How to Start a Welding Business in Canada
Start a welding business in Canada: Red Seal and Alberta rules, pressure-welding limits, registration, insurance, workers' compensation, and pricing.
How to Start a Locksmith Business in Canada
Start a locksmith business in Canada: where a licence is required, where it is not, and the registration, insurance, and first-job steps.
Applies in: across Canada
The short answer
A locksmith business starts with the trade, then the licence, then the business paperwork — in that order, and the licence step changes by province. British Columbia and Alberta both licence locksmiths through their security programs. Ontario does not require locksmiths to hold its private-security licence. Everywhere else, check the provincial regulator and your municipality before you advertise, because this guide does not claim a rule it could not verify.
Step 1: Learn the trade before you sell it
Locksmith customers hand you the keys to their home, their shop, or their car. They check credentials, and commercial customers will ask for them. The practical route is to work for an established locksmith first, then go out on your own once you can cut keys, rekey cylinders, install hardware, and build a master key system without supervision.
In British Columbia, SkilledTradesBC lists 3,600 hours of work-based training for the locksmith path, and experienced workers may be able to challenge the certification exam as trade qualifiers. In Alberta, locksmiths must complete an approved locksmith apprenticeship program, and apprenticeship licences are available while you are enrolled and employed as an apprentice. Once you become a journeyperson in Alberta, you apply for a regular locksmith licence.
If you have no trade background, plan on years of supervised work, not a weekend course. The work itself — picking without damage, fitting hardware that actually latches, keeping restricted-key records straight — is learned on real doors, not from a catalogue.
Step 2: Get the licence your province requires
This is where locksmithing differs from most trades, and where a Canada-wide claim would be wrong. Three verified positions:
British Columbia — security worker licence
British Columbia lists a locksmith among the security work that requires a security worker licence. A licence from another province does not let you work in British Columbia; you still need a British Columbia licence. Applicants must generally be 19 or older, ordinarily resident in Canada, and trained for the licence type, and fingerprints are required on the initial application. The locksmith-under-supervision licence is available from age 16. On qualification, the Security Services Regulation points to a Locksmith certificate of qualification under the Skilled Trades BC Act, or experience or training the registrar accepts as equivalent. New application fees run from $60 for 90 days to $240 for 3 years, with $120 for 1 year and $180 for 2 years in between.
Alberta — individual licence and business licence
Alberta requires both layers. To work as a locksmith in Alberta you must be licensed and a certified journeyperson, under the Security Services and Investigators Act. The individual licence fee is $160 and the licence is valid for 2 years; the individual licence is portable, so it stays valid if you change employers or work for more than one. Businesses that offer locksmith services to the public must also be licensed: the 3-year locksmith business licence fee is $1,500, and the business must hold at least $1 million in liability insurance, be a registered Canadian business, have an address in Alberta, and be licensed or permitted by its city or municipality where that applies.
Ontario — no private-security licence for locksmiths
Ontario's requirements page for security guards and private investigators lists locksmiths among the individuals who do not need a licence from the Ministry of the Solicitor General. Read that narrowly: it removes the private-security licence, not every other obligation. You still register the business, still check the municipal business licence, and still need insurance a commercial customer will accept.
Every other province and territory — check before you advertise
For Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, this guide states no licensing rule, because none was verified. The Job Bank notes trade certification is voluntary in several of those places, but voluntary trade certification is not the same as an unregulated trade, and a municipal business licence may still apply. Call the provincial regulator and the municipality, and keep the answer in writing before you print cards.
Step 3: Register the business
Once the licence question is settled for your province, the business paperwork is standard:
- Choose a structure. Most one-van locksmiths start as a sole proprietorship and incorporate later if liability or income makes it worthwhile.
- Register the business name with your province if you trade under a name other than your own. In Ontario the fee is $60 and the registration is valid for 5 years.
- Get a Canada Revenue Agency business number. It is free, and you need it for tax accounts.
- Register for GST/HST once your taxable supplies pass $30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four consecutive calendar quarters. Below that you are a small supplier and registration is optional, though some owners register early to claim input tax credits.
