Licensing requirements per trade
Different trades have different rules in Ontario. Some need a Certificate of Qualification by law; others have only optional certifications. Here's what you need to operate on Qoro, broken down by trade.
Compulsory vs. optional, in plain English
Under Ontario's Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act 2021, three of the trades on Qoro are compulsory: Electrical, Plumbing, and Auto Mechanic. That means you must hold a Certificate of Qualification — or be a registered apprentice working under one — to do paid work for the public. We verify against Skilled Trades Ontario's public register before approving you for any compulsory trade. Home Renovation and Security Systems are not compulsory at the contractor level, but specific scopes within them (electrical, fire alarms, etc.) require separate certifications.
When does Qoro check each thing?
At application: you tell us which trades you work in and answer a few attestation questions per trade — yes / no / currently apprenticing. No documents at this stage. We review your resume, past work, and references.
If approved in principle for one or more of your trades, you complete identity verification (live selfie + government ID) — universal across trades.
Then you upload your trade licence documents for each approved trade — Certificate of Qualification, ESA LEC, insurance certificate, etc. We cross-reference against Skilled Trades Ontario / ESA before unlocking your dashboard for that trade.
Per-trade approval: if you applied for two trades and only one's docs are ready, you can still start earning on the approved trade — the other stays pending until you upload its docs.
Security Systems
No provincial trade certification is required for pure low-voltage installation (cameras, alarms, access control). Some scopes have additional requirements: 110V power-supply work needs an ESA-licensed electrician, fire alarms need CFAA certification, and a few municipalities require local burglar-alarm installer registration.
Required to be approved
Do you have at least 2 years of paid security-system installation experience?
Optional / situational
Do you hold (or operate under) an ECRA/ESA Licensed Electrical Contractor licence?
Optional. Only required if you'll install or modify 110V power supplies as part of security work. Camera/alarm low-voltage cabling alone doesn't need it.
Do you hold CFAA (Canadian Fire Alarm Association) certification?
Optional. Required only if you'll install or service fire alarms through Qoro.
Are you registered as a burglar-alarm installer with any Ontario municipality?
Optional. Toronto, Hamilton, and a few other municipalities require local registration. Not required to operate on Qoro generally.
Do you carry $2M+ general liability insurance for trade work?
Highly recommended but not required for this trade. If you have coverage, you'll be able to upload your certificate at the verification step — that lets us show a 'Insured' badge to customers, which materially improves your quote-acceptance rate.
If you have employees, do you carry WSIB coverage with a valid clearance certificate?
Optional for now. If you operate independently with no employees, choose 'Not applicable.' If you have employees but no WSIB coverage yet, you can still apply and address this later — admin will follow up.
Verify with these authorities
Provincial regulator for electrical safety. Maintains the Licensed Electrical Contractor (LEC) directory.
Industry certification for fire alarm installers. Required by many municipalities and insurance carriers for fire-alarm work.
Some Ontario municipalities require burglar-alarm installers to register locally. Toronto, Hamilton, and a few others.
Required for any contractor with employees. Independent operators may file an Independent Operator Status declaration instead.
Plumbing
Compulsory trade in Ontario. You must hold a Plumber Certificate of Qualification (306A) — or be a registered apprentice — to do paid plumbing work for the public.
Required to be approved
Do you hold a current Plumber Certificate of Qualification (306A) from Skilled Trades Ontario?
Plumbing is a compulsory trade under Ontario's BOSTA 2021. Doing paid plumbing work without a Certificate of Qualification or registered apprenticeship is illegal.
Do you carry $2M+ general liability insurance for trade work?
$2M general liability is the Ontario industry standard for skilled-trade contractors.
Optional / situational
Do you hold a Master Plumber endorsement?
Optional — additional credential beyond the base 306A.
If you have employees, do you carry WSIB coverage with a valid clearance certificate?
Optional for now. If you operate independently with no employees, choose 'Not applicable.' If you have employees but no WSIB coverage yet, you can still apply and address this later — admin will follow up.
Verify with these authorities
Electrical
Compulsory trade in Ontario. You must hold an Electrician Certificate of Qualification (309A or 309C) AND operate under an ECRA/ESA Licensed Electrical Contractor (LEC) license to do paid electrical work for the public.
