What is licensed provincially, and what is not
| Work | Licensed? | By whom |
|---|---|---|
| General contracting, project management, renovation | No provincial licence | — |
| Carpentry, framing, drywall, roofing, painting, tiling, bricklaying, concrete | Not compulsory trades | — |
| Electrical contracting | Yes — the business must be licensed | Electrical Safety Authority (ECRA/ESA) |
| Electrician (the person) | Yes — compulsory trade | Skilled Trades Ontario (309A / 309C) |
| Plumber (the person) | Yes — compulsory trade | Skilled Trades Ontario (306A) |
| Gas work | Yes — business registration and technician certification | TSSA |
| Building and selling new homes | Yes — builder and vendor licence | HCRA, with Tarion warranty enrolment |
| Boilers, pressure vessels, elevating devices, fuel oil | Yes | TSSA |
Read that table once more and the practical consequence lands: most of a renovation can lawfully be carried out by someone with no certification at all. Framing, drywall, tile, roofing, paint, cabinetry, concrete — none of it is a compulsory trade in Ontario. That is not a loophole; it is how the system is designed. It is also why doing your own checks matters more here than people assume.
Electrical: the one with a real, checkable licence
This is the strictest regime in the province and the easiest for you to verify.
An electrical contracting business must hold an ECRA/ESA licence, a seven-digit number in the form ECRA/ESA 7999999. It has to appear on the company’s correspondence, estimates, business cards and vehicles. The Electrical Safety Authority states that Licensed Electrical Contractors are the only businesses — with certain exemptions — legally authorised to do electrical work in your home.
The distinction that catches people out: a Certified Electrician holding a 309A certificate, and a Master Electrician, are not the same as a Licensed Electrical Contractor, and ESA says they are not authorised to be hired directly by you. They work for a licensed business. So “my guy is a certified electrician” is not the same answer as “the company is licensed”.
The notification, and the red flag hiding inside it
Almost all electrical work requires a notification filed with ESA before the work begins — most people call it a permit. The contractor files it. Not you.
ESA flags it explicitly: a contractor who asks the homeowner to file the notification is showing you a sign that they are not licensed. If someone asks you to pull the permit for electrical work you are paying them to do, stop and check the licence number.
The installation must be inspected before it is concealed or buried. Get that wrong and correcting non-compliant work means opening finished walls. When it passes, ESA issues a Certificate of Acceptance — a document that matters at resale and at insurance claim time, and one that unpermitted work simply does not have.
You may do electrical work in your own home yourself, but you must file the notification and have it inspected. Friends, family members and neighbours may not do it for you.
How to check: the ESA contractor locator tool at licensing.esasafe.com, or call 1-877-ESA-SAFE.
Gas: registered businesses, certified technicians
The TSSA states that Registered Fuels Contractors are the only businesses legally authorised to do fuels-related work in Ontario. The individual doing the work holds a gas technician certificate at the G1, G2 or G3 level.
You can search the register of registered fuels contractors on the TSSA site by company name, authorisation number, or city and postal code — bearing in mind the address shown is the head office, not the service area. We did not find a public lookup for an individual technician’s certificate, so the practical check is the contractor registration plus asking to see the technician’s TSSA card on site.
New homes: HCRA and Tarion, and why your renovation is probably outside both
Builders and vendors of new homes must be licensed by the HCRA, and those homes are enrolled in Tarion’s statutory warranty. The public register is the Ontario Builder Directory, which covers roughly 5,000 licensed builders and vendors and shows licensing status, convictions on record, homes built and warranty history.
It is a directory of new-home builders. It is not a directory of renovators, and searching it for the company doing your basement will usually come up empty for reasons that say nothing about them.
HCRA’s own position on renovations: typically, renovations or upgrades to an existing home do not make the home “new”, and so do not require the builder to be licensed.
Is there a point where a renovation becomes so extensive that it counts as a new home? There is no published percentage or dollar threshold. HCRA’s test is qualitative — the project must be more than a renovation — while acknowledging that a build incorporating some pre-existing elements might still be a new home for licensing and warranty purposes. Borderline cases, and condominium conversions in particular, are decided case by case by the Registrar. If you are gutting a house to the foundation, that is a question to ask HCRA directly before you start, not after.
The compulsory trades list, in full
Ontario has 144 trades, of which 23 are compulsory — meaning a person must hold a Certificate of Qualification to work in them. The construction-side ones:
- Electrician — Construction and Maintenance (309A)
- Electrician — Domestic and Rural (309C)
- Plumber (306A)
- Steamfitter (307A)
- Sheet Metal Worker (308A)
- Residential (Low Rise) Sheet Metal Installer (308R)
- Sprinkler and Fire Protection Installer (427A)
Plus, from the industrial list but common on residential jobs: Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic (313A), Residential Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic (313D), and the hoisting engineer trades.
