How to Check an Electrician's ESA Licence in Ontario (2026)
Every year GTA homeowners hire electricians who claim to be licensed but aren't. An unlicensed electrician cannot pull permits, their work won't pass inspection, and any electrical fire caused by their work voids your home insurance. Here is exactly how to verify any electrician's licence in Ontario in under 2 minutes.
What is an ESA licence?
In Ontario, all electrical work above basic fixture replacements must be performed by a contractor registered with the Electrical Contractors Registration Agency (ECRA) and inspected by the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA). These are two distinct bodies:
- →ECRA is the licensing body. Electrical contractors must be registered with ECRA to legally perform electrical work in Ontario. ECRA issues an ECRA number to each registered contractor.
- →ESA is the inspection and safety authority. ESA inspectors review completed electrical work for code compliance before walls are closed.
There is also a distinction between a Master Electrician (fully licensed, can supervise work independently) and a Licensed Journeyperson(fully qualified to perform work but typically working under a Master's supervision). Apprentices must work under direct supervision of a licensed journeyperson or master — an apprentice cannot legally perform electrical work independently, no matter how experienced they may be.
Any time you hire an electrical contractor in Ontario, confirm their ECRA registration. This is the single most important check you can do.
How to verify an ESA licence — step by step
Go to electricalsafety.on.ca
The ESA public registry is free to use and requires no account.
Click "Find a Licensed Electrical Contractor"
It is listed under the Contractor Resources or Consumers section of the site.
Enter the contractor's name or ECRA number
Ask the contractor for their ECRA number before they start any work. A legitimate licensed contractor will provide it immediately without hesitation.
Confirm the licence is Active and not expired
The registry shows licence status (Active, Suspended, Expired). Only Active means the contractor is currently authorised to work.
Confirm the licence covers the work you need
Some ECRA registrations have conditions or restrictions. Confirm the category of work matches your project — residential service work, panel upgrades, and new construction have different requirements.
⚠️ Important
If a contractor refuses to provide their ECRA number, that is a red flag. Every licensed electrical contractor in Ontario is listed in the public ECRA registry. There is no legitimate reason to withhold this number — if they won't share it, they almost certainly don't have one.
Red flags that suggest an unlicensed electrician
🚩 Cannot provide an ECRA number
Every licensed electrical contractor in Ontario has an ECRA registration number. If someone cannot give you theirs on the spot, they are either unlicensed or working under someone else's licence without authorisation.
🚩 Quotes significantly below market rate
A legitimate licensed electrician has overhead costs: ECRA fees, liability insurance, WSIB premiums, permit costs. If a quote is 40–50% below what others quoted, the low price usually means those costs — and the protections they provide — are missing.
🚩 Says permits are not needed for your job
Most electrical work beyond replacing fixtures and outlets requires a permit in Ontario. If a contractor tells you permits are unnecessary for a panel upgrade, new circuit, or any service work, walk away.
🚩 Asks for a large cash deposit upfront
A 10–30% deposit is standard in the trades. Asking for 50% or more in cash before any work starts is a consistent pattern in contractor fraud. Licensed contractors have credit with suppliers and do not need your money before materials arrive.
🚩 No WSIB clearance certificate
A licensed, professional electrical contractor will have WSIB coverage and can provide a clearance certificate. If they cannot, you may be personally liable if someone is injured on your property.
🚩 No general liability insurance
Ask for a Certificate of Insurance, not a copy of the policy. Call the broker on the certificate to confirm it is current. An unlicensed electrician who damages your home or causes a fire has no coverage to pay for the damage.
🚩 Wants to start immediately without permits or inspections
Permitted electrical work requires an ESA inspection before walls are closed. A contractor who wants to skip inspections is not doing code-compliant work — which means it will need to be redone before you can sell the home.
🚩 No written contract or scope of work
Legitimate trades contractors provide a written quote and contract. Verbal agreements with unlicensed contractors leave you no legal recourse when the work is incomplete or substandard.
What happens if you hire an unlicensed electrician?
The consequences of hiring an unlicensed electrician in Ontario go well beyond getting substandard work. Here is what you are actually risking:
Your home insurance may be void
Most Ontario home insurance policies require that electrical work be done by licensed contractors with permits. If an electrical fire is caused by work that was not permitted or done by an unlicensed contractor, your insurer has grounds to deny the claim. This is not hypothetical — it happens regularly.
You cannot sell your home without fixing it
During a home sale, a home inspector or your lawyer will identify unpermitted electrical work. Buyers' lenders often require permits to be closed before financing will be approved. You will either need to disclose it (reducing your sale price), fix it (costly), or both.
ESA can issue a stop-work order and fine
If the ESA discovers unlicensed electrical work on your property, they can issue a stop-work order and assess fines. The property owner is responsible, not just the contractor who did the work.
The electrical work may need to be redone entirely
Work done without permits cannot simply be "after-the-fact" inspected in most cases. Inspectors often require walls to be opened to inspect wiring that was done behind drywall. You may be paying twice for the same work.
How VerifiedPros verifies electricians
Every electrician on VerifiedPros is verified directly with ECRA before they receive a single job lead. We check their ECRA number against the public registry, confirm active licence status, verify WSIB clearance directly at wsib.ca, and review their Certificate of Insurance.
This is not a self-reported process. We do not ask contractors to upload a photo of their licence. We verify directly with the issuing authorities — the same check the ESA itself would do.
Learn more about how VerifiedPros verifies contractors →Need a verified electrician in the GTA?
Every electrician on VerifiedPros is ESA licensed, WSIB cleared, and insured. Free for homeowners.
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