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Ontario

Trade licences in Ontario

A Certificate of Qualification says you can do the work. A licence says you can sell it. These guides cover the ESA, TSSA and HCRA side of that line trade by trade, who has to hold what, and what changes the day the work gets signed for in your own name.

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13 guides on this

How to run the businessThe licences your trade needsThere is no single contractor licence in Ontario, which is why every answer online contradicts another. Who regulates what, why your personal certificate is not the company licence, and the order that avoids dead time.309A309A ElectricianClosing out hours, booking the C of Q exam, exam prep, exam day, and the ESA / Master Electrician / LEC path that sits on top of the 309A certificate.306A306A PlumberClosing out hours, booking the C of Q exam, exam prep, plus the post-cert plumbing layers — municipal Master Plumber licensing, backflow prevention, TSSA gas tickets, and the UA pathway.307A307A SteamfitterC of Q exam prep and booking for the steamfitter trade, plus the regulatory layer — TSSA pressure piping, CWB and ASME welding qualifications, and the UA pathway into industrial mechanical contracting.313A313A Refrigeration & A/CC of Q exam prep, the Ozone Depletion Prevention (ODP) card, CSA B52, TSSA jurisdiction over industrial refrigeration, the refrigerant transition (CO2, ammonia, hydrocarbons), and the heat-pump market.403A403A General CarpenterC of Q exam prep for the broadest construction trade — residential framing through commercial formwork through finish work — plus the voluntary-credential value question, mandatory safety tickets, HCRA residential builder path, and the UBC union pathway.428A428A Construction BoilermakerC of Q exam prep for boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, and structural plate work in industrial settings, plus ASME Section IX welding qualifications, CSA B51, TSSA pressure equipment, API inspector certifications, and the Boilermakers Local 128 union pathway.After you qualifyTrade LicensingSkilled Trades Ontario, ESA/ECRA electrical licensing, TSSA, HCRA/Tarion, and municipal permits for construction trades.How to run the businessWhat going out on your own costsTwo numbers decide this and only one gets discussed. The setup fees are hundreds. The gap between doing the work and being paid for it is thousands, and it is the one that closes businesses.How to run the businessC of Q, then whatYour ticket lets you do the work. Something else entirely lets you sell it. Read the Last Mile guide for your code to the end, find out whether your trade needs a contractor licence, and look around a working business before you file anything.309C309C Electrician (D&R)Residential and rural scope, exam booking and prep, ESA Master Electrician path, the 309C → 309A upgrade route, and going owner-operator.308R308R Residential Sheet MetalC of Q exam prep and booking for the residential HVAC sheet metal trade, plus the TSSA gas-ticket pairing, the 308R → 308A upgrade route, and the path to owner-operator residential HVAC contracting.How to run the businessThe bid-ready checklistIncorporating is the starting gun, not the finish line. Ten stages generated for your trade, the next three things to do at the top, and a percentage that moves for the right reasons.

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