ESA Permits in Ontario: What Homeowners Need to Know

By Ryan Maxwell, Master Electrician · Updated October 28, 2026

In Ontario, electrical work is overseen by the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA). What most people call an “electrical permit” is an ESA notification: a record, filed before the work, that tells ESA what is being done and who is doing it. Here is what that means for you as a homeowner.

Who is allowed to do electrical work in your home

If you are paying someone to do electrical work in Ontario, they must be a Licensed Electrical Contractor (LEC). Every LEC has a seven-digit ECRA/ESA licence number, which should appear on their estimates, invoices, vehicles and website. Individual electricians and Master Electricians work under a contractor’s licence; you hire the contractor.

Homeowners can do electrical work on the home they own and live in, but they must file their own notification with ESA and the work is inspected the same way.

What work needs a notification

Most electrical work does, including:

• New circuits, including EV chargers, hot tubs and heat pumps
• Panel replacements and service upgrades
• Basement finishing, renovations and additions
• New pot lights and other new lighting circuits
• Generators, transfer switches and battery systems such as Tesla Powerwall

Some like-for-like replacements, such as swapping a switch or a light fixture, may not need one. When in doubt, ask your contractor or check with ESA before work starts.

What happens after the notification

ESA decides whether and when to inspect. On a renovation that can mean a rough-in inspection while the walls are still open, then a final inspection. On smaller jobs, ESA may inspect only some of the work a contractor files. When the work is accepted, ESA issues a Certificate of Acceptance. Keep it with your house documents.

When the job involves your utility supply, such as a service upgrade, ESA must accept the work before Hydro Ottawa reconnects your power. Your contractor coordinates both.

Why it matters to you

• Safety: a second set of eyes on work hidden inside your walls.
• Insurance: insurers can ask for proof that electrical work was done properly after a claim.
• Selling your home: buyers and their home inspectors often ask for permits on renovations, panel changes and EV chargers.
• A record: the certificate shows what was done, when, and by whom.

Red flags when hiring

• No ECRA/ESA licence number on the quote or invoice.
• Being asked to take out the permit yourself. A licensed contractor files their own notification; ESA warns homeowners about this request.
• A price that is lower because the job will be done “without a permit”.
• Cash only, with no written quote.

How to check a contractor’s licence

ESA’s Contractor Locator lets you search any contractor by name or licence number. Ours is ECRA/ESA #7017645, and you can see Spark-E Unlimited’s record in the Contractor Locator. When we take on a job, the notification, inspection and certificate are part of the work, not an extra. See how this works for panel upgrades and renovations and for installing an EV charger, or read whether an EV charger needs a 200 A service.