Going out on your own
How to start an elevator business in Ontario
Elevating devices are among the most tightly regulated systems in Ontario. The mechanic trade is compulsory and the equipment is licensed and inspected by the TSSA throughout its life.
Elevator & Escalator at a glance
- Licence to do the work
- Required — Elevating Devices Mechanic (compulsory); devices licensed by TSSA
- Path in
- Apprenticeship via the IUEC union — highly competitive entry
- Regulated by
- TSSA
- Insurance baseline
- High limits — significant public-safety exposure
- Union route
- IUEC — effectively the only route
Elevator & Escalator is a compulsory trade in Ontario. You cannot legally do this work, or hire people to, without the required certification. This is the key difference from non-compulsory trades and the first thing to sort out.
The steps to start your elevator business
- 1
Incorporate your company
Most contractors incorporate (Ontario or federal) to limit personal liability, look credible to larger clients, and access tax advantages once profitable. You choose a named or numbered company, set directors and share structure, and file the articles. Budget roughly $400–$600.
Full guide: Incorporation - 2
Register your CRA accounts
Get a Business Number, then register for HST/GST (mandatory once you exceed $30,000 in revenue, and worth registering sooner to claim input tax credits), a payroll account if you will hire, and corporate income tax. This is free and done through the CRA.
Full guide: CRA Registration - 3
Register for WSIB
Construction is a mandatory WSIB sector. Independent operators and partners in construction generally must register even with no employees, and clients and general contractors will require a valid WSIB clearance certificate before letting you on site.
Full guide: WSIB & Provincial - 4
Get certified and licensed for elevator & escalator
Elevating Devices Mechanic is a compulsory trade, and elevators, escalators, and lifts are licensed and periodically inspected by the TSSA. Contractors and mechanics must meet TSSA requirements; new installations and major alterations require TSSA design registration and licensing.
Full guide: Trade Licensing - 5
Get insured
Carry Commercial General Liability (typically $2M, $5M for commercial/industrial work), plus tools and equipment, commercial auto, and — depending on scope — builders risk and professional liability. Many contracts and clients specify minimum coverage before you can quote.
Full guide: Insurance - 6
Set up health, safety & compliance
Meet your Occupational Health and Safety Act duties: a health and safety policy, required training (WHMIS, Working at Heights where applicable), and — for commercial and public work — often COR® certification. This is also where any trade-specific safety tickets live.
Full guide: Safety Compliance - 7
Stand up your operations
Open business banking, set up construction-specific accounting, and understand your trust obligations under the Construction Act (holdback, prompt payment, and adjudication). This is the back office that keeps you paid and out of trouble.
Full guide: Operational Setup - 8
Get bid-ready and win work
Assemble your prequalification package — incorporation and WSIB documents, insurance and bonding letters, safety program, key personnel, and project references — then quote, send proposals, and collect on invoices. This is where a construction business actually makes money.
Full guide: Bid Readiness
Insurance for an elevator business
High public-safety exposure; expect significant liability limits and TSSA compliance obligations across the equipment lifecycle.
Your launch checklist
The whole page in one list. Screenshot it, stick it on the dash of the truck.
- Incorporate your company
- Register your CRA accounts
- Register for WSIB
- Get certified and licensed for elevator & escalator
- Get insured
- Set up health, safety & compliance
- Stand up your operations
- Get bid-ready and win work
Elevator & Escalator questions, answered
Do you need a licence? How much does it cost? See the FAQs.
Elevator & Escalator overview
Licensing, regulators, and certifications at a glance.
Skip the paperwork. Let AEC Stack set it up
AEC Stack runs the whole process for an elevator business: incorporation, CRA, WSIB, trade licensing, insurance, compliance, and the operations to win your first contract.
Start your elevator & escalator business