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Trade Playbook

Deck & Fence

No provincial trade licence required

Deck and fence builders sell a finished product directly to homeowners — one of the most popular first construction businesses because the sales cycle is short, the jobs are repeatable, and the season is long enough to stack them.

Deck & Fence at a glance

Licence to do the work
Not required — permits for attached/high decks; fence by-laws apply
Path in
Carpentry or landscaping background — or a determined first business
Regulated by
Municipality (deck permits, pool enclosures); Ontario One Call
Insurance baseline
$2M CGL — structural connections are the liability

Where are you right now?

Learn it. Earn it. Own it. Pick the door that matches where you are.

Getting inBecome a deck builderHow people actually enter this trade: sponsors, registration, hours, and school.Open Getting certifiedFinish your ticketAlready an apprentice? The Last Mile guide: closing out hours, booking the exam, exam day.Open Going out on your ownStart a deck and fence businessThe step-by-step from qualified tradesperson to incorporated, insured, bid-ready owner.Open Just lookingCommon questionsLicences, costs, timelines: the questions everyone asks, answered straight.Open

The licensing layer, explained

No provincial trade licence. You need a municipal business licence, WSIB, and insurance. Decks above a threshold height (and attached decks) need building permits and must meet the Building Code's deck provisions; fences are governed by municipal fence by-laws and pool-enclosure rules. Ontario One Call locates are required before digging post holes.

Certifications in this trade

Insurance to expect

Structural failures (ledger connections, guards) are the liability that matters — deck collapses make news. Carry $2M CGL and build to the Code's deck details every time.

Go to the source

The official pages that govern this trade. Bookmark these, they are the final word on requirements and fees.

Keep reading

403A General CarpenterIncorporationCRA RegistrationWSIB & ProvincialTrade LicensingInsuranceSafety ComplianceOperational SetupBid Readiness

Ready to build a deck and fence business?

AEC Stack handles incorporation, licensing, insurance, compliance, and operations, so you can focus on the work.

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