Trades & Contractors · 6 min read · Last updated
A master licence belongs to you, not to your employer. It says the City has tested you on the parts of the Ontario Building Code that govern building repair work and is satisfied you know them. Every licensed building repair contractor in Hamilton needs one of you on staff, which is why the licence is worth holding, and why the rule that you may work for only one contractor at a time matters so much.
The City of Hamilton lists this under its “Trades” category: “Building Repair mean additions, prefabricated structures, roofing, siding, decks, chimneys and fireplaces (masonry work), porches, replacement windows, insulation, framing. No master shall be employed by more than one contractor at a time.”
Who needs this licence?
The master licence is issued to an individual. You hold it in your own name, you carry a photo identification card with your picture on it, and it moves with you if you change employer.
One restriction defines the licence: no master shall be employed by more than one contractor at a time. You cannot lend your licence to a second firm, act as the named master for a friend's company while working for someone else, or hold two contractor relationships at once.
The subject matter is the same trade the contractor licence covers. Building repair means additions, prefabricated structures, roofing, siding, decks, chimneys and fireplaces as masonry work, porches, replacement windows, insulation and framing.
Unlike some of Hamilton's other master trades, this one is earned by examination rather than by producing a certificate of qualification. That is the practical route in for an experienced builder who has never held provincial trade papers, and it is also the hurdle to prepare for.
Schedule 29 of By-law 07-170 sets out the requirements. The licence certifies you; it does not authorise a business to solicit work, which is what the contractor licence does.
What documents do you need?
The master checklist is short, because the exam does most of the work.
You need a Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check from the police service board in your city of residence, dated within 36 days of your application. Third party clearances are not accepted.
You must write the examination and pass it. It runs two hours, the pass mark is 70 percent, and it is an open book exam based on Part 9 and Part 12 of the Ontario Building Code together with the Building Code Act. The books can be purchased from the Mohawk College book store.
Once you pass, a municipally issued photo identification card is produced for you. Notice what is not on this list: no business registration, no corporate profile, no insurance certificate. Those belong to the contractor licence. As a master you are being assessed as a tradesperson, not as a business.
Zoning and premises requirements
Zoning does not apply to you. This licence attaches to a person, not to a premises, so there is no Zoning Verification Certificate, no addendum and no premise plan on the checklist.
Zoning applies to where the business you work for operates. If your employer runs a shop or a yard, the zoning for that property is your employer's responsibility as part of holding the contractor licence and occupying the site.
On a job, the land use and construction rules belong to the property being worked on. Building permits are taken out against that address, and the work is judged against the Building Code, which is exactly the material your exam covers.
If you later set up your own contracting business, the zoning of your own premises becomes a live question. As a master alone, it is not.
Inspections and approvals
No inspections are listed for the master licence, and none are circulated when you apply. There is no premises for an inspector to attend.
The examination takes the place of an inspection. Two hours, open book, 70 percent to pass, on Part 9 and Part 12 of the Ontario Building Code and the Building Code Act. Open book does not mean easy, since the skill being tested is finding and applying the right provision under time pressure.
Buy the code books early rather than the week before. They are available from the Mohawk College book store, and working through Part 9 in particular before you sit down is the difference between a comfortable pass and a re-write.
On site, your work is inspected in the ordinary way through the building permit process for each job. That is separate from your licence, though a master licence is a strong signal that you know what an inspector will look for.
How much does it cost?
Four charges apply to a new master application: a processing fee, a licence fee, a photo fee for the identification card, and an exam fee.
The exam fee is the item that distinguishes this licence from the master trades where a certificate of qualification is accepted instead of a test. Budget for it, and remember that it is charged for sitting the exam.
HST applies to the processing fee, the photo fee and the exam fee, but not to the licence fee itself.
The master licence fee is lower than the contractor licence fee. That is deliberate: you are being licensed as a qualified individual rather than as a business that solicits work. Renewal is the licence fee plus the photo fee, and a lapsed licence carries a reinstatement fee. All amounts are set by the City in its fee schedule and confirmed during the application.
How to apply
Get the code books first, from the Mohawk College book store, and give yourself real time with Part 9 and Part 12 of the Ontario Building Code and the Building Code Act.
Order your Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check from the police service board in your city of residence, timing it so the date is within 36 days when your application goes in.
Register and pay for the examination, then write it. It is two hours, open book, and you need 70 percent.
Once you pass, the municipally issued photo identification card is issued. Attend in person for the photo and bring identification.
Carry the card while you work. It is how a contractor, a customer or a by-law officer confirms that you are the licensed master, and a contractor cannot rely on you for their own licence unless yours is current.
Renewals and staying compliant
Renewal is annual. Declaration B is the only declaration required of a master, which is a lighter obligation than the Declarations A and B that contractors complete.
A new municipally issued photo identification card is printed every year with an updated expiry date, and a new picture is required every three years. Plan to attend for a fresh photo on that three year cycle.
The renewal charge is the licence fee plus the photo fee. There is no exam fee at renewal, since you write the examination once to qualify rather than every year.
Let the licence lapse and a reinstatement fee applies. Since your employer's contractor licence depends on having a licensed master in its employ, an expired master licence is not only your problem, so renew ahead of the expiry date.
Quick quiz: test what you learned
Three questions, all answered in this guide. Click an answer to check it.
1. What does the Building Repair Master examination cover?
The building repair master exam is a two hour open book test on Part 9 and Part 12 of the Ontario Building Code and the Building Code Act, with a 70 percent pass mark.
2. How many contractors may a licensed master work for at one time?
The by-law states that no master shall be employed by more than one contractor at a time, so a master licence cannot be spread across firms.
3. Which document does a master applicant NOT have to provide?
Insurance is a contractor requirement; the master checklist covers the police check, the exam and the photo identification card only.
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.