Hamilton, Ontario
How do I check a contractor's trade licence in Hamilton?
The City of Hamilton issues trade licences for building repair, plumbing, HVAC, drain repair and sprinkler installation. Confirming one takes a call or a message to the city, and the Ontario steps follow.
The free steps
1. Start with the exact name on the quote
Write down the business name exactly as the quote prints it, including Ltd., Inc. or a number. A trade name, a numbered company and a sole proprietorship can all be registered under other words, so if a search shows nothing, ask the contractor which name and number appear on their registration or licence before you read anything into it.
2. Read who needs a Hamilton trade licence
The city's trade-licence page explains which trades need a licence: building repair, plumbing, HVAC, drain repair and sprinkler and fire protection installation. Match the trade to the work on your quote, and if you are not sure which trade covers it, ask the city.
Official source: Trade licence (City of Hamilton; checked 2026-10-22).
3. Ask the city to confirm the licence
Contact the city's licensing office from the trade-licence page with the exact name on the quote, and ask whether it holds a current trade licence for that trade. Write down the date and what you were told.
4. Search the Ontario Business Registry
Match the licensed name to the registered name and the quote, and note the number and status.
Official source: Ontario Business Registry (Government of Ontario; checked 2026-10-20).
5. Compulsory trades: check Skilled Trades Ontario
A city trade licence is for the business. The person doing plumbing or other compulsory-trade work appears in Skilled Trades Ontario's public register by name.
Official source: Public Register (Skilled Trades Ontario; checked 2026-07-15).
6. If nothing comes up
A business based in Burlington, Grimsby or Haldimand County may hold its licence elsewhere. Ask which city issued it and the licence number.
7. Know what the free search cannot show
A licence or a registration says the business holds permission under that name today. It does not show whether past work was good, whether the insurance is in force, or whether the quote covers what you think it does. Those are the insurance and quote steps, and they take a few minutes more.
Questions people ask
Is a Hamilton trade licence the same as a trade certificate?
No. The city licenses the business; Skilled Trades Ontario certifies the person. Check both when the work is a compulsory trade.
What does a Jay check add?
Jay runs the Ontario Business Registry, ESA, HCRA and Consumer Beware List searches for you, with the source and the time checked for each. Hamilton has no public licence lookup, so her report says so and gives you the question to ask the city. The Full Check also reads your quote and insurance certificate against the records, and a person reviews every Full Check before it goes out.
Or ask Jay
Jay does these steps for you and writes up what the records show, with the source and date for each finding. The $39 Full Check (no tax added) also reads your quote and insurance papers, and a person reviews every Full Check before it goes out. The $19 Quick Check is opening soon.
Order a Full CheckSee a sample Full Check
Three quotes. One Jay check. Then the deposit.
Information, not a verdict. A record that is not found is not evidence of wrongdoing, and nothing here is legal, insurance or safety advice.
Published 2026-10-22; sources last checked on the dates shown beside each step.