- Check the municipal business licence. Cities set their own rules and fees, and Alberta's business licensing rules expressly point back to city or municipal licensing where it applies.
Step 4: Get insured before the first job
Insurance is not an optional extra in this trade. You work inside people's homes and on the locks that protect their stock. Commercial general liability is the baseline everywhere, and Alberta sets a floor: a locksmith business there must hold at least $1 million in liability insurance. Get quotes from brokers who write trades policies, and ask commercial and strata customers what limit they require before you quote their work — some will want more than the minimum.
Step 5: Set up the van, the stock, and the records
A mobile locksmith lives out of the van, so stock it for the calls you actually want: common residential cylinders and deadbolts, a key machine, commercial levers and closers if you serve shops, and automotive blanks and programming tools only if you take car work. Restricted keys are the record-keeping test: keep key-code records secure, keep them separate from the keys, and never cut a restricted key without the authorization the system requires. On every call, confirm the caller is entitled to entry — photo identification plus something tying them to the property — before you open anything, and quote a firm price before you travel. A vague price on the phone is how lockout jobs turn into disputes at the door.
Step 6: Get the first jobs
Start narrow: residential lockouts and rekeys, then commercial rekeys and master key work once you have references. Claim a local business profile, list the licence number where customers can see it in licensed provinces, and answer the phone yourself at the start — lockout customers call the locksmith who picks up. Property managers and strata councils are the steadiest repeat work, and they hire on proof of insurance and clean records, not on the lowest quote. Ask each satisfied customer for a review, and keep a simple job log: address, work done, hardware fitted, and key codes held. That log is what lets you service the same building a year later without starting over.
What it costs to launch
The licence fees are the cheapest line items. Training time, the van, key machines, and stock are the real investment.
| Startup cost | Typical figure |
|---|---|
| Alberta individual locksmith licence | $160, valid for 2 years (plus a $9 service charge at a registry agent) |
| Alberta locksmith business licence (3-year) | $1,500 |
| British Columbia security worker licence, new application | $60 for 90 days, $120 for 1 year, $180 for 2 years, $240 for 3 years |
| Ontario business name registration | $60, valid for 5 years |
| Canada Revenue Agency business number | Free |
| Insurance | Varies — get quotes; Alberta requires at least $1 million in liability insurance for a locksmith business |
The numbers worth knowing
- British Columbia locksmith work-based training: 3,600 hours (SkilledTradesBC)
- Alberta individual locksmith licence: $160, valid for 2 years
- Alberta locksmith business licence: $1,500 for 3 years, with at least $1 million in liability insurance
- British Columbia security worker licence, new application: $60 to $240 by term
- Ontario business name registration: $60, valid for 5 years
- GST/HST registration threshold: $30,000 in taxable supplies
Related guides: how to start an electrician business in Canada (the sister trade's licensing ladder), how to get a security guard licence in British Columbia (the same British Columbia security program), how to start a handyman business in Ontario (the unlicensed-trade contrast in Ontario), and how to register a sole proprietorship and get a GST/HST number in Canada (the paperwork behind Step 3).
The locksmith business startup path in six steps
- Learn the trade firstWork for an established locksmith or complete an apprenticeship before you sell the work. In British Columbia, the SkilledTradesBC locksmith path lists 3,600 hours of work-based training.
- Get the licence your province requiresBritish Columbia requires a security worker licence for locksmith work, and Alberta requires an individual locksmith licence plus a business licence. Ontario lists locksmiths among those who do not need a licence from the Ministry of the Solicitor General.
- Register the businessRegister a business name with your province if you trade under a name other than your own, get a free Canada Revenue Agency business number, and register for GST/HST once taxable supplies pass $30,000.
- Get insuredAlberta requires at least $1 million in liability insurance for a locksmith business. Get commercial general liability cover in every province, and confirm the limit before you take commercial work.
- Set up the van and the key systemsStock common residential and commercial cylinders, a key machine, and restricted-key records. Keep key-code records secure and separate from the keys themselves.
- Take the first callsList the business with a local profile, answer the phone yourself at the start, quote a firm price before you travel, and ask each satisfied customer for a review.
