Trades & Contractors · 7 min read · Last updated
In Toronto's plumbing hierarchy, the Master Plumber licence sits at the top: it belongs to the person who plans, supervises and installs plumbing and employs the people who perform plumbing work. It is the credential a plumbing business is built around — and one the City has historically examined candidates for. Here is how to get it and what it actually covers.
The City of Toronto lists this under its “Trade” category: “A master plumber is a person who engages in planning, supervising and installing of plumbing and employs people who perform plumbing work.”
Who needs this licence?
The City's definition has three verbs and one decisive phrase: a master plumber engages in planning, supervising and installing plumbing, and employs people who perform plumbing work. The employment element is what separates the master from every other plumbing credential — this is the licence of the person responsible for a crew, not just for their own wrench.
Keep the neighbouring classes straight. The Plumbing Contractor licence covers a person in the business of contracting or repairing plumbing installations — or advertising as a plumbing contractor. The Plumbing & Heating Contractor class combines plumbing and heating scopes in one licence. The master credential threads through all of them: a firm contracts the work, and a master plans, supervises and employs the people doing it.
What documents do you need?
A master application is a career file as much as a form:
- Two pieces of government-issued identification, one with a photo
- Documented qualifications and experience in the plumbing trade, matching the City's checklist for master candidates
- A police reference check where the City requests one
- Corporate or business registration documents where the credential anchors a company
Add the examination: Toronto has historically required master plumber candidates to pass one, so treat the application as a competence review with documents attached.
Zoning and premises requirements
Nothing about this licence ties to a property — it certifies you, wherever the work is. The usual trade caveats apply: a home-run office must fit the City's home-occupation rules, and the plumbing permits your crews work under attach to each project address, not to your credential.
Inspections and approvals
There are no premises inspections for a personal credential, and Municipal Licensing & Standards enforces by complaint and record. The inspections that matter daily are on the work: plumbing installations need their own stand-alone plumbing permits, inspected before walls close and trenches fill, and the master who planned and supervised the job answers for what the inspector finds.
How much does it cost?
The credential carries an application fee and an annual renewal fee, both set in the City's licensing fee schedule. Confirm the current amounts during the application — they are paid to the City directly.
How to apply
Applications go to Municipal Licensing & Standards under Chapter 545 — online through the City's Business Licence & Permit portal, in service since January 2026, or in person. File identification, qualifications and experience evidence, any requested police check, and sit the examination where one applies.
If the master licence anchors your firm, coordinate it with the firm's contractor licence; Permits2Go's workspace manages both packages, plus the plumbing permits your jobs will pull.
Renewals and staying compliant
Renew annually and never let the credential lapse — a plumbing business whose master licence expires has a problem that touches every active job. Keep employment and business details current with the City, and renew the firm's contractor licence on the same calendar so the two never drift apart.
Quick quiz: test what you learned
Three questions, all answered in this guide. Click an answer to check it.
1. What distinguishes a Master Plumber from other plumbing licence holders in Toronto?
Planning, supervising and employing is the City's own definition — the employer role is the defining element.
2. What has the City historically required of master plumber candidates?
The master classes are Toronto's historically examined trade licences — documents alone have not been enough.
3. A master plumber's crew roughs in a new bathroom. What authorizes that work?
Licences qualify people; permits authorize work — plumbing installations carry their own permits and inspections.
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.