Ontario has no single contractor licence. The application process for each real one: Toronto's building renovator licence, ESA electrical, HCRA new-home builder, TSSA fuels.
Applies in: Ontario
Ontario has no general contractor licence to apply for. What exists instead is a small set of real, specific licences issued by different bodies — and the application process is completely different for each. The most expensive mistake in this space is spending months chasing a credential that doesn't exist, or starting work without the credential that does.
Figure out which of these five you actually need, then follow only that process:
| What you do | Licence you need | Who issues it | Application route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renovations in Toronto | Building Renovator licence | City of Toronto (MLS) | Online portal or MLS office, exam required |
| Electrical contracting business | Electrical Contractor licence + designated Master Electrician | ESA (ECRA) | ESA online Licensing Platform |
| Building or selling new homes | Builder/Vendor licence | HCRA | HCRA Builder Portal |
| Installing or servicing fuel-burning equipment | Fuels contractor registration | TSSA | TSSA Client Portal |
| Hands-on compulsory trade work | Certificate of Qualification | Skilled Trades Ontario | STO application |
Wondering what each licence costs? See our companion guide: Contractor Licence Cost in Ontario — the full fee stack for every licence on this page.
This is the licence most "contractor licence in Ontario" searchers are actually after — and it only exists inside Toronto's borders. Under Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 545, every business that repairs or renovates buildings in Toronto needs it, including businesses that merely advertise renovation services.
Other municipalities run their own schemes — Mississauga, Hamilton, Ottawa, and others each have their own business-licensing rules and fees. There is no province-wide shortcut: check the rules in every municipality you plan to work in.
Electrical work is regulated separately under the Electricity Act (ECRA), and this is the one licence that genuinely covers the whole province. The process has a fixed order — the Master Electrician comes first.
This one is for people who build or sell new homes — renovators don't need it. It's the heaviest process of the five, and it runs entirely through the HCRA's online Builder Portal.
If your business installs, repairs, services, removes, or maintains fuel-burning appliances — gas furnaces, oil, propane — Ontario Regulation 212/01 requires you to be registered as a contractor with the Technical Standards and Safety Authority. No registration, no legal work.
If you or your employees do hands-on work in a compulsory trade — electricians, plumbers, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics — each individual needs to be a registered apprentice or hold a Certificate of Qualification from Skilled Trades Ontario. The business licence doesn't cover the person swinging the wrench. Gas technicians are the exception to the Skilled Trades Ontario route: they hold TSSA gas technician certificates (G3, G2, or G1) — see Step 4.
The full process — the two routes (Ontario apprenticeship vs Trade Equivalency Assessment), the 144 trades and 23 compulsory ones, the exam, fees, and the first-attempt fee waiver — is covered in our dedicated guide: How to Get a Skilled Trade Certificate in Ontario.
Getting the licence is step one — every licence on this page expires and has to be renewed. Let one lapse and you cannot legally do the work it covers until it is renewed. The full fee stack is in our cost guide; the cycles are:
| Licence | Renewal cycle | Renewal fee |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto building renovator | Annual | $293.14 |
| ESA Electrical Contractor | Annual | $448 + HST (late renewal $29) |
| HCRA builder/vendor | Annual — file at least 30 days before the expiry date to avoid the late penalty | $715 (late renewal adds $705) |
| TSSA fuels contractor registration | Annual — a registration expires one year after its date of issue (O. Reg. 212/01, s. 21); a renewal filed after expiry is treated as a new application | Set by TSSA's current fee schedule — check it before you renew |
| STO Certificate of Qualification | Annual | $60 + HST |
The STO certificate is the one people forget: a lapsed certificate means you are no longer authorized for compulsory-trade work until it is reinstated, so renew before the expiry date rather than treating it as paperwork.
Two common situations need no trade licence at all:
Licensing processes are set by the regulators and municipalities named above and change over time. Verify the current steps at the sources linked before applying.
No. Ontario does not issue a single provincial 'general contractor licence.' Whether you need any licence depends on the work you do: renovations in Toronto need the city's building renovator licence, electrical contracting needs an ESA licence, HVAC/fuel work needs TSSA registration, new-home building needs an HCRA licence, and hands-on work in compulsory trades needs a Skilled Trades Ontario certificate. General contracting itself — coordinating and managing renovation work — is not a licensed trade.
