How to Start in Canada

How to Start a Concrete Business in Canada

Start a concrete business in Canada: Quebec's compulsory finisher certification and RBQ licence, Alberta's deposit rule, municipal driveway permits, and the pricing structure for flatwork.

Written October 24, 2026 · 12 min read

Applies in: across Canada

The short answer

Concrete is a licence-and-permit business wearing a labourer's clothes. New owners see a mixer, some forms, and a trowel, and assume the trade is the business. The trade is the easy part. What decides whether a concrete business is legal is the province: Quebec's compulsory finisher certification and the RBQ licence subclass, Alberta's prepaid-contractor rule on deposits, and the municipal permit for any driveway or walkway that crosses city property. Get those three right, plus the locate ticket before every dig, and the rest is straightforward: register the name, insure the work, cover the crew, price per square foot, and finish flat.

Step 1: Pick a concrete lane — and start with one

Concrete looks like one trade from the road and runs as several from the truck:

  • Residential flatwork: driveways, walkways, patios, and garage pads. The buyer is a homeowner, the job is days not weeks, and referrals carry the business.
  • Decorative concrete: stamped, exposed aggregate, and coloured finishes. Higher ticket, higher skill, and customers who compare photos before they compare prices.
  • Foundations and structural work: footings, foundation walls, and structural slabs. The buyer is a builder or general contractor, the work needs a building permit and inspections, and in Quebec it sits in RBQ subclass 3.1.
  • Commercial and industrial floors: warehouse slabs, shop floors, and loading areas. The buyer compares written quotes, workers' compensation clearance, and start dates, and the hours are often set by the site, not by you.
  • Repair and resurfacing: crack repair, slab levelling, overlays, and sealing. Smaller tickets, faster jobs, and a lane that fills the gaps between big pours.

Start with one lane. A concrete company advertising driveways, foundations, warehouse floors, and decorative work in the first month is really advertising that none of them is proven yet. One lane, done well, earns the photos and reviews that let you add the second.

Step 2: The licence question, answered honestly

This is the section to get right before spending anything, because every other step depends on it.

Trade certification. Secondary school plus a two- to four-year apprenticeship, or over three years of work experience with some cement-finishing courses, is the usual route to certification. Certification is compulsory in Quebec and voluntary everywhere else, with cement masons voluntary in Ontario and Red Seal endorsement available to qualified finishers. Outside Quebec, experience and finished work are the credential; in Quebec, the certification is the gate.

Quebec's RBQ licence. Concrete work for a third party needs an RBQ licence, and the subclass decides the scope. Subclass 3.2 covers small concrete works: footings and foundation walls for Part 9 buildings, sidewalks and curbs, placement, reinforcement, finishing, sealers, shotcrete, patios, balconies, and decorative finishes. Subclass 3.1 covers structural concrete and includes 3.2 in full. Neither covers excavation, drains, foundation waterproofing, or sewer and water connections. The FAQ above carries the full distinction.

Alberta's prepaid-contractor licence. If you take deposits or progress payments on residential jobs in Alberta, you are a prepaid contractor under the Consumer Protection Act: licensed by Service Alberta, security posted, and contracts worth $200 or more in writing with itemized prices, a completion date, and cancellation rights. Commercial work and contractor-to-contractor work are exempt. Get the licence before the first deposit.

Municipal business licences. Most cities license businesses operating within them, and some license contractors specifically. Check every city you work in. A licence in one city does not travel to the next, and a driveway rule in one city does not match the next either: width limits, front-yard parking rules, and curb-cut procedures are all municipal answers.

