Safety Authority, Permits and inspections for homeowners — esasafe.com, checked 18 September 2026
- Electrical Safety Authority, When do I need a permit — esasafe.com, checked 18 September 2026
- Government of Ontario, Your rights when starting home renovations or repairs — ontario.ca, checked 18 September 2026
This guide explains published rules in plain language on 18 September 2026 and is not legal or electrical advice. Confirm requirements with ESA or your Licensed Electrical Contractor.
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