Trade Playbook

New Home Building

Name: AEC Stack
Author: AEC Stack

No provincial trade licence required

Building new homes in Ontario is one of the few construction activities with a hard provincial licensing gate: you must be licensed by the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) and enrol homes with Tarion for warranty coverage.

Where are you right now?

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

Getting inBecome a home 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 Comparing optionsWhat home builders makePay by stage, the lanes that change the number, and the difference between a wage and a business rate.Open Going out on your ownStart a home building 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

New Home Building at a glance

Licence to do the work: Required — HCRA builder/vendor licence + Tarion enrolment per home
Path in: Experience + HCRA competency requirements; usually via renovation or site supervision
Regulated by: HCRA (licensing) and Tarion (warranty)
Insurance baseline: CGL + builders risk + statutory 1/2/7-year warranty obligations

The licensing layer, explained

To build or sell new homes in Ontario you must hold a builder/vendor licence from the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA), and every new home must be enrolled with Tarion, which administers the statutory new-home warranty. Licensing involves competency requirements, a financial review, and fees. This is in addition to municipal business licensing and building permits.

Certifications in this trade

403AGeneral Carpenter (voluntary)

Insurance to expect

Beyond CGL and builders risk, home builders carry warranty obligations through Tarion and often a deposit/financial-security requirement under HCRA. Confirm coverage aligns with the statutory warranty periods (1/2/7 years).

Go to the source

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

Keep reading

Incorporation CRA Registration WSIB & Provincial Trade Licensing Insurance Safety Compliance Operational Setup Bid Readiness

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

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