Step 3: Permits, locates, and the pieces of a job

Separate every job into its permit pieces before quoting:

  • City property: a driveway or walkway crossing the boulevard, sidewalk, or curb needs a municipal street work permit. Toronto requires the application at least eight weeks before work, and curb cut and restoration costs are separate. Other cities have their own versions of the same permit; the principle travels even when the form does not.
  • Private flatwork: driveways, patios, and walkways on the customer's own land generally need no building permit, but zoning rules on width, setbacks, and drainage still bind, and front-yard parking rules can cap what may be paved.
  • Structural work: footings, foundation walls, and structural slabs need a building permit and inspections, and the pour schedule follows the inspector, not the crew.
  • Locates: request locates through the province's one-call system before any excavation — in Ontario, Ontario One Call, free, at least five business days ahead, valid generally for 60 days. No locate ticket, no excavation. Hand-dig near marked lines, and stop and call if a marking looks wrong.

Step 4: Register the business and set up tax before the money arrives

The business paperwork is the cheapest part of the startup, and it is the part most often left until a customer asks for an invoice:

  • Structure: most concrete owners start as sole proprietors and incorporate later, when revenue and liability justify it. If you trade under a name other than your own legal name, register that name provincially.
  • Ontario: registering a sole proprietorship under a business name costs $60 through the Ontario Business Registry and lasts five years. Operating under your own name does not require registration.
  • British Columbia: request name approval first ($30), then register the sole proprietorship ($40) using the name request number within 56 days, or the approval lapses.
  • CRA business number: free, and needed for payroll and GST/HST accounts. Register for GST/HST once taxable sales exceed $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters, or voluntarily before that so you can claim input tax credits on materials, vehicles, and equipment.
  • Municipal licences: check every city you work in, as above. Do not assume a neighbouring city's answer applies to yours.
  • Bookkeeping from job one: track materials, labour, mileage, disposal, and extras per job. A concrete owner who knows the true cost per square foot prices with confidence; one who does not drifts into long days for hourly wages.

Step 5: Insurance and workers' compensation

Three conversations, in the order a broker will want them:

  • Commercial general liability: covers injury or property damage to someone else — a slab that cracks a neighbour's foundation drainage, a truck that damages a driveway, a curb cut done wrong. A homeowner's policy does not cover your business, and a customer who asks for your certificate of insurance before you start is doing you a favour by asking early.
  • Vehicle, tools, and equipment: if you drive a stocked truck or trailer and carry saws, floats, screeds, and a power trowel, confirm the vehicle policy covers commercial use and that expensive kit is covered in transit and on site, not just in your yard.
  • Damage to underground services: ask the broker explicitly whether striking an unmarked or mis-marked line is covered and where the limit sits. It is the claim most concrete owners never think about until the locate ticket is missing.

Workers' compensation starts the day you hire. In Ontario, register with the WSIB within 10 days of hiring your first worker if your operation is in a mandatory-coverage industry, and confirm your classification with the board rather than guessing it. Solo operators can apply for optional coverage. Every other province has its own board with its own registration trigger, so register with the board in the province where the crew works, before the crew's first shift.

Step 6: Kit, suppliers, and the standard of work

The working kit for a residential concrete crew runs: forms and stakes, screeds and floats, hand and power trowels, a concrete saw, curing materials, and a truck and trailer that keep kit organized. Structural work adds formwork systems and reinforcement handling; decorative work adds stamps, colouring, and sealing kit.

Two supplier decisions matter more than the truck. First, the ready-mix supplier: mix, slump, delivery window, and short-load terms decide whether a pour happens on schedule or waits on a truck, and a supplier that answers the phone during the spring rush is worth more than a small discount. Second, the disposal route for old concrete: removal is an extra the customer pays for, and a yard or transfer station that takes broken concrete and old footings without a surprise fee keeps that extra profitable.

The job sequence that earns repeat work is the same on a driveway and a warehouse floor: confirm the permits and the locates before quoting, agree the area, the thickness, the finish, and the extras in writing, protect lawns and driveways, set forms level and to grade, place and finish without rushing the cure, saw control joints where the slab needs them, and walk the pad with the customer before packing up. The walk-through is not a courtesy; it is where a low spot or a rough finish gets fixed in twenty minutes instead of becoming a callback, a bad review, and a second trip.

