Trades & Contractors · 7 min read · Last updated
Toronto requires anyone who repairs or renovates buildings — and, notably, anyone who merely advertises themselves as a renovator — to hold a Building Renovator trade licence. It's the licence most renovation contractors are missing, and it's entirely separate from the building permits your projects need. Here's who it covers and how to get licensed.
The City of Toronto lists this under its “Trade” category: “A person who repairs or renovates buildings/structures, including anyone who advertises themselves as a renovator, is required to obtain a licence.”
Who needs this licence?
The category is broad by design: any person or business that repairs or renovates buildings or structures in Toronto needs the licence, and the advertising rule means you cannot market renovation services without one. General renovators, basement finishers, kitchen-and-bath remodellers and handyman businesses doing structural or building work all fall inside it.
Two boundaries matter. First, specialized trades have their own licence classes — plumbing, heating and drain work are licensed separately, so a renovator subcontracting those trades should verify each sub carries the right class. Second, the licence covers who performs the work; it never substitutes for the building permits the work itself requires. Most real renovation jobs need both: a licensed renovator and a permitted project.
What documents do you need?
- Government-issued identification (two pieces, at least one photo)
- Corporate documents or business name registration if you operate through a company
- Evidence of qualifications or relevant renovation experience, per the City's Building Renovator checklist
- A police reference or criminal record check where the City requests one for trade licences
Order the police check early if it applies — it is routinely the slowest document in the package. The City publishes a supporting-documents checklist specific to Building Renovators; matching it item-for-item is the difference between a clean approval and weeks of back-and-forth.
Zoning and premises requirements
There is no licensed premises to zone — the work happens at client sites. If you run the business from home, make sure your office use fits Toronto's home occupation rules, and remember that each project site has its own zoning and permit story that belongs to the project, not to your licence.
Inspections and approvals
The licence itself does not come with routine premises inspections, but Municipal Licensing & Standards investigates complaints against renovators and can require records — Toronto consumers can and do check licence status before hiring. The inspections you will live with day to day are the building inspections on your permitted projects, which run through Toronto Building on a separate track.
How much does it cost?
The City charges an application fee and an annual renewal fee, set in its licensing fee schedule and confirmed during the application. They are a cost of doing business legally — and far cheaper than the enforcement penalties for operating or advertising unlicensed.
How to apply
Apply to Municipal Licensing & Standards through the City's online business licence portal (live since January 2026) or in person. Submit the identification, business registration, qualifications evidence and any requested police check together.
Renovators are exactly who Permits2Go was built for: the same workspace that prepares your licence package also prepares the building permit applications for your projects — one system for the licence that lets you advertise and the permits that let you build.
Renewals and staying compliant
Renew annually and before expiry — advertising with a lapsed licence re-creates the exact violation the licence exists to prevent. Keep the business name, corporate officers and contact information current with the City, and keep renewal receipts with your marketing records; clients increasingly ask.
Quick quiz: test what you learned
Three questions, all answered in this guide. Click an answer to check it.
1. Who needs a Building Renovator licence in Toronto?
The advertising rule is the catch most contractors miss: marketing yourself as a renovator requires the licence even before any work starts.
2. How does the Building Renovator licence relate to building permits?
A licensed renovator still pulls permits for the projects; neither one substitutes for the other.
3. Which document is commonly the slowest to obtain for a trade licence application?
Police checks routinely take weeks — ordering one early keeps the rest of the package from waiting on it.
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 Toronto, 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.