How to Start a Bakery in Edmonton
Open a bakery in Edmonton: the City licence category and fee, the development permit check, and the AHS plan review and Food Handling Permit.
Starting out in Edmonton
How to Start Things in Edmonton
Everything below is about Edmonton itself: the City's business licence system and the categories your business lands in. Alberta-wide guides live on the Alberta hub instead. Start with the three Edmonton rules that trip up new businesses, then browse the guides.
Starting out in Edmonton: three rules worth knowing
No valid licence, no business
Edmonton's Business Licence Bylaw (Bylaw 20002) is blunt: a person must hold a valid licence to conduct business in the City, carrying every business category that applies to what they do. Licensing after you open isn't a grey area; conducting business without the licence breaches the bylaw.
Source: City of Edmonton: Business Licence Bylaw 20002 (edmonton.ca)
The City assigns your categories — you don't choose them
On the application you describe your business activities in as much detail as you can, and City staff assign the licence categories that fit; several can apply to a single business. A commercial location may require permit clearance before the licence review even starts, and the application can't move past review until the fee is paid.
Source: City of Edmonton: Apply for a Business Licence (edmonton.ca)
One fee, set by your highest-tier category
Every category carries a tier from 1 to 5. The category with the highest tier on your licence determines your total licence fee — you don't pay a separate fee for each category. When it's time to pay, you choose a one-year or two-year licence term.
Source: City of Edmonton: Apply for a Business Licence (edmonton.ca)
Free tools
No tools built for this city yet. The guides below cover the ground.
Guides that apply in Edmonton
The guides and tools below are about Edmonton itself: its own licences, permits, and programs. Province-wide and Canada-wide guides live on their own hubs.
How to Start a Coffee Shop in Edmonton
Open a coffee shop in Edmonton: the City's commercial business licence with permit clearance, the tier fee system, and Alberta Health Services plan approval and food handling permit before you build or open.
How to Start a Food Truck in Edmonton
Edmonton no longer issues vending permits for City property. A food truck needs a City Food Truck/Food Cart business licence, an Alberta Health Services food handling permit with its placard on the unit, and a place on the Approved Mobile Food Vendor List for events.
How to Start a Restaurant in Edmonton
Open a restaurant in Edmonton: zoning approval and permit clearance, the Tier 3 business licence, the AHS food handling permit, and the AGLC Class A liquor licence.
Trade Schools in Edmonton
Trade schools in Edmonton with verified apprenticeship classroom instruction: NAIT and the Alberta Pipe Trades College, the trades each covers, and where to confirm current intakes.