Step 7: Pricing flatwork, units, and extras

Three price pieces, each for a different kind of cost:

  • The flatwork, per square foot: materials plus labour for the pad itself, quoted after walking the site. Soil, slope, access, drainage, and the locate markings are the quote — a flat online price for a pad you have not seen is a promise the ground will break.
  • Steps and curbs, per unit: forming and finishing them costs more than a flat run, so they price separately. A curb cut crossing city property is its own line, with the municipal permit cost and restoration stated, not buried.
  • Extras, named in advance: removal of an old pad, excavation and grading, reinforcement, decorative finishes, difficult access, disposal, and cold-weather protection. An extra discovered on site and charged after the fact is a dispute; the same extra named in the quote is just the price.

Whichever model you use, the written quote should separate materials, labour, and extras, name the finish and thickness, state the warranty terms, and say how extras are charged. A deposit before work starts is normal; the balance on completion after the walk-through is normal too — in Alberta, remember that taking that deposit on a residential job triggers the prepaid-contractor licence.

Step 8: Finding the first clients

The first ten jobs rarely come from advertising. They come from people who already trust you:

  • Tell everyone you know, plainly: you pour concrete, here is the service, here is the number. Friends, family, neighbours, and former employers are the first book.
  • Builders, landscapers, and general contractors buy concrete repeatedly, and they buy on reliability first: show up when promised, send the quote when promised, and finish when promised. One builder who trusts you is worth a season of ads.
  • Real estate agents and property managers are a quieter channel: a new owner who wants the driveway replaced before move-in, or a manager resurfacing a lot, hires the name that answers first.
  • Before-and-after photos, with the customer's permission, are the portfolio. Photograph the finished pad, not the mess: flat runs, clean joints, and a tidy yard sell the next job.
  • Online listings and a simple website come next: service area, concrete types, photos, and a phone number. Reviews follow completed jobs, not advertising spend — ask every happy customer for one, and answer every review, good or bad, like a person, not a brand.

What not to do

  • Do not excavate without a locate ticket, in any province.
  • Do not pour a driveway crossing city property without the municipal street work permit.
  • Do not take a deposit on an Alberta residential job without the prepaid-contractor licence.
  • Do not bid Quebec concrete work without confirming the RBQ subclass first.
  • Do not work in Quebec as a finisher without the compulsory certification.
  • Do not quote a pad you have not walked, and do not absorb extras you never named.
  • Do not hire a crew before registering for workers' compensation coverage in the province where the crew works.
  • Do not promise a pour date, finish, or thickness that the supplier, the permit, or the weather cannot deliver.

Related guides

Starting a concrete business in Canada, in six steps

  1. Pick a concrete laneResidential flatwork, decorative finishes, foundations and structural work, commercial floors, or repair and resurfacing. Each lane needs different kit, different permits, and a different buyer.
  2. Clear the licence questionConcrete finisher certification is compulsory in Quebec and voluntary elsewhere, and Quebec concrete work for a third party needs an RBQ licence — subclass 3.2 for small concrete works, 3.1 for structural work.
  3. Register the businessProvincial business name registration if you trade under a name, a free CRA business number, and GST/HST registration once taxable sales pass $30,000.
  4. Insure the work and the crewCommercial general liability for damage to someone else's property, and workers' compensation coverage once you hire staff.
  5. Learn the permit and locate rules before the first pourDriveways and walkways crossing city property need a municipal street work permit, excavation needs a locate ticket, and foundation work needs a building permit.
  6. Price flatwork per square foot, extras separatelyFlatwork prices by the square foot for materials plus labour; steps, curbs, removal, excavation, reinforcement, and decorative finishes price as extras. Never quote a pad you have not walked.

Questions people ask

Do I need a licence to start a concrete business in Canada?

