Trades & Contractors · 5 min read · Last updated
Every spring, paving crews fan out across Toronto — and the City expects every one of them to be licensed. A Driveway Paving Contractor licence covers any person or business repaving residential and commercial driveways. Here is what the licence involves, and why homeowners are told to ask for it before the truck backs in.
The City of Toronto lists this under its “Trade” category: “A person or business who repaves residential and commercial driveways.”
Who needs this licence?
The category covers a person or business that repaves residential and commercial driveways — asphalt crews, concrete and interlock installers doing repaving work, and seasonal operators alike. Scale does not matter: a one-truck operation quoting driveways needs the licence as much as a large paving firm.
Driveway paving is one of the trades where Toronto's licensing does consumer-protection work: paving is sold at the door, paid quickly and hard to undo, so a checkable licence is the homeowner's main reassurance. Being licensed is a sales asset as much as a legal requirement. The licence covers your business; anything an individual driveway job needs from the City — such as approvals where the work touches the public boulevard — belongs to that job.
What documents do you need?
- Government-issued identification for the applicant, two pieces with at least one photo
- Business name registration or corporate documents for the operation
- Evidence of qualifications or paving experience where the City's checklist requires it
- A police reference check where the City requests one for trade licences
The police check, where requested, is the long-lead item — start it before the season does.
Zoning and premises requirements
No premises comes with this licence — driveways are the workplace. Two zoning notes still matter: a home office must fit home-occupation rules, and parking pavers, rollers or a dump trailer at a residential property generally does not, which is why established paving businesses keep equipment in a properly zoned yard. Approvals a specific job needs belong to that job.
Inspections and approvals
No routine inspections attach to the licence itself. Municipal Licensing & Standards works complaints — and paving generates them, which is precisely why the category is licensed. Where a job involves the City-owned portion between the property line and the road, the approvals that portion needs come with their own City review, separate from your licence.
How much does it cost?
Licence costs come in two parts: an application fee up front and an annual renewal fee after that. The City sets both in its licensing fee schedule and confirms the amounts during your application; they are paid to the City directly.
How to apply
Apply through Municipal Licensing & Standards, which administers trade licences under Chapter 545. The City's online Business Licence & Permit portal has taken applications since January 2026, and in-person filing remains available.
Get licensed before the season opens, not during it — and let Permits2Go assemble the identification, registration and qualification documents so the application is complete on the first pass.
Renewals and staying compliant
Renew annually and treat the renewal date like the start of the season: an expired licence in May costs real work. Report business changes — name, officers, address — to the City as they happen, and keep the current licence where crews and customers can see it.
Quick quiz: test what you learned
Three questions, all answered in this guide. Click an answer to check it.
1. Who needs a Driveway Paving Contractor licence in Toronto?
The category covers repaving driveways as a business, from one-truck operators to large firms; City road work is a different world entirely.
2. Why is a checkable licence especially useful in the driveway paving trade?
The licensing category does consumer-protection work in a trade where jobs are quick, prepaid and difficult to reverse.
3. A paving job extends past the property line onto the City-owned boulevard. What covers that portion?
The licence covers the business; work on the public right-of-way carries its own City approvals tied to the job.
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.