Required to be approved
Do you hold a current Electrician Certificate of Qualification (309A Construction & Maintenance, or 309C Domestic & Rural)?
Electrician is a compulsory trade under Ontario's BOSTA 2021.
Do you operate under an ECRA/ESA Licensed Electrical Contractor (LEC) license?
The Electrical Safety Authority requires every business doing paid electrical work for the public to hold a LEC license. The license number must appear on your invoices and quotes.
Do you carry $2M+ general liability insurance for trade work?
$2M general liability is the Ontario industry standard for skilled-trade contractors.
Optional / situational
Do you hold a Master Electrician designation?
Optional — required for the LEC business, but you can operate under another business's Master Electrician.
If you have employees, do you carry WSIB coverage with a valid clearance certificate?
Optional for now. If you operate independently with no employees, choose 'Not applicable.' If you have employees but no WSIB coverage yet, you can still apply and address this later — admin will follow up.
Verify with these authorities
Verify any compulsory-trade Certificate of Qualification by name or registration number.
Provincial regulator for electrical safety. Maintains the Licensed Electrical Contractor (LEC) directory.
Required for any contractor with employees. Independent operators may file an Independent Operator Status declaration instead.
Automobile
Compulsory trade in Ontario. You must hold an Automotive Service Technician Certificate of Qualification (310S, or sub-trade 310T/310B/310J) to do paid mechanic work for the public.
Required to be approved
Do you hold a current Automotive Service Technician Certificate of Qualification (310S, 310T, 310B, or 310J)?
Auto Service Technician is a compulsory trade under Ontario's BOSTA 2021.
Do you carry $2M+ general liability insurance for trade work?
$2M general liability is the Ontario industry standard for skilled-trade contractors.
Optional / situational
Do you hold an MTO Vehicle Inspection Centre licence (for safety / emissions inspections)?
Optional — only required if you'll perform Safety Standards Certificates (SSC) or DriveClean inspections through Qoro.
Do you have a registered shop / garage address (for liability scope)?
Mobile-only operators choose 'Not applicable.'
If you have employees, do you carry WSIB coverage with a valid clearance certificate?
Optional for now. If you operate independently with no employees, choose 'Not applicable.' If you have employees but no WSIB coverage yet, you can still apply and address this later — admin will follow up.
Verify with these authorities
Verify any compulsory-trade Certificate of Qualification by name or registration number.
MTO licence required to perform safety inspections (Safety Standards Certificates) and emissions testing.
Required for any contractor with employees. Independent operators may file an Independent Operator Status declaration instead.
Home Renovation
Renovation contractors are not separately licensed in Ontario, but ANY regulated work within a renovation (electrical, plumbing, gas, HVAC) must legally be done by a certified tradesperson. We ask how you handle that — own certification or sub-contract.
Required to be approved
Do you have at least 2 years of paid renovation experience with verifiable past projects?
Do you carry $2M+ general liability insurance for trade work?
$2M general liability is the Ontario industry standard for skilled-trade contractors.
Optional / situational
How do you handle regulated work (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, gas) inside renovations?
Pick the option that matches your business model. We may follow up to verify either way.
Do you hold a Skilled Trades Ontario Carpenter (403A) or General Carpenter certification?
Optional — voluntary trade in Ontario, but a useful credential.
Do you hold an HCRA Home Builder licence (only relevant if you do additions or new builds)?
Skip if you only do interior renovations — HCRA only regulates new home construction and substantial additions.
If you have employees, do you carry WSIB coverage with a valid clearance certificate?
Optional for now. If you operate independently with no employees, choose 'Not applicable.' If you have employees but no WSIB coverage yet, you can still apply and address this later — admin will follow up.
Verify with these authorities
Regulates new home builders and vendors. Standard renovation work doesn't require an HCRA licence — additions and new builds may.
Verify any compulsory-trade Certificate of Qualification by name or registration number.
Required for any contractor with employees. Independent operators may file an Independent Operator Status declaration instead.
Disclaimer: This page summarises Ontario licensing for the trades Qoro lists. We've done our best to reflect the law as of May 2026, but rules change and we are not your lawyer. You're responsible for confirming your own credentials with the relevant authority before accepting work. If anything here looks wrong, email support@qoro.ca and we'll fix it.