It depends on the province, and Quebec is the exception that decides the answer. Job Bank's requirements for concrete finishers, under National Occupational Classification 73100, are plain: completion of secondary school is usually required, plus a two- to four-year apprenticeship program or over three years of work experience in the trade with some high school, college, or industry courses in cement finishing. Trade certification for concrete finishers is compulsory in Quebec and available but voluntary in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia. Trade certification for cement masons is available but voluntary in Ontario. Red Seal endorsement is available to qualified concrete finishers who pass the interprovincial Red Seal examination. Outside Quebec, experience and a portfolio of finished work are the credential; in Quebec, the certification is the gate, and a separate RBQ contractor licence covers the business side, as the next answer explains.

Does Quebec require an RBQ licence for concrete work?

Yes, for concrete work carried out for a third party, and the subclass decides what you may do. The Régie du bâtiment du Québec lists subclass 3.2, Contractor — Small concrete works, as authorizing concrete formwork for the footings and foundation walls of buildings governed by Part 9 of the National Building Code, plus other concrete structures and work, concrete reinforcement and finishing, concreting of sidewalks and curbs, insulating concrete formwork, concrete placement, hardeners and sealers, shotcrete, concrete patios adjacent to the building, concrete balconies, stamped or exposed aggregate work, cutting and drilling, and removal of forms. Subclass 3.1, Contractor — Concrete structures, covers cast or precast structural concrete and includes subclass 3.2 in its entirety. The 3.2 authorization excludes excavation work, drain installation, foundation waterproofing, and sewer and water connections, so a concrete business that also digs, drains, or waterproofs is working outside its subclass unless it holds those too. Residential flatwork and decorative work sit in 3.2; structural and foundation work sits in 3.1. Confirm the subclass before bidding, because a bid made without the required licence can be a penal offence.

Do I need a permit to pour a driveway?

For the part of the driveway that crosses city property, yes, and the lead time is the trap. Toronto's rule is the clearest example: a street work permit from Transportation Services is required before constructing, reconstructing, relocating, or altering a driveway or walkway that crosses City property, such as the boulevard, sidewalk, or curb, and applications for new driveway or walkway construction should go in at least eight weeks before work is scheduled. New driveways must first be approved by Toronto Buildings and Zoning, and any required sidewalk curb cut and restoration is at separate cost. The private part of the driveway, the patio, and the walkway on the customer's own land generally need no building permit, but zoning rules on width, setbacks, and drainage still apply, and front-yard parking rules can cap what you may pave. Foundation work is a different category entirely: footings and foundation walls need a building permit and inspections. The rule for a concrete business is to separate the job into its permit pieces — city property, private flatwork, structural work — and check each one before quoting, not after the forms are set.

Does Alberta's prepaid-contractor rule catch a concrete business?

Yes, whenever you take money before the work is done on a residential job. Alberta treats a contractor as a prepaid contractor when the contractor solicits, negotiates, or concludes a prepaid contract in person anywhere other than the seller's place of business — in practice, at the customer's home — and accepts money before all the work is done. Prepaid contracts cover construction, maintenance, repair, alteration, or improvement of private dwellings and the real property used with them, which includes concrete flatwork and driveways. A prepaid contractor must be licensed by Service Alberta and post a security, and prepaid contracts worth $200 or more must be in writing with itemized prices, a completion date, and a statement of cancellation rights. Commercial buildings and contracts between contractors are exempt. The practical rule for a concrete business in Alberta: if you take deposits or progress payments on residential jobs, get the prepaid-contractor licence before you take the first deposit, not after.

Do I need utility locates before excavating for a pad or footing?

