Auto & Garages · 6 min read · Last updated
Garage B3 is the narrowest of the three repair classes. It licenses a shop that does body and fender repairs and only that, which is the collision and refinishing trade rather than general mechanical service. The word only in the definition is doing real work, so read it before you assume B3 is the cheapest way into a repair licence.
The City of Hamilton lists this under its “Establishments” category: “GARAGE B3 - A building or place used as a motor vehicle repair shop for body and fender repairs only.”
Who needs this licence?
Garage B3 covers a building or place used as a motor vehicle repair shop for body and fender repairs only. This is the collision trade: straightening, panel replacement, refinishing and the associated preparation work.
The word only sets the limit. If the shop also carries out mechanical repairs, the correct class is Garage B1, which covers a repair shop including body and fender repairs. Garage B2 is the mirror image of B3, covering repair while excepting body work. All three classes are treated the same way for fees and inspections, so choosing B3 to save money is pointless, and choosing it inaccurately creates a problem at inspection time.
Like every public garage class, B3 licenses a premises. A collision shop with two locations needs a licence at each address, and buying an existing body shop means applying yourself rather than continuing the seller's licence.
What documents do you need?
The B3 checklist has the same first four items as the other repair classes, and then it does something slightly different with the plot plan.
You start with the completed business licence application form, then business registration, corporate profile or master business licence documentation dated within one year of your application. That is the City confirming the business entity behind the shop is real and current.
Zoning verification confirms body and fender use is permitted at the address. The Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check, dated within 36 days and issued by the police service board where you live, covers the operator personally, and third party clearances are refused.
The scaled plot plan is where B3 differs: the checklist ties it to new parking lots. When it is required, the content is the familiar list, covering everything on the property from structures and manoeuvring spaces to utility lines, fencing, fire hydrants and the roads and sidewalks around the site, with north indicated. Confirm with Licensing whether your particular site needs one rather than assuming either way.
Zoning and premises requirements
Zoning confirmation for the address comes before the licence and is charged separately. A Zoning Verification Certificate is the City stating in writing that a body and fender repair shop is a permitted use at that location.
If the same category of business was previously licensed at the address within one year, a Zoning Addendum may be completed instead of a full certificate. Collision shops often change hands with the use unchanged, which is exactly the situation the addendum exists for.
The plot plan requirement on the B3 checklist is written for new parking lots, so a shop moving into an established building with existing parking may be in a different position than one laying out a new lot. Get that clarified at the counter, because it changes what you have to commission.
Inspections and approvals
A new Garage B3 licence requires a fire inspection and a parking inspection, both arranged after the application is received.
The fire inspection matters most in this class. Refinishing means paints, solvents, spray equipment and their storage, and the fire inspection is the City looking at how that is handled on the premises before the licence is granted.
The parking inspection looks at the property and how vehicles use it. Collision work keeps vehicles on site for days rather than hours, so where damaged vehicles are stored while they wait is the practical question behind this inspection.
How much does it cost?
Opening a B3 file means a processing fee, the licence fee, a fire inspection fee and a parking inspection fee. The processing fee and both inspection fees carry HST; the licence fee does not.
The three repair classes share the same fee structure, so there is no cost advantage in describing a shop as B3 rather than B1 or B2. The class question should be answered by what happens on the premises and nothing else.
Zoning verification or the addendum is charged separately when it is needed, which is why the City quotes the total both ways.
Renewal is the licence fee plus the fire inspection fee every three years, and a licence re-instatement fee applies if you renew late. The City sets and confirms all amounts through its fee schedule during the application.
How to apply
Confirm the class and the zoning together. Tell the City the shop does body and fender repairs only, and get the address checked for that use.
Gather your registry documentation and order the criminal record check from your local police service board, timing it to fall inside 36 days of submission.
Ask whether a scaled plot plan applies to your site. The B3 checklist frames it around new parking lots, so this is a question worth asking before you commission drafting work.
Submit the application and package, pay the processing, licence and inspection fees, and wait for the fire and parking inspection requests to be circulated. Clearing both completes the file.
Renewals and staying compliant
Declarations A and B need to be completed at renewal, and the licence fee is paid. The plot plan and police check are not routinely repeated.
The fire inspection comes back every three years with its fee attached. For a refinishing shop that is the renewal to prepare for: booth servicing, solvent storage and waste handling are all easier to explain when they have been kept up.
Late renewal triggers a licence re-instatement fee on top of the licence fee. Because the fire inspection cycle already makes costs uneven between years, avoid adding a late fee to a heavy year.
Quick quiz: test what you learned
Three questions, all answered in this guide. Click an answer to check it.
1. What work does a Garage B3 licence permit on the premises?
B3 is defined as a motor vehicle repair shop for body and fender repairs only, which is narrower than B1 and the opposite of B2.
2. How does the B3 checklist treat the scaled plot plan?
Unlike the other repair classes, the B3 checklist qualifies the scaled plot plan requirement as applying to new parking lots.
3. Is Garage B3 cheaper to apply for than Garage B1 or B2?
All three repair classes carry a processing fee, licence fee, fire inspection and parking inspection, so the class should be chosen on the work done rather than on price.
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.