Start a construction company in Nova Scotia: register with the Registry of Joint Stock Companies, register with the Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, and get municipal building permits.
Applies in: Nova Scotia
Register the business with the Registry of Joint Stock Companies, register with the Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, then get the municipal building permits. Construction is a mandatory industry for workers compensation in Nova Scotia, and building permits are issued by the municipality under the provincial building code.
This guide covers only the Nova Scotia mechanics. It does not re-cover Ontario's WSIB and constructor rules or British Columbia's WorkSafeBC rules — those belong to the Ontario and British Columbia guides, and Nova Scotia's bodies, forms, and thresholds are different.
Reserving a name is the first step in incorporating or registering a business in Nova Scotia. The Registry of Joint Stock Companies must assess the proposed name and approve it before you can register and begin operating, and you are not allowed to use the name until the Registry has approved it and the business has been registered. Once the name is approved, you have 90 days to register the business; if you miss that window, the reservation expires and you need to reserve the name again. The full steps are in our How to Register a Business in Nova Scotia guide — this guide does not repeat them.
Construction is a mandatory industry. The Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia publishes the list of mandatory industries, which includes building and building construction work such as carpentry, concrete, brick and masonry work, plastering, painting, and roofing. Registration is mandatory if you are an employer that conducts business in a mandatory industry and you have three or more workers at one time, and employers in mandatory industries are required to register within 10 days of hiring the third worker.
A worker includes permanent, casual, full-time, and part-time workers, officers of the company, and subcontractors that work in a mandatory industry and their workers. Sole proprietors are not covered and do not count in the number of workers, but voluntary coverage is available for proprietors.
Complete the Employer Application Form online, or register by mail or fax by calling the board at 1-800-870-3331 to get a paper copy. When you register, provide an estimate of projected annual gross payroll and describe your business activities so the board can assign the correct industry classification and premium rate.
An independent contractor may not be eligible for mandatory coverage. If they do not have voluntary coverage, they will be considered your worker for the purpose of workers' compensation insurance. Check each subcontractor's coverage before they start work, and keep the clearance record with the project file.
The Nova Scotia Building Code Regulations, made under the Building Code Act, adopt the National Building Code of Canada 2020, in force April 1, 2025 under N.S. Reg. 198/2024. To obtain a permit, an owner must submit an application as prescribed in the bylaws of the applicable municipality as the authority having jurisdiction. The application must meet the minimum information requirements in the regulations, which can include sealed drawings from a licensed architect or professional engineer where the regulations require them.
An occupancy permit is required before a building can be occupied and used, except for single dwellings, sheds, and pools. It requires a valid building permit and a passed final inspection, and it will not be issued while items such as a final lot-grading certificate remain outstanding. Build the inspection sequence into the project schedule so the occupancy permit does not become the bottleneck at handover.
Where the work is a compulsory trade, the worker must hold the Nova Scotia trade certification or be a registered apprentice. Trade certification in Nova Scotia runs through the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency. Check the trade's certification requirement before assigning the work, and keep the certification records with the project file.
The board does not publish a single construction rate, so do not budget from one flat figure. The average assessment rate for 2026 is $2.65 per $100 of assessable payroll, unchanged for more than two decades. Under the board's rate model, industries with high claim costs pay more than industries with low claim costs, and within an industry your own claims experience further changes what you pay — your individual rate comes from the board, not from the average. From September, interest and penalties apply for late payment and late payroll reporting, so file the payroll report on time even in the first year.
The opened Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia pages do not publish a single construction assessment rate, so this guide states no construction-specific rate — only the $2.65 average rate for 2026 and how individual rates are set (see "What the coverage costs" above). The opened pages also do not publish a fixed processing time for employer registration, so this guide states none. The Registry of Joint Stock Companies pages opened for this guide do not publish the current incorporation fee, so this guide states no fee for incorporation.
Yes, once you have three or more workers at one time. Building and building construction are on the mandatory industries list, and employers must register within 10 days of hiring the third worker.
Complete the Employer Application Form online, or get a paper copy by calling the board at 1-800-870-3331 and register by mail or fax. You will need an estimate of projected annual gross payroll and a description of your business activities so the board can assign the industry classification and premium rate.
No — sole proprietors are not covered and do not count in the number of workers, though voluntary coverage is available for proprietors and Special Protection coverage runs from a minimum amount set each year up to the maximum assessable earnings figure.
Building permits are issued by the municipality as the authority having jurisdiction. The Nova Scotia Building Code Regulations are provincial law, but permits and inspections are administered and enforced at the municipal level, so fees and processing vary by municipality.
The Nova Scotia Building Code Regulations, N.S. Reg. 198/2024, took effect April 1, 2025. They adopt the National Building Code of Canada 2020. They also adopt the 2020 national energy and plumbing codes. To obtain a permit, an owner must submit an application as prescribed in the bylaws of the applicable municipality.
Yes, for most buildings. An occupancy permit is required before occupying a building, except for single dwellings, sheds, and pools, and it requires a valid building permit and a passed final inspection.