Yes, and in Ontario the rule is explicit and enforced. Ontario One Call coordinates free locates from local utility providers, and requests must go in at least five business days before digging for a single property. Locates are generally valid for 60 days from receipt, so schedule inside that window. Digging without marked locates can draw a $10,000 administrative penalty from Ontario One Call, on top of liability for any damage and further action from the Ministry of Labour or the Technical Standards and Safety Authority. Every province has its own one-call system under the Click Before You Dig banner, so the rule travels: no locate request, no excavation, in every province you work in. Concrete excavation hits gas, power, water, and telecom lines at exactly the depth a pad or footing crew digs, and a struck line stops the pour, not just the dig.

What business registration does a concrete business need?

The same as any Canadian service business. If you trade under a name other than your own legal name, register that name provincially: in Ontario that costs $60 through the Ontario Business Registry and lasts five years, and in BC a name request costs $30 followed by a $40 registration that must be completed within 56 days or the approval lapses. A CRA business number is free. Register for GST/HST once your taxable sales pass $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters, or voluntarily before that if claiming input tax credits matters to you. On top of that, check the municipal business licence in every city you work in, and check that city's driveway, sidewalk, and curb rules before you quote there: width limits, front-yard rules, and permitted materials change at the city line.

How do concrete businesses price jobs?

Flatwork by the square foot, everything else as a named extra. The square-foot price covers materials and labour for the flatwork itself, quoted after walking the site. Steps and curbs price per unit because forming and finishing them costs more than a flat run. Removal of an old pad, excavation and grading, reinforcement, decorative finishes such as stamped or exposed aggregate, difficult access, and cold-weather protection are extras, named in the quote before the work starts. An extra discovered on site and charged after the fact is a dispute; the same extra named in the quote is just the price. Ready-mix is the cost that moves most: the supplier, the mix, the slump, and the delivery window all sit inside the square-foot price, so a quote that ignores the supplier's schedule is a quote that loses money on a delayed truck. A deposit before work starts is normal, and the balance on completion after the walk-through is normal too — in Alberta, remember that taking that deposit on a residential job triggers the prepaid-contractor licence.

What changes about concrete work in a Canadian winter?

The season, not the trade. Cold-weather pours need protection and planning that summer pours do not: ground that is frozen or about to freeze, curing that slows in the cold, and a pour day that a snowstorm can cancel. A concrete business in Canada plans the season around this — the spring-to-fall rush carries the year's flatwork, winter work is scheduled around protection and curing, and a customer promised a December driveway without a cold-weather plan is a customer who will get a cracked pad or a postponed job. Price winter work with the protection in it, not as an afterthought, and never promise a pour date the forecast cannot hold.

Keep going

Sources

  • Government of Canada Job Bank, Cement Finisher in Canada — employment requirements (National Occupational Classification 73100): secondary school, two- to four-year apprenticeship or over three years of experience, trade certification compulsory in Quebec and voluntary in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia, cement masons voluntary in Ontario, Red Seal endorsement available —
  • Régie du bâtiment du Québec, List of subclasses — subclass 3.2 Contractor — Small concrete works (formwork for footings and foundation walls, sidewalks and curbs, placement, reinforcement, finishing, sealers, shotcrete, patios, balconies, stamped and exposed aggregate work, cutting and drilling; excludes excavation, drains, foundation waterproofing, sewer and water connections) — ]=0&tx_gdlr_pi1[subcat]=113&cHash=fe7efb69bb2f7067729dfe1c4218a41a
  • Régie du bâtiment du Québec, List of subclasses — subclass 3.1 Contractor — Concrete structures (includes subclass 3.2 in its entirety) —
  • City of Toronto, Construction Permit — street work permit required before constructing, reconstructing, relocating, or altering a driveway or walkway crossing City property; applications at least eight weeks before work; curb cut and restoration at separate cost —
  • Government of Alberta, Prepaid contracting licence — prepaid contractor definition, Service Alberta licensing and security, exemptions —
  • City of Brampton, Utility Locates — Ontario One Call 1-800-400-2255, at least five business days ahead, locates generally valid 60 days, $10,000 administrative penalty for digging without marked locates —

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