Auto & Garages · 6 min read · Last updated
If your premises exists to hold vehicles rather than work on them, Garage A is your class. It covers the used car lot, the dealership sales yard and the compound where vehicles sit until they are sold. Because nothing is repaired, sprayed or fuelled on site, Garage A carries the lightest inspection load of any public garage class in Hamilton.
The City of Hamilton lists this under its “Establishments” category: “GARAGE A is a building or place where motor vehicles are stored or kept for sale, except a building or place that is regulated by the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021, S.O. 2021, c. 26, Sched. 3, as amended or replaced”
Who needs this licence?
You need a Garage A licence if you run a building or place in Hamilton where motor vehicles are stored or kept for sale. That is broad on purpose. A lot where customers browse and buy, a yard where vehicles are parked until an auction, and a compound holding stock for a dealer elsewhere all sit inside the same definition.
The definition carves out one thing. Premises regulated by the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021 are excluded, so a towing and vehicle storage operation governed by that provincial Act is not licensed by the City as a Garage A.
Class follows the work, not the sign on the building. Garage A is storage and sale only. The moment repair work happens on the premises you are in one of the B classes, and if you keep gasoline or oils for sale you are in Garage C. If your site does more than one of these things, ask Licensing which class applies before you pay for anything, because the checklist and the inspections change with the class.
What documents do you need?
Five items make up the Garage A checklist, and each one answers a different question the City has about your business.
The application form establishes who is applying and for which address. Your business registration, corporate profile or master business licence, dated within one year, proves the legal entity behind that name exists and is current. The licence is issued to that entity, so a numbered company applying under a trade name needs the paperwork that ties the two together.
The Zoning Verification Certificate answers whether the use is allowed where you want to put it. The Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check answers who is behind the business. It has to be dated within 36 days of your application and it has to come from the police service board in your city of residence. Third party clearances will not be accepted, which rules out the online background reports sold by private screening companies.
The scaled plot plan answers what is physically on the site. It covers the entire property, including structures both current and proposed, parking and manoeuvring spaces, exits and entrances, adjacent utility lines, landscaping, fencing, fire hydrants and the roads and sidewalks around the property, with north indicated. Treat it as a drawing job rather than a form-filling job and budget time for it.
Zoning and premises requirements
Zoning is a separate step with its own fee, and it happens before the licence rather than as part of it. The Zoning Verification Certificate is the City confirming in writing that a vehicle sales or storage use is permitted at your specific address under the zoning by-law.
There is a shortcut. If the same category of business was previously licensed at that address within one year, a Zoning Addendum may be completed instead of a full Zoning Verification Certificate. That is worth checking whenever you are taking over a lot from another operator rather than opening one on new ground.
The scaled plot plan works alongside the zoning certificate. Zoning says the use is permitted; the plot plan shows how the site is actually laid out, which is what the City reviews when it looks at where vehicles will sit and how they will move on and off the property.
Inspections and approvals
Garage A triggers one inspection: a parking inspection. Once your application has been received, the Licensing Team circulates the inspection request, so you do not book it yourself.
The parking inspection and the scaled plot plan cover the same ground, which is a useful clue about what matters. Where vehicles enter and leave, how they manoeuvre on the property, and how the site relates to the surrounding roads and sidewalks are all shown on the plan and then looked at in person.
Notice what is not on the list. Garage A carries no fire inspection, because nothing is being repaired or refinished on the premises. If your plans include repair work, the class changes and a fire inspection comes with it.
How much does it cost?
There are three fees on a new Garage A application: a processing fee, the licence fee itself, and a parking inspection fee. HST applies to the processing fee and the inspection fee; the licence fee is not taxed.
Zoning sits outside that total. If you need a Zoning Verification Certificate or a Zoning Addendum, it is charged separately, which is why the City quotes garage totals two ways, with and without zoning included.
At renewal the structure gets simpler: the licence fee, with no processing fee and no repeat inspection charge. Let the licence lapse and a licence re-instatement fee applies on top, and it is not a token amount.
The City sets every amount in its fee schedule and confirms the current figures when you apply, so check them at the counter rather than budgeting from an older price list.
How to apply
Start with zoning. A Zoning Verification Certificate takes time and it is the step most likely to stop the project, so order it before you commit to a property or order anything else.
While zoning is in progress, pull your business registration or corporate profile and book the criminal record check. Time the police check so it lands within 36 days of the date you actually submit, not 36 days before you start gathering paperwork.
Have the scaled plot plan drawn. This is the item that most often needs a second attempt, because it has to cover the whole property and include the north point.
Submit the completed application form with the full package and pay the processing and licence fees. The Licensing Team then circulates the request for your parking inspection. Once the inspection is cleared and nothing else is outstanding, the licence is issued.
Renewals and staying compliant
Renewal is deliberately lighter than a first application. Declarations A and B need to be completed and the licence fee is paid; the processing fee and the parking inspection are not repeated for Garage A.
Declarations A and B are the City asking you to confirm that what it has on file is still true. If anything material has changed at the premises, that is the moment to say so rather than at the next inspection.
Renew on time. A licence that has lapsed carries a licence re-instatement fee, charged as a late fee on top of the ordinary renewal cost, so a missed reminder is an expensive administrative error.
Quick quiz: test what you learned
Three questions, all answered in this guide. Click an answer to check it.
1. Which premises does a Garage A licence cover?
Garage A is defined by vehicles being stored or held for sale on the premises, with no repair, fuel or washing work involved.
2. Which premises are specifically excluded from the Garage A definition?
The definition excludes places regulated by that provincial Act, so a towing and storage operation covered by it is not licensed as a Garage A.
3. How current must your criminal record check be for a Garage A application?
The checklist requires a Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check dated within 36 days from the police service board in your city of residence, and third party clearances are not accepted.
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.