Permits and licensing · Ontario
Renovation permits and contractor licences in Ontario
In Ontario, electrical work in your home must be done by a Licensed Electrical Contractor overseen by the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA), fuel work by a contractor registered with TSSA, and new homes by a builder licensed by the HCRA. Building permits come from your municipality’s building department.
Regulators and licensing bodies in Ontario
These official bodies license contractors, oversee safety or issue permits in Ontario.
Electrical Safety Authority (ESA)
Licenses electrical contractors and receives the notifications (permits) for electrical work. A Licensed Electrical Contractor is the only business you can hire to do electrical work in your home.
Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA)
Oversees fuels such as natural gas, propane and oil. Registered fuels contractors are the only businesses legally authorized to do fuels-related work in Ontario.
Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA)
Licenses new-home builders and sellers. It is illegal to build or sell a new home in Ontario without a valid licence.
Tarion
Ensures that buyers of new homes receive the coverage they are entitled to under their builder’s warranty.
Skilled Trades Ontario
Certifies tradespeople. Plumber and electrician are among Ontario’s compulsory trades, which only certified journeypersons and registered apprentices may practise.
Trades that need a licence in Ontario
Electrical work
Only a Licensed Electrical Contractor can be hired to do electrical work in your home, and the work must be reported to ESA through a notification (permit). A building permit doesn’t replace it. Ask for the contractor’s ECRA/ESA licence number before you hire.
Sources:ESA – Finding the right contractor(opens in a new tab)ESA – Notifications and inspections(opens in a new tab)
Gas and fuel-burning appliances
Only TSSA-registered fuels contractors are legally authorized to do fuels-related work, such as natural gas, propane or oil appliances, in Ontario.
Sources:TSSA – Authorized heating fuel contractors(opens in a new tab)
Plumbing
Plumber is a compulsory trade in Ontario: the person doing the work must hold a valid certificate or be a registered apprentice. Plumbing permits come from the municipality; in Toronto, plumbing and drain work related to a renovation needs a City plumbing permit.
Sources:Skilled Trades Ontario – Work in the compulsory trades(opens in a new tab)Toronto – Related plumbing and drain permits(opens in a new tab)
General contracting and renovation
Renovating an existing home generally doesn’t require an HCRA builder licence: HCRA says renovations or upgrades typically don’t make a home “new”. Ontario advises checking references, WSIB coverage and trade certificates before you hire.
Sources:HCRA – Do you need a licence?(opens in a new tab)Ontario – Your rights when starting home renovations or repairs(opens in a new tab)
New-home building and warranty
All new-home builders and sellers must be licensed by the HCRA, and new homes come with warranty coverage backed by Tarion.
Sources:HCRA – Do you need a licence?(opens in a new tab)Tarion(opens in a new tab)
Building and renovation permits in Ontario
Building permits are issued by the body that enforces the Ontario Building Code in your area, usually your municipal building department. Ontario’s guide lists renovations, repairs and additions among the work that needs a permit, and the permit holder must call the municipality for inspections at the stages set out in the Code. Electrical work is reported separately to ESA.
Sources:Ontario – Building permits (citizen’s guide to land use planning)(opens in a new tab)ESA – Notifications and inspections(opens in a new tab)
Permit information from large municipalities
Before you hire a contractor in Ontario
Practical checks you can do yourself, using official tools where they exist.
Get written estimates from at least three contractors and check their references.
Check that the contractor and workers have WSIB coverage.
Ask whether tradespeople hold a Skilled Trades Ontario certificate, and look them up in the Public Register.
Official lookup: Skilled Trades Ontario – Public Register(opens in a new tab)
For electrical work, ask for the ECRA/ESA licence number and check it with ESA’s contractor locator.
Official lookup: ESA – Find a Licensed Electrical Contractor(opens in a new tab)
For gas, propane or oil work, check that the company is a TSSA-registered fuels contractor.
Official lookup: TSSA – Authorized heating fuel contractors(opens in a new tab)
Buying or building a new home? Check the builder in the Ontario Builder Directory before you sign.
Official lookup: HCRA – Ontario Builder Directory(opens in a new tab)
Confirm with your city or town hall whether the project needs a building permit, and agree in writing on who will apply for it.
Sources for renovation permits and licences in Ontario
Every fact on this page comes from these official sources.
- ESA – Finding the right contractor(opens in a new tab)
- Ontario – Your rights when starting home renovations or repairs(opens in a new tab)
- TSSA – Authorized heating fuel contractors(opens in a new tab)
- HCRA – Do you need a licence?(opens in a new tab)
- Tarion(opens in a new tab)
- Skilled Trades Ontario – Work in the compulsory trades(opens in a new tab)
- ESA – Notifications and inspections(opens in a new tab)
- Toronto – Related plumbing and drain permits(opens in a new tab)
- Ontario – Building permits (citizen’s guide to land use planning)(opens in a new tab)
Find licensed pros
Compare local pros for the regulated trades in this guide, then confirm their licence with the regulator before you hire.
Renovation permits in other provinces and territories
Planning a renovation?
Describe your project once and hear from local pros. Ask each one for their licence and permit details before you hire.