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Trade Playbook

Excavation & Grading

No provincial trade licence required

Excavation is non-compulsory but locate-and-safety-heavy: every dig needs utility locates through Ontario One Call, and trenching falls under strict O. Reg. 213/91 excavation and shoring rules.

Excavation & Grading at a glance

Licence to do the work
Not required — HEO certificates (636A/636B) voluntary; locates ARE mandatory
Path in
OETIO/IUOE operator training, or labourer-to-operator on a crew
Regulated by
Ontario One Call (locates), MOL (trenching, O. Reg. 213/91)
Insurance baseline
$2M–$5M CGL — utility-strike coverage matters
Union route
IUOE Local 793 / OETIO

Where are you right now?

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

Getting inBecome a heavy equipment operatorHow 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 excavation 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 excavation trade licence, but you must request utility locates through Ontario One Call before any dig (it is the law), comply with O. Reg. 213/91 trenching/shoring requirements, and often hold heavy-equipment operator certification (636B/636A). Municipal permits and entrance/road-cut permits apply.

Certifications in this trade

Insurance to expect

Struck-utility, trench-collapse, and adjacent-property damage are the dominant risks. Carry $2M–$5M CGL and confirm coverage for underground-utility strikes.

Go to the source

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

Keep reading

636B HEO ExcavatorIncorporationCRA RegistrationWSIB & ProvincialTrade LicensingInsuranceSafety ComplianceOperational SetupBid Readiness

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