Auto & Garages · 7 min read · Last updated
Public Garage is the licence name; the class letter is what you actually apply for. Hamilton splits the licence into classes A, B1, B2, B3, C, D and E, and the split is entirely about what happens to vehicles on your premises. Pick the wrong letter and you pay for the wrong inspections, so this page is about choosing before you apply.
The City of Hamilton lists this under its “Establishments” category: “PUBLIC GARAGE, By-law 07-170, Schedule 16. Please see By-law for DEFINITION, REQUIREMENTS and RESTRICTIONS. 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?
A public garage licence is a premises licence under Schedule 16 of By-law 07-170. It attaches to a building or place in Hamilton, and the class letter records what that place is used for.
The classes divide as follows:
- Class A: a building or place where motor vehicles are stored or kept for sale, excluding premises regulated by the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021.
- Class B1: a motor vehicle repair shop including body and fender repairs.
- Class B2: a motor vehicle repair shop excepting body repairs.
- Class B3: a motor vehicle repair shop for body and fender repairs only.
- Class C: an automobile service station, or a place where gasoline or oils are stored or kept for sale, other than a retail store selling them in sealed containers only. It takes in auto glass repair, tires, oil changes and lubricants.
- Class D: a parking station or a parking lot.
- Class E: a building or place used for washing or cleaning motor vehicles, excepting a licensed public garage without special equipment capable of washing or cleaning more than fifteen motor vehicles in one day.
Read those definitions against your actual operation rather than your business name. A shop that calls itself a body shop but also does mechanical work is not automatically B3, and a lot that sells vehicles and also changes oil is looking at more than one definition. Where the fit is genuinely unclear, get it confirmed before paying, since the inspection fees differ between classes.
What documents do you need?
Every class shares a spine: the completed business licence application form, current business registration or corporate profile documentation dated within one year, zoning confirmation for the address, and a scaled plot plan of the property.
The first real divergence is the police check. Classes A, B1, B2 and B3 require a Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check dated within 36 days of application, from the police service board in your city of residence, with third party clearances refused. Classes C, D and E do not list a police check at all, which makes those applications noticeably quicker to assemble.
The second divergence is the plot plan itself. Most classes want a full scaled plot plan of the property. Class B3 calls for it in respect of new parking lots. Class D goes furthest: an existing parking lot needs a plot plan showing the lot and everything around it, a new parking lot is directed to the specific requirements set out in Schedule 16, and the application also asks for photographs of the signage posted at the premises and confirmation of a site plan application or exemption.
Zoning and premises requirements
Zoning applies to the premises, and it is verified before the licence is issued. A Zoning Verification Certificate confirms that the intended garage use is permitted at that address, and it carries its own fee separate from the licence.
The addendum route exists for continuity. If the same category of business was previously licensed at the address within one year, a Zoning Addendum may be completed rather than a full certificate. That is common when one operator takes over another operator's premises without changing what happens there.
Class D adds a planning step on top of zoning. A site plan is required to be consulted before the licence is issued, the applicant is directed to contact the City's planning enquiries service for details, and confirmation of the site plan application or exemption forms part of the checklist.
Inspections and approvals
Every public garage class carries a parking inspection. The Licensing Team circulates the inspection request after your application is received.
The repair classes carry more. B1, B2 and B3 each require a fire inspection in addition to the parking inspection, and that fire inspection comes back around at renewal every three years. Classes A, C, D and E are parking only.
That single difference is the clearest financial reason to get your class right the first time. A repair-class file carries two inspection fees at the start and a recurring one afterwards, where a storage, fuel, parking or washing file carries one.
How much does it cost?
The fee pattern is consistent across the classes even though the amounts are not. Every new application carries a processing fee and a licence fee, plus the fee for each inspection the class requires. HST applies to the processing fee and to the inspection fees; the licence fee itself is not taxed.
Zoning is quoted separately. The City publishes garage totals both with and without the Zoning Verification Certificate or addendum, because whether you need one depends on the address and its recent licensing history.
Renewal is lighter than the first application everywhere. You pay the licence fee, and the repair classes add the fire inspection fee on its three-year cycle. A late renewal attracts a licence re-instatement fee.
All amounts sit in the City's fee schedule and are confirmed during the application, so treat the class you choose, not a price you were quoted last year, as the thing that determines your cost.
How to apply
Settle the class first. Everything downstream, including which inspections you pay for and whether you need a police check, follows from the letter.
Order zoning confirmation for the address next, and check whether the addendum route is open to you because the same category of business was licensed there within the past year.
Assemble the class-specific package: business registration documentation, the scaled plot plan, and a police check if you are applying under A, B1, B2 or B3. Class D applicants should also gather photographs of the posted signage and confirmation of the site plan application or exemption.
Submit the application form with the package and pay the processing and licence fees. The Licensing Team circulates inspection requests, and the licence is issued once the required inspections are cleared.
Renewals and staying compliant
Renewal declarations differ by class, and it is an easy thing to get wrong. Classes A, B1, B2 and B3 require Declarations A and B to be completed. Classes C, D and E require Declaration B only.
Repair-class holders should diarise the fire inspection. For B1, B2 and B3 it repeats every three years, so two renewals out of three cost less than the third.
A lapsed public garage licence is reinstated rather than simply renewed, and reinstatement carries its own late fee on top of the ordinary licence fee. If your renewal notice does not arrive, chase it rather than waiting.
Quick quiz: test what you learned
Three questions, all answered in this guide. Click an answer to check it.
1. What determines which public garage class you apply for?
Each class in Schedule 16 is defined by the activity carried on at the premises, from storage and sale through repair, fuel, parking and washing.
2. Which public garage classes require a fire inspection?
B1, B2 and B3 each carry a fire inspection alongside the parking inspection, and it repeats every three years at renewal, while the other classes are parking only.
3. Which classes are not asked for a criminal record check on their application checklist?
The checklists for classes A, B1, B2 and B3 include a Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check, while the checklists for C, D and E do not.
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.