Certificates in compulsory trades must be renewed annually. That means a laminated card in someone’s wallet proves nothing about today — a certificate can lapse. Skilled Trades Ontario runs a public register, searchable by name, that shows current status. Enforcement of the compulsory-trade requirement sits with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
The published compulsory trades list dates from February 2022 and the count of 23 is still cited by the province in 2026; if a specific trade matters to your project, confirm its status on the Skilled Trades Ontario site rather than relying on any list, including this one.
Municipal licences: where a contractor licence actually exists
This is the part almost nobody knows, and the province itself points you here — Ontario’s own guide for renovation businesses tells them to check with their municipality for licensing requirements.
Toronto — yes, “Building Renovator”
The City requires a Building Renovator licence for all businesses providing services to repair or renovate buildings and structures, including any business that advertises renovation services. It covers bricklaying, carpentry, drywall, installation, roofing, shingling and tiling. Applicants must pass a trade examination.
Fees as published: $234.62 application, $260.50 licence, $79.65 trade exam — $495.12 to start, $293.14 to renew.
The definition in Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 545 carries a carve-out worth knowing: it does not include a building contractor whose principal business is the construction of buildings. A new-build firm doing an occasional renovation sits outside the category.
Toronto separately licenses Drain Contractors, Plumbing Contractors and Heating Contractors.
The City runs a business licence lookup at secure.toronto.ca. We could not confirm that Building Renovator appears among its searchable categories, so if the category is not listed, call 311 rather than concluding the company is unlicensed.
Mississauga — yes, “Building renovator”
Mississauga licenses building renovation, drain laying, driveway paving, heating and plumbing. To get a building renovator licence an applicant must be 18 or over, pass a three-hour written test on the Ontario Building Code, provide business registration and government photo ID, show two or more years of experience if applying as an employee, and — the one that matters most to you — carry a certificate of insurance with a minimum of $2 million liability, endorsed to the City of Mississauga.
Fees: $79.48 test, $255.21 new licence, $220.04 renewal, expiring annually with no retest. We found no public licensee lookup; verification goes through 311 or the licensing office.
Hamilton — yes, “Building Repair”
Hamilton licenses Building Repair at Contractor and Master level, along with Drain Repair, Plumbing, HVAC and Sprinkler and Fire Protection, each in Contractor and Master categories. The processing fee is $81.42 with the licence fee varying by classification. No public lookup was found.
Ottawa — no
Ottawa’s licensing by-law regulates auctioneers, driving schools, public garages, snow plow contractors, tobacco retailers, second-hand shops, salvage yards and a dozen other categories. There is no renovator, general contractor or home improvement category. In Ottawa there is no contractor licence to check, and anyone claiming to hold one is describing something else.
A name that means the opposite of what you think
Both Ottawa and Hamilton have something called a Rental Renovation Licence. These are renoviction by-laws that license landlords who want to renovate occupied rental units. They have nothing to do with vetting a contractor, and a company waving one is not showing you what you think it is showing you.
WSIB: the exemption that makes “no clearance” ambiguous
Independent operators, sole proprietors, partners and executive officers in construction generally must register with the WSIB. But there is an exemption that applies to a large share of the people who work on houses:
If a business only does home repairs or renovations on private residences, and is hired and paid directly by the homeowner or resident, it does not need WSIB coverage. Directly retained means they were hired by you, invoice you in their own name, and are paid by you.
So a solo renovator working for you may lawfully have no WSIB account and no clearance certificate. That is not automatically a red flag — but it does mean there is no coverage if they are injured on your property, which is exactly the exposure to think about. A crew, or a contractor who also takes commercial work, should have a clearance.
A clearance certificate is valid for up to 90 days. Ask the contractor to provide a current one; the WSIB’s eClearance service is at clearances.wsib.ca.
Insurance: expected, rarely required by law
We could find no Ontario statute requiring a general contractor to carry liability insurance. Where a city licenses renovators, the city imposes it — Mississauga’s licence requires $2 million. Everywhere else it is contractual and commercial rather than legal, which is precisely why you have to ask for the certificate yourself and read the dates on it.
$2 million is the figure Ontario municipalities use as their licensing minimum, and it is the sensible number to ask for.
What happens if you hire unlicensed for licensed work
ESA is blunt about the two consequences that land on you rather than the contractor:
- If an unlicensed contractor is injured on the job, the homeowner is held responsible.
- Home insurance claims that are traced to work done by an unlicensed contractor may be denied.
Put that next to the WSIB exemption above and the picture sharpens: an uninsured solo operator hurt in your basement is a risk that sits with you, not with them.
