Renew Your Electrical Contractor Licence

Updated Regulation Will Streamline Services for LECs and MEs

Following work with stakeholders and advisory committees, Ontario Regulation 570/05 has been updated to streamline services and reduce burden and transaction costs for Licensed Electrical Contractors and Master Electricians.

The changes to the regulation include removing the requirement to submit a photo and create an ID card, and eliminating the need for a hard copy of your Master Electrician licence, which start in January, 2025.

The updates also remove the requirement to submit your qualifications each time your Master Electrician licence is renewed, provided the ESA already has this information in their systems. Further, a section was added to clarify the requirement to comply with requests for information from the Director in the event of non-compliance or to respond to complaints, which is effective for July, 2024.

If you have any questions, please contact: esa.licensing@electricalsafety.on.ca

To keep your Electrical Contractor licence valid, you must maintain the requirements of the licence and pay an annual licence fee to ESA. Failure to do so may result in a Notice of Proposal to revoke, suspend or refuse to renew.

If your licence becomes invalid (suspended, expired, revoked) you must stop operating as electrical contractor, you will not be permitted to arrange for inspection and your information will be removed from the contractor locator tool.

Renewal Process:

Each year, every Licensed Electrical Contractor must:

Submit annual licence fee
Confirm that it has been maintaining the requirements of the Licensed Electrical Contractor licence

Every five years, Licensed Electrical Contractors must submit:

ESA Renewal form — this will be sent to you
Valid Certificate of Qualification
Certificate of valid Liability Insurance
WSIB clearance certificate (if applicable)
Annual licence fee.

The renewal forms will be sent 90 days before your licence is due to be renewed. The invoice will be sent to you 30 days before your licence is to be renewed.

Note: ESA sends all licensing correspondence by your preferred method. To update your contact information, please complete the Notice of Change to Information Form and send to ESA.Licensing@electricalsafety.on.ca. If you believe you should have already received renewal documents, please contact us.

All Electrical Contractors will be subject to a random audit to confirm that they are maintaining their eligibility to maintain Electrical Contractor Licence (for example, trade qualifications) within their licence cycle.

Requirements to maintain your Licensed Electrical Contractor license:

To maintain a valid license, you must apply for a renewal and demonstrate that you are still eligible for the license. You have a number of responsibilities as a license holder and are required to comply with them at all times for the duration of your license, at all times:

While performing electrical installations, you must comply with the Electrical Safety Code
Comply all applicable laws and regulations, such as:
- Consumer protection legislation
- Laws related to health and safety
- Laws relating to employment standards
- Business laws and business practices
- Maintain a Designated Master Electrician who will supervise the work and compliance with the applicable requirements
- Understand and follow the License Holder Standards of Conduct

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