Adult Entertainment · 6 min read · Last updated
An attendant licence is personal. It belongs to you, not to the club you work at, and you cannot work without it even if the establishment itself is fully licensed. You apply in person, you provide a police check, and the licence is issued as a municipal photo ID card that carries your stage name on its face.
The City of Hamilton lists this under its “Mobile” category: “Attendant means any person who provides adult services, in an adult services entertainment establishment. Applicant MUST APPLY IN PERSON with government issued photo ID. Must be employed at a Licensed Adult Entertainment Establishment under the By-law.”
Who needs this licence?
An attendant is any person who provides adult services in an adult services entertainment establishment. If that describes your work, the licence is yours to hold personally: it is not something the establishment holds on your behalf.
You must be employed at an establishment that is itself licensed under the by-law. The two licences work together, so an unlicensed venue is not a place this licence lets you work.
You can only actively work at one location. The establishment you name on your application is the one the licence is tied to, so a move means telling the City rather than simply starting somewhere new.
You have to apply in person with government-issued photo identification, and you have to provide a Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check from the police service board in the city where you live, dated within 36 days of your application. Third party clearances are not accepted.
What documents do you need?
Four items make up the file, and they are all about you rather than a business.
The completed business licence application form comes first. Then the Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check, from the police service board where you live and dated within 36 days of your application. The short window is deliberate, so order the check close to the date you intend to attend rather than months ahead.
Third, you must provide government-issued photo identification, and the by-law is specific that an Ontario Health Card is not accepted. Bring a driver's licence, a passport or another government-issued photo ID.
Fourth, you provide the name of the establishment you are employed at and your stage name, which will appear on the face of the licence. Because you can only actively work at one location, that establishment name is a live part of the licence rather than background information.
Zoning and premises requirements
There is no zoning requirement on this licence and no zoning charge in its fee structure. That is because the licence attaches to you as a person, not to premises.
Zoning applies to the establishment where you work, not to you. The owner of the adult services entertainment establishment deals with the Zoning Verification Certificate for that address as part of their own licence.
The practical version for you is simple: check that the establishment employing you holds a valid licence under the by-law, because your licence requires you to be employed at a licensed establishment.
Inspections and approvals
No inspection is required for this licence. There is no fire, health, parking or building inspection, and no inspection fee in the fee structure, because there are no premises being licensed here.
The equivalent check for a personal licence is the Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check, which has to come from the police service board in your city of residence and be dated within 36 days of your application. Third party clearances are refused.
The premises where you work are inspected through the establishment owner's licence instead, which requires fire, health and parking inspections.
How much does it cost?
There are three charges on a new application: a processing fee, the licence fee, and a photo fee for the municipal photo ID card. HST applies to the processing fee and the photo fee; the licence fee itself is not subject to HST.
There is no zoning verification charge and no inspection fee, which is why the fee schedule for this licence shows a single total rather than a with-zoning and without-zoning pair.
At renewal you pay the licence fee every year, with the photo fee charged on the three-year cycle when a new photograph is required.
If your licence lapses, reinstating it costs a reinstatement fee with HST. All amounts are set in the City's fee schedule and confirmed when you apply, so ask at the counter rather than relying on what a colleague paid last year.
How to apply
Confirm you are employed at an establishment licensed under the by-law, since that is a condition of holding this licence.
Order your Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check from the police service board in the city where you live. Time it so it is still within 36 days when you attend, and do not substitute an online report from a private screening company.
Decide on the stage name you want on the licence, and have the establishment's name ready.
Attend in person with government-issued photo identification. Remember that an Ontario Health Card is not accepted. Your photograph is taken during the visit for the municipal photo ID card, which is what you will carry as your licence.
Renewals and staying compliant
You must renew in person with government-issued photo identification. This is not something that can be done for you by the establishment.
The municipally issued photo ID card is printed each year with an updated expiry date, and a new picture is required every three years. Declarations A and B both have to be completed at renewal.
Renewal is also when to update the details that define the licence. If you have changed the establishment you work at, or the stage name you use, deal with it rather than renewing details that no longer describe your situation.
Renew before the licence expires. A late licence has to be reinstated and reinstatement carries its own fee with HST added.
Quick quiz: test what you learned
Three questions, all answered in this guide. Click an answer to check it.
1. Which identification is not accepted when you apply in person for an attendant licence?
The checklist requires government-issued photo ID and states specifically that an Ontario Health Card is not accepted.
2. What appears on the face of an attendant's licence?
The application asks for a stage name and the checklist notes it will be on the face of the licence.
3. At how many locations can a licensed attendant actively work?
The checklist states that an attendant can only actively work at one location, which is why the establishment name is part of the application.
Skip the paperwork
Tell Permits2Go about your business and it assembles the licence application for you — document checklists, e-signatures and a guided workspace for Hamilton, with more cities on the way.
This guide is general information, not legal or professional advice. Licensing requirements, by-laws and fees change and vary by municipality — always confirm the current rules with the City before you apply.