On the contractor’s side, ESA investigates unlicensed electrical contracting, issues orders with administrative penalties under its penalties regulation, and can lay charges and prosecute in Provincial Offences Court. We are not quoting fine amounts here because we could not verify them from a primary source, and a wrong number would be worse than none.
The quieter consequence is documentary. Work done without notification has no Certificate of Acceptance, and that absence surfaces at exactly two moments: when you sell, and when you claim.
Red flags
| What you hear | Why it matters | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| “I’m a fully licensed general contractor in Ontario” | No such provincial licence exists | Ask which licence, from which body, with the number |
| “I’m a certified electrician, you can hire me directly” | Only Licensed Electrical Contractors may be hired directly | Ask for the ECRA/ESA number and check the locator |
| “Can you pull the electrical permit?” | ESA names this as a sign the contractor is unlicensed | Stop and verify the licence before any work starts |
| Gas work by a company not in the TSSA register | Only registered fuels contractors may do fuels work | Search the register by company name before booking |
| A “renovation licence” shown by a company in Ottawa or Hamilton | That name belongs to a landlord renoviction by-law, not contractor licensing | Ask what the licence authorises, specifically |
| Renovation work in Toronto or Mississauga with no municipal licence | Both cities require one, including for businesses that merely advertise renovation services | Ask for the city licence number and call 311 to confirm |
| Refusal to provide a WSIB clearance or insurance certificate | The clearance may legitimately not exist, but the refusal to discuss it is the signal | Ask them to explain which exemption applies |
Frequently asked questions
There is no provincial statute we could find requiring it. Where a city licenses renovators it imposes insurance as a condition — Mississauga requires $2 million endorsed to the City. Elsewhere it is commercial practice rather than law, so you have to ask for the certificate and check that it is current.
The Electrical Safety Authority states that if an unlicensed contractor is injured on the job the homeowner is held responsible, and that home insurance claims traced to work by an unlicensed contractor may be denied. Work done without an ESA notification also has no Certificate of Acceptance, which becomes a problem at resale and at claim time.
For electrical, search the ECRA/ESA seven-digit licence number in the Electrical Safety Authority’s contractor locator. For gas, search the TSSA register of registered fuels contractors. For a plumber or electrician’s personal certificate, search the Skilled Trades Ontario public register. For new home builders, use the Ontario Builder Directory. In Toronto, Mississauga or Hamilton, also ask for the municipal licence number.
No. Carpentry, general carpentry, drywall, roofing, painting, bricklaying, tiling and concrete finishing are not compulsory trades in Ontario, so certification is voluntary. In Toronto, Mississauga and Hamilton the business doing renovation work needs a municipal licence, but the individual trades do not require provincial certification.
Not always. A business that only does home repairs or renovations on private residences, hired and paid directly by the homeowner, is exempt. That means a solo renovator may legitimately have no clearance certificate — but it also means there is no coverage if they are injured on your property. A crew or a contractor who also does commercial work should have one, and a clearance is valid for up to 90 days.
Not at the provincial level. Ontario licenses specific activities — electrical contracting through ESA, gas work through TSSA, new home building through HCRA — and certifies compulsory trades through Skilled Trades Ontario. There is no provincial licence for a general contractor or renovator. Some cities do license renovators: Toronto, Mississauga and Hamilton all have a category for it, while Ottawa does not.
Sources
- Government of Ontario — guide for home renovation and roofing businesses; your rights when starting home renovations or repairs; compulsory trades and enforcement, ontario.ca, checked 18 September 2026
- Electrical Safety Authority — hiring an electrician or contractor; finding the right contractor; notifications and inspections; DIY electrical work; consumer protection; enforcement and administrative penalties, esasafe.com, checked 18 September 2026
- TSSA — registered fuels contractors; certified technicians; licensing and registration, tssa.org, checked 18 September 2026
- HCRA — do I need a licence; advisory on the common definition of “home”; Ontario Builder Directory, hcraontario.ca and obd.hcraontario.ca, checked 18 September 2026
- Skilled Trades Ontario — Certificate of Qualification; public register; compulsory trades list, skilledtradesontario.ca, checked 18 September 2026
- WSIB — independent operators in construction; expanded compulsory coverage FAQs; clearances and eClearance, wsib.ca, checked 18 September 2026
- City of Toronto — Building Renovators licence page and Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 545 (1 January 2025 consolidation), toronto.ca, checked 18 September 2026
- City of Mississauga — trades business licensing and building renovator licence application, mississauga.ca, checked 18 September 2026
- City of Hamilton — business licence reference guide, January 2026, hamilton.ca, checked 18 September 2026
- City of Ottawa — businesses regulated by Licensing By-law 2002-189, ottawa.ca, checked 18 September 2026
This guide explains published Ontario and municipal rules in plain language. It is not legal advice, and licensing categories and fees change. Confirm current requirements with the relevant authority or your municipality before relying on them.
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