Going out on your own
How to start a framing business in Ontario
Framing crews build the structure — walls, floors, and roofs — for builders and GCs, usually at piece rates per square foot. No licence is required; speed, crew, and a builder relationship are the business.
Framing at a glance
- Licence to do the work
- Not required — 403A is voluntary; Working at Heights IS mandatory
- Path in
- On a crew — productive in weeks, lead framer in a few seasons
- Regulated by
- Municipality (under the builder's permits); MOL for safety
- Insurance baseline
- $2M CGL; higher WSIB rate group (falls)
- Union route
- UBC carpenters locals (ICI side)
The steps to start your framing 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
Handle framing licensing & permits
No provincial trade licence — carpentry (403A) is voluntary. You need a municipal business licence, WSIB, insurance, and mandatory safety training (Working at Heights for anything off the ground). The work itself is governed by the builder's permits and the Ontario Building Code; framers work under the builder's permit rather than pulling their own.
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 a framing business
Framing carries serious fall and structural-collapse exposure — among the higher WSIB rate groups. Carry $2M CGL minimum and keep Working at Heights current across the crew.
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
- Handle framing licensing & permits
- Get insured
- Set up health, safety & compliance
- Stand up your operations
- Get bid-ready and win work
Framing questions, answered
Do you need a licence? How much does it cost? See the FAQs.
Framing overview
Licensing, regulators, and certifications at a glance.
Skip the paperwork. Let AEC Stack set it up
AEC Stack runs the whole process for a framing business: incorporation, CRA, WSIB, permits, insurance, compliance, and the operations to win your first contract.
Start your framing business