What the paperwork costs to start a locksmith business
| Alberta individual locksmith licence | $160, valid for 2 years (plus a $9 service charge at a registry agent) |
|---|---|
| Alberta locksmith business licence (3-year) | $1,500 |
| British Columbia security worker licence, new application | $60 for 90 days, $120 for 1 year, $180 for 2 years, $240 for 3 years |
| Ontario business name registration | $60, valid for 5 years |
| Canada Revenue Agency business number | $0 — free |
| Insurance | Varies — get quotes; Alberta requires at least $1 million in liability insurance for a locksmith business |
Licence fees are the small part of the startup cost. Training time, the van, key machines, and stock cost far more than the paperwork.
Questions people ask
Do I need a licence to work as a locksmith in Canada?
It depends on the province, and that is the point of this guide. British Columbia requires a security worker licence for locksmith work, and Alberta requires an individual locksmith licence and a locksmith business licence. Ontario lists locksmiths among the people who do not need a licence from the Ministry of the Solicitor General under its private security rules. Do not assume one province's rule applies in another, and do not advertise in a province until you have checked that province's regulator.
What does a British Columbia locksmith licence require?
British Columbia lists locksmith work among the security work that needs a security worker licence, and a licence from another province does not replace a British Columbia licence. Applicants must generally be 19 or older, ordinarily resident in Canada, and trained for the licence type, with fingerprints required on the initial application. The under-supervision locksmith licence is available from age 16. For qualification, the Security Services Regulation points to a Locksmith certificate of qualification under the Skilled Trades BC Act, or experience or training the registrar accepts as equivalent.
What does an Alberta locksmith licence cost, and how long does it last?
The individual locksmith licence fee is $160 and the licence is valid for 2 years. Alberta also requires the individual to be a certified journeyperson, and locksmiths must complete an approved locksmith apprenticeship program, with apprenticeship licences available while enrolled. A locksmith business licence costs $1,500 for 3 years, and the business must hold at least $1 million in liability insurance. Applying in person at a registry agent adds a $9 service charge.
Do locksmiths need a security licence in Ontario?
No, not under Ontario's private security rules. Ontario's requirements page for security guards and private investigators lists locksmiths among the individuals who do not need a licence from the Ministry of the Solicitor General. That exemption is about the security-guard and private-investigator licence only. You still need to register a business name if you trade under a name other than your own, and you still need to check your municipality's business licence rules.
Is locksmith trade certification compulsory in Canada?
Not everywhere. The federal Job Bank notes that trade certification for locksmiths is available, but voluntary, in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. That is about trade certification, not about the security licence: British Columbia and Alberta still require their security licences even though the trade certificate itself is voluntary in those provinces. Keep the two ideas apart when you read a regulator's page.
What should I check before opening in a province not covered above?
Check two things before you advertise: the provincial regulator for security or trades licensing, and the municipality where you will work, for a business licence. This guide states a licensing rule only for British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, because those are the rules verified in this guide. A province with no rule stated here is not a province with no rule — it is a province you still need to check.
Sources
- Government of British Columbia, Security worker licence (locksmith listed as security work; out-of-province licence not sufficient)
- Government of British Columbia, Application and Licence Management Process (eligibility, fingerprints, new application fees by term)
- British Columbia Security Services Regulation, B.C. Reg. 207/2008 (locksmith qualification — certificate of qualification or equivalent experience or training) —
- SkilledTradesBC, Locksmith (3,600 hours of work-based training; challenge route for experienced workers)
- Government of Alberta, Locksmith licence (licensed and certified journeyperson required; $160 fee, 2-year validity; $9 registry service charge; apprenticeship licences)
- Government of Alberta, Security, investigation and locksmith business resources (business must be licensed; 3-year locksmith business fee $1,500; at least $1 million in liability insurance)
- Government of Ontario, Requirements for security guards and private investigators (locksmiths listed among those who do not need a licence from the Ministry of the Solicitor General)
- Government of Canada Job Bank, locksmith employment requirements (trade certification available but voluntary in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut)
- Canada Revenue Agency, GST/HST small supplier rules ($30,000 threshold)