Match the licence to the work. Repairing or renovating buildings in Toronto: the City of Toronto building renovator licence. Running an electrical contracting business: an ESA Electrical Contractor licence. Installing or servicing gas furnaces, oil, or propane equipment: TSSA fuels contractor registration. Building or selling new homes: an HCRA builder or vendor licence. Doing hands-on plumbing, electrical, gas, or refrigeration work: a Skilled Trades Ontario Certificate of Qualification. Outside Toronto, general renovation contracting needs no trade licence at all.
Apply online through the City of Toronto's business licence portal or in person through Municipal Licensing & Standards. You need to be at least 18 and provide photo identification and proof of work status (a health card is not accepted), a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check valid for one year from the search date, a health and safety declaration, and your business documents if you operate as a corporation or partnership. At application time you also request the licence examination and pay the prescribed fee. You must pass the required oral exam — about 30 minutes, covering business practice, bylaw knowledge, and technical competency; the exam is currently offered online. In-person applications go to the Licence & Permit Issuing Office, East York Civic Centre, 850 Coxwell Avenue, 3rd floor.
It's an oral exam of about 30 minutes covering business practice, bylaw knowledge, and technical competency — the only competency screen that applies to general renovators of existing homes in Ontario. You request it by submitting the licence examination form at the time of application, and you sit it before the licence is issued. The City currently offers the examination online.
The sequence runs through the Master Electrician. First, pass the Master Electrician exam — ESA offers classroom, online, and self-study training, and the exam is only offered through ESA. Then apply for the Master Electrician licence through ESA's online Licensing Platform; ESA aims to issue 80% of completed ME licences within 30 business days of a completed submission. Then the business applies for the Electrical Contractor licence: it must be a business entity operating in Ontario, designate at least one Master Electrician responsible for compliance, and carry at least $2 million in public liability and property damage insurance. The licence is valid throughout Ontario.
First-time applicants must meet the HCRA's competency requirement before applying — through HCRA-approved courses, a challenge exam (available through Algonquin College or Training Ontario), or the equivalency process for experienced builders. There is also a criminal record and judicial matters check (no more than six months old, done through the HCRA's screening website or a municipal police service/OPP — not the myBackcheck self-serve site), and applicants must identify any interested persons with influence over the business. Some first-time applicants are called to a virtual licensing interview.
The HCRA says the average processing time for a fully complete new licence application is eight weeks, and all applications, documents, and fee payments go through the online Builder Portal. Create a Builder Portal account, complete the form, upload supporting documents (financial statements, criminal check, competency evidence, insurance), and pay the fee. Tarion's Qualification for Enrolment process can run in parallel, but Tarion cannot finalize it until the HCRA has issued the licence.
Yes. Under Ontario Regulation 212/01, no person may act as a contractor installing, repairing, servicing, removing, or maintaining fuel-burning appliances unless registered with TSSA. Register through the TSSA Client Portal: open the Applications tab, choose 'Fuel Safety Registration in Ontario as a Contractor,' select your TSSA customer account, pick the registration type (Heating Fuel, Petroleum, or Natural Gas Motor Fuel), select the fuel type, and enter your certificate holder and technician details. The technicians doing the work need TSSA gas technician certificates (G3, G2, or G1).
For general contracting outside Toronto, yes — there is no trade licence for coordinating renovation work, though you still need a business name registration if you operate under a name other than your own, a CRA business number, and WSIB coverage. But the moment the work touches a compulsory trade, the individual doing that work needs a Skilled Trades Ontario certificate or registered apprenticeship — electricians, plumbers, and refrigeration mechanics are compulsory trades in Ontario. Gas technicians are different: they need TSSA gas technician certificates (G3, G2, or G1), not a Skilled Trades Ontario certificate.
There is no single Ontario licence to carry anywhere — each licence is Ontario-specific. Individual trade certifications are more portable: a Skilled Trades Ontario Certificate of Qualification with a Red Seal endorsement is recognized across Canada, and TSSA supports labour-mobility assessment for out-of-province fuels certificates. If you work in BC, you face a different regime entirely — BC Housing's residential builder licence.