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ESA Permits, Hiring an Electrician and Electrical Safety in Ontario (2026): Notifications, Licences, Comparing Quotes, Inspections and Old Wiring
Electrical & LightingPermits, safety and hiring
Permits, Licences and Inspections: The Cheapest Part of the Job to Get Right
ESA notifications and fees, hiring an LEC, comparing quotes, inspections and old wiring. Ontario, October 2026.
Most expensive electrical problems were decided before anyone picked up a tool: a handyman who was not licensed, a notification nobody filed, drywall that went up before the inspector came, three quotes that priced three different jobs. None of it is expensive to get right. All of it is expensive to undo, usually when you sell the house or when the insurer asks for a certificate that does not exist.
The numbers
$92ESA contractor fee for a panel or service change (the minimum)
$253ESA contractor fee, new house up to 200 A
7 digitsthe LEC licence number on every estimate
12 monthsbefore a notification with no inspection lapses
Who is allowed to do the work
Anyone you hire to do electrical work in Ontario must be an ESA Licensed Electrical Contractor. A general contractor or a handyman is not licensed to do it, no matter how good he is with a drill. An LEC has a 7-digit licence number on its trucks, cards and estimates; check it on ESA's contractor locator on esasafe.com before the deposit, and ask for the WSIB clearance and insurance while you are at it. How to hire an electrician.
A homeowner may do electrical work in their own home, but must file the notification themselves before starting, meet the code and pass inspection. Never take one out for someone else. If you are building your own house, building as an owner-builder covers the rest of what that means.
ESA's fee, and what the contractor calls “the permit”
Almost all electrical work needs a notification filed before the work starts, and nothing gets covered by insulation, drywall or flooring until an inspector authorizes it. Contractors often quote “the ESA permit” at $100 to $600. ESA's own fee for a panel or a charger is under $100; the rest is the contractor's time to file and meet the inspector. That is fair, but it is not ESA's fee, and you should know which is which. A municipal building permit is a separate thing; do I need a building permit covers that one.
When the work passes, ESA issues a Certificate of Acceptance to whoever filed. Keep it for insurance and resale; a copy can be requested from ESA at 1-877-372-7233. Buying a house with a basement somebody finished themselves? An ESA record search shows open notifications at the address for $76 with HST, in about 48 hours. ESA permits has the rest.
Old wiring, and the call you make today
Knob-and-tube may stay in service if it is on 15 A protection, the conductors are sound and nobody has overloaded the circuit, but many insurers will not insure or renew without an inspection or replacement. Aluminum branch wiring from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s needs CO/ALR devices, AL-CU connectors and no push-in terminals. Aluminum and knob-and-tube wiring covers both, and knob-and-tube and insulation covers insulating around it.
One rule does not bend: a receptacle that is hot or discoloured, or a burning smell, means the breaker goes off and an LEC gets called today.
The guides
ESA permits in Ontario
What needs a notification, who files it, homeowner against contractor, fees, inspections, the Certificate of Acceptance, and work that was never permitted.
How to hire an electrician
LEC against handyman against general contractor, checking the 7-digit licence, WSIB and insurance, hourly against fixed price, deposits and the walkthrough.
How to compare electrical quotes
The line-by-line grid that makes three quotes price the same job, with three sample quotes compared.
Electrical inspection checklist
What to check before rough-in, before drywall, at final and before the last payment: the panel directory, GFCI and AFCI tests, labels and the certificate.
Aluminum and knob-and-tube wiring
How to tell, what ESA allows, what insurers ask for, pigtailing with AL-CU connectors against rewiring, and what each costs.
Knob-and-tube and insulation
Already on the site: why the old wiring and new insulation in the same wall need a plan first.
The before-drywall checklist
Already on the site: what to look at while the wiring is still visible.
The final walkthrough checklist
Already on the site: every switch, every receptacle and the panel door, before you take the keys.
Smoke and CO alarm rules
Already on the site: the Building Code and Fire Code rules, including the 2026 CO changes.
Building as an owner-builder
Already on the site: what you can do yourself on your own house, and what you cannot.
Do I need a building permit?
Already on the site: the municipal permit, which is a different thing from the ESA notification.
Cosmetic or serious defects
Already on the site: telling a cosmetic problem from one that needs a trade back today.
