Apply in minutes, guided end to end
Start with the most common licence categories — the app walks you through the details, documents and signatures.
Eating or Drinking Establishment
Restaurants, cafés, bars and pubs. Covers the documents, premises zoning check and the health & fire inspections to expect before opening day.
Read the guide →Take-out or Retail Food Store
Grocery, convenience and variety stores, take-out counters and other retail food businesses selling for consumption off-site.
Read the guide →Building Renovator
Required for anyone repairing or renovating buildings — including anyone who advertises as a renovator. Pairs naturally with the building permits your jobs need.
Read the guide →How it works
From “I'm opening a café” to a submission-ready licence application.
Pick your licence
Choose your category and the workspace loads the matching guide and document checklist.
Enter business details
Legal name, premises, entity type — plus an automatic zoning check on the address.
Upload & sign
Work through the supporting-document checklist and e-sign the application paperwork.
File with the City
Download or email yourself the complete package, ready to file with Municipal Licensing & Standards.
Every licence & permit, explained
Plain-language guides to every business licence category Toronto and Hamilton issue.
Hamilton (95 guides)
Food & Drink (10)
Food Trucks & Mobile Vending (7)
Trades & Contractors (12)
Personal Services & Wellness (5)
Adult Entertainment (6)
Entertainment & Amusement (15)
Retail & Second-Hand (9)
Vehicles-for-Hire & Transport (11)
Auto & Garages (8)
Accommodation & Rentals (7)
Care & Animals (3)
Permits & Certificates (2)
Toronto (93 guides)
Food & Drink (6)
Trades & Contractors (13)
Personal Services & Wellness (5)
Retail & Shops (10)
Entertainment & Venues (9)
Vehicles-for-Hire & Transport (15)
Driving Schools (4)
Auto & Parking (4)
Street Vending & Mobile Sales (7)
Property, Rentals & Care (5)
Other Business Licences (3)
Business-Adjacent Permits (12)
Licence questions?
New to municipal business licensing? Start here. The essentials applicants ask us about most, answered in plain language.
Many business types do. Restaurants and cafés, food retailers, trades and contractors, vehicles-for-hire, personal services and dozens of other categories are licensed by Toronto's Municipal Licensing & Standards division under Chapter 545 of the Toronto Municipal Code, and by Hamilton's Licensing & By-law Services under By-law 07-170. Our guides cover every category in both cities so you can check yours.
Often, yes. The licence covers who operates the business; permits cover construction work on the premises. A restaurant build-out, for example, usually needs both — Permits2Go prepares both applications in one workspace.
Most applications ask for government-issued ID, business registration or incorporation documents, proof of premises such as a signed lease, and category-specific items like zoning confirmation or trade qualifications. The app assembles the checklist for your licence type.
Each city sets its own application and renewal fees in a licensing fee schedule, and they vary widely by category. Fees are paid to the city directly and are confirmed during your application; Permits2Go plans cover preparing the application itself.
It varies by category and premises. Applications that need inspections — food businesses, personal services — take longer than trade licences. Starting with a complete, correct document package is the biggest time-saver, and that is exactly what Permits2Go prepares.