Guide · Electrical contractors
Your ESA licence number
goes everywhere you do.
If you run an electrical contracting business in Ontario, your ECRA/ESA licence number is not optional decoration. The regulation that licenses you also tells you where the number has to appear, and your website is one of those places. Here is what the rule says, what ESA adds on top, and how a customer checks that a contractor is licensed.
Published 2026-09-21 · Formory Group
The short answer.
Section 19 of Ontario Regulation 570/05 says an electrical contractor must prominently display the licence number in all correspondence, contracts and advertisements, on business vehicles and, generally, in every situation where the business communicates with the public.
That covers your website, your Google Business Profile, quotes, invoices, business cards, truck lettering, social media ads, directory listings and marketplace ads. If a member of the public can see it and it promotes or documents your work, the number belongs on it.
The number in question is the contractor licence of the business, not the master electrician licence and not an individual trade certificate. ESA's own FAQ makes that distinction explicitly.
Who the rule applies to.
Section 3 of the regulation says no person shall operate an electrical contracting business without an electrical contractor licence. Section 4 requires every licensed contractor to designate at least one master electrician, who is responsible for planning and supervising the electrical work done on the contractor's behalf.
There are exemptions listed in section 2. The one homeowners ask about most: work on a residential dwelling done by the owner or occupant of that dwelling is outside the regulation. Another matters to HVAC businesses: work within the scope of practice of the refrigeration and air conditioning systems mechanic trades, done by a person authorized under the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021, is also exempt.
Being a certified electrician is not the same thing as being a licensed contractor. ESA states that certified electricians are permitted to do electrical work as employees of a Licensed Electrical Contractor. A trade certificate on its own does not let a person contract directly with a customer for electrical work.
What ESA adds on top of the regulation.
ESA's licence display page gives the practical details. It expects the number to be displayed within 90 days of receiving the licence. On vehicles the lettering should be at least one inch (2.54 cm) high, in black or white, on the back or both sides, and it should read "ECRA/ESA Lic" followed by the number.
ESA also sets rules for its logo. You may use it only unaltered, not covered by your own branding, and placed near your company name or logo so it does not stand alone. If your licence is suspended or revoked, the logo has to come off.
Two other sections of the regulation are worth knowing while you are at it. Section 17 requires you to post the licence itself in a prominent spot at your principal place of business, and a copy at any other place of business. Section 18 says you may not carry on business under a name other than the one on the licence. If your truck, website and Google listing use a trade name that is not on the licence, that is a problem to fix with ESA, not with a graphic designer.
Where the number should sit on your website.
The regulation says prominently, so a number buried on a single About page is a weak interpretation. The simplest approach that holds up: put "ECRA/ESA Licence #" and the number in the site footer so it appears on every page, and repeat it on the contact page and on any quote request form.
A common mistake on electrician websites is a nice ESA logo in the header with no number anywhere. That is the opposite of what ESA asks for: the number is the requirement, the logo is optional and comes with conditions. Another common one is a number that is still the old licence after a change of corporation. Check it against the licence certificate when you update anything.
The same goes for your Google listing. It is advertising in every practical sense, so adding the number to the business description is a reasonable reading of "all situations where you communicate with the public". Our Google Business Profile setup guide covers the rest of that listing, and websites for electricians shows how we handle this on trade sites.
How a customer checks a licence.
ESA runs a free contractor look-up tool where anyone can search a business by name or licence number and see whether it holds a valid ECRA/ESA licence. It takes less than a minute.
ESA also explains what a homeowner should get from a licensed contractor: the contractor files the notification of work with ESA, which works as the permit, and once the work is inspected and passes, ESA issues a Certificate of Acceptance. ESA suggests customers ask for a copy for their records, since it matters for insurance and resale.
From the contractor's side, this is useful to say out loud. A line on your site such as "We file the ESA notification on every job and send you the Certificate of Acceptance" answers a question careful customers already have, and it is something unlicensed operators cannot promise.
What happens if you skip it.
Section 19 is a condition of the licence, so ignoring it is a compliance issue with ESA, the body that renews your licence. ESA publishes an enforcement database of convictions involving unlicensed contractors and licensed contractors, and it accepts complaints from the public, including anonymous ones.
There is also a plain commercial cost. A homeowner who has read ESA's advice will look for the number, and a site without one looks like it might be hiding something, even when it is not.
A quick checklist.
Footer of every web page: "ECRA/ESA Licence #" and the number. Contact page and quote form: the same. Google Business Profile description, directory listings and paid ads: the number. Quotes, contracts, invoices and email signatures: the number. Trucks: at least one inch high, back or both sides, reading "ECRA/ESA Lic" and the number. Licence certificate: posted at your place of business.
If you also do gas work, the fuel side has its own registration and marking rules, covered in TSSA registration for gas and HVAC contractors.
General information, not legal advice. For questions about your own licence, ask the Electrical Safety Authority (1-877-372-7233).
Sources.
- O. Reg. 570/05: Licensing of Electrical Contractors and Master Electricians (e-Laws, current to September 16, 2026)
- ESA: Requirements to display your licence
- ESA: Questions about displaying the ECRA/ESA licence
- ESA: Licensed Electrical Contractor or certified electrician?
- ESA: About Licensed Electrical Contractors
- ESA: Obtain a Certificate of Acceptance
- ESA contractor look-up tool
Questions
Asked often.
Does my ESA licence number have to be on my website?
Yes. O. Reg. 570/05, s. 19 covers advertisements and all situations where you communicate with the public, and ESA's guidance names websites specifically.
Can I show my master electrician licence number instead?
No. ESA says the number to display is the Licensed Electrical Contractor number of the business, not the master electrician licence number.
Can a certified electrician do side jobs for homeowners?
Not as a contractor. ESA states certified electricians work as employees of a Licensed Electrical Contractor, and a trade certificate does not qualify a person to contract for electrical work.
How do I check if an electrician is licensed in Ontario?
Search the business name or licence number in ESA's free contractor look-up tool at findacontractor.esasafe.com.
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