What it costs, October 2026
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ESA fee, new single dwelling up to 200 A | $253 contractor, $568 homeowner | 201 to 400 A: $366 and $742 |
| ESA fee, service change or panel upgrade | $92 contractor, $212 homeowner | contractor fee $86, the $92 minimum applies |
| ESA fee, EV charger, first piece | $92 contractor, $93 homeowner | each extra related piece $30 and $33 |
| ESA fee, renovation, 1 to 10 outlets, no service work | $46 contractor, $64 homeowner | pot lights count as outlets |
| ESA fee, renovation, 11 to 30 outlets | $92 contractor, $143 homeowner | |
| ESA record search of an address | $76 including HST | about 48 hours |
| Electrician hourly rate | $80 to $160 an hour | Toronto $95 to $160, Ottawa $80 to $150 |
| Service call or trip charge | $75 to $200 | |
| Electrical safety inspection with written report | $250 to $450 | for insurance or a purchase |
| Aluminum wiring, pigtail each termination with AL-CU connectors | $40 to $100 a point | typical house $2,000 to $6,000 |
| Knob-and-tube replacement, 1,500 to 2,500 sq ft, with the panel | $12,000 to $25,000 | plus $2,500 to $8,000 plaster patching |
ESA fees from the 2026 ESA Fee Guide, effective April 1, 2026. Other prices are Ontario ranges before HST, October 2026.
Why Ontario prices are all over the map: the contractors and published price guides we checked for this page quoted very different prices for the same small jobs. Contractors quote “the ESA permit” at $100 to $600 when ESA's own fee for a panel or charger is under $100. Toronto Hydro charges $120 to disconnect at the meter; Toronto contractors quoted $300 to $1,000 for the same line. Aluminum pigtailing ran from $40 a point (a Toronto contractor) to $100 a point (an Ottawa contractor). Some of the gap is honest time and travel, some is padding. Budget the ESA fee from the table plus an hour or two of the contractor's time, and get two or three quotes on the same written scope.
Rules of thumb worth keeping
- Check the 7-digit licence on ESA's contractor locator. Before the deposit, not after the drywall. How to hire.
- Get the notification number in writing before work starts. A real one, from the person doing the work.
- Put “no concealment before ESA authorization” in the schedule. And in the drywaller's contract.
- Make every quote use the same line items. The comparison grid has them.
- Hold the last payment for the Certificate of Acceptance. The inspection checklist lists what else to check first.
Have quotes in hand? Let a builder read them first
For $99 I read up to three electrical quotes, or one quote plus photos of your panel, and put them on one grid: the service and panel, the circuit count, the devices, who supplies the fixtures, the pot light count, the exterior work, EV and low voltage, the ESA notification, the utility, patching and the warranty. You get a written answer on what each one left out, in dollars, and which one I would sign.
There is no contractor network behind it and no referral fee on who you hire. We are a builder, not an electrical contractor: on our own builds and renovations in Simcoe, Muskoka and Georgian Bay the electrical is done by the licensed electrical contractors we hire, under their licence and their ESA notification. Outside that area I will tell you honestly whether I know anyone.
Questions people ask
Do I need an ESA permit to replace a panel or add outlets?
Yes. Almost all electrical work needs an ESA notification filed before the work starts. A panel change on a house is $92 when a contractor files and $212 when a homeowner does; 1 to 10 new outlets with no service work is $46 and $64.
Can my general contractor do the electrical?
Only if the company is itself a Licensed Electrical Contractor. A general contractor or handyman is not licensed to do electrical work in Ontario. Most builders, us included, hire an LEC who does it under their own licence and notification.
How do I check an electrician's licence?
Get the 7-digit ECRA/ESA licence number off the estimate or the truck and look it up on ESA's contractor locator on esasafe.com. If the name on the licence and the name on the quote do not match, ask why.
The previous owner did electrical work without a permit. What now?
Start with an ESA record search for the address ($76 with HST) to see what was filed. Then have an LEC look at it; a written electrical safety inspection runs $250 to $450, and it is what many insurers ask for, though some want ESA itself to inspect, so ask yours first.
Will my insurer cover a house with knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring?
Many will not insure or renew without an inspection, a repair or replacement, and for aluminum an ESA Certificate of Acceptance for the repair. Call your insurer before you buy. Aluminum and knob-and-tube wiring.
Check the quote before you sign it
The whole-house electrical cost calculator gives a fair October 2026 budget for a new house or a rewire, so a quote far above or below it gets a question. For a written answer on up to three quotes, including whether the ESA filing and the utility are priced honestly, use the $99 review.
Sources and further reading
- ESA contractor locator: where you check the 7-digit licence number on an electrician’s estimate before you sign.
- ESA notifications and inspections: when a notification of work is needed, who files it, and the rule that nothing is covered until an inspector authorizes it.
- ESA 2026 Fee Guide: the actual ESA fees for a new house, a service change, an EV charger and renovation work, contractor and homeowner rates.
