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HVAC Contractor Licensing in Ontario: TSSA, G2, 313A and 313D, ODP, ESA, WSIB, Insurance and What to Ask For Before Anyone Touches Your Furnace or Heat Pump
Heating, Cooling & Ventilation
Who Is Allowed to Work on Your Furnace and Heat Pump in Ontario, and the Seven Pieces of Paper to Ask For
A modern heat pump install touches three regulated trades in one afternoon: gas if a furnace is involved, refrigerant, and electrical. Each one has its own licence, and a van with a nice logo is not any of them. This page sets out who needs what in Ontario, how to check it, and the door-to-door rules that still catch people every winter. Ask for the paper before the deposit. A contractor who has it sends it within the hour.
The licences, by what is being done
| Work | Who may do it | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Gas furnace, boiler, tankless, gas line, venting | A contractor registered with TSSA as a fuels contractor, using a certified gas technician: G2 for most residential appliances, G1 for larger | TSSA registration number and the technician’s gas certificate |
| Handling refrigerant | Anyone holding an Ozone Depletion Prevention (ODP) card under Ontario Regulation 463/10 | ODP card. On its own it does not allow work on the equipment |
| Air conditioners and heat pumps | A Certificate of Qualification in a compulsory trade: 313A Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic, or 313D Residential Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic (residential AC including geo-exchange) | The 313A or 313D certificate, and check the name on the Skilled Trades Ontario public register |
| Electrical for hire, including the outdoor unit circuit | An ESA licensed electrical contractor, with an ESA permit or notification | The LEC number and confirmation the permit was filed |
| New ductwork, new HVAC in a new house or addition, new exterior venting in some towns | Building permit from the municipality; a new house includes the heat loss and HVAC design by a BCIN designer | The permit number, or a written statement that none is needed |
| Anyone working on your property | WSIB coverage and liability insurance | WSIB clearance certificate and an insurance certificate |
Optional but worth asking: HRAI membership, which is a trade association and not a licence, and manufacturer certification for the brand being installed, which is often needed for the extended warranty. The building code side is on the OBC HVAC requirements page.
What the licensed version of each job costs
People ask whether the licensed contractor is dearer. Here is what the licensed version costs, from the price ranges on this site. None of them leaves much room for a fellow without the paper to save you anything real.
| Job | Installed, before HST | Licences involved |
|---|---|---|
| 95 to 98 percent gas furnace, same venting | $4,000 to $9,000 | TSSA contractor, G2 technician |
| Central AC, 2 to 3 ton, existing ducts | $3,500 to $8,500 | 313A or 313D, ODP, ESA for the circuit |
| Cold-climate ducted heat pump, existing ducts | $9,000 to $18,000 | 313A or 313D, ODP, ESA |
| Dedicated 240 V circuit and disconnect | $500 to $1,500 | ESA licensed electrical contractor, permit |
| Panel upgrade to 200 A | $2,500 to $4,500 | ESA licensed electrical contractor, permit |
| Municipal building permit, where needed | $90 to $350 | the municipality |
Why Ontario prices are all over the map: the licence does not set the price, and the contractors and price guides we checked prove it. For the same gas furnace swap, a big-box retailer said $4,100 to $9,500, a home-services marketplace $4,500 to $7,000 for a 95 to 98 percent unit, and a renovation quote site $4,000 to $7,000 typical, $9,000 and up with a fuel conversion or ductwork. All of them assume a licensed installer. The difference is what is included, the brand, the season, and whether you are paying for a showroom. Budget $6,000 for a plain furnace swap, and get two or three quotes on the same written scope.
Why each one matters
Gas. A furnace is a controlled fire in your basement with a pipe to carry the exhaust outside. The TSSA registration is the contractor’s; the G2 is the person’s. You want both, because a registered company can still send an uncertified kid, and a certified technician working cash on the side is not working for a registered contractor. Nobody else adjusts gas pressure, bypasses a safety or opens a sealed combustion appliance. If you tighten the house, have the gas technician check the venting and the makeup air, and keep a CO alarm on every floor.
Refrigerant. The ODP card is the most misunderstood card in the trade. It lets a person handle refrigerant; it does not let them install or service your air conditioner. That takes a 313A or 313D certificate of qualification, and 313D is compulsory, so the person must be on the Skilled Trades Ontario public register. Refrigerant is recovered, never vented, by someone holding both.
Electrical. The heat pump’s outdoor circuit, a new air handler with a backup strip and a panel upgrade are electrical work for hire. That needs an ESA licensed electrical contractor and a permit, and the inspection that comes with the permit is cheap insurance. The 100 or 200 amp page covers when the panel has to change.
WSIB and insurance. If a worker falls off your roof with no coverage, the conversation that follows includes you. Ask for the clearance certificate and the insurance certificate, and check the dates.
Door-to-door, rentals and the title
Since March 1, 2018, under Ontario’s Bill 59 and the Consumer Protection Act, a supplier cannot sign a contract at your home for a furnace, air conditioner, air cleaner or purifier, water heater, water treatment device, water softener or filter, or duct cleaning unless you contacted them first and asked them to come. A contract that breaks the rule is void, and you do not have to pay. Leaving a flyer is legal; knocking to sell is not.
If you did invite them and signed at home, you have a 10-day cooling-off period after you receive the written copy of the contract. Rentals and financed equipment are where this used to hurt. Ontario’s Homeowner Protection Act now prohibits registering a Notice of Security Interest (NOSI) on a home’s title for consumer goods such as a rented or financed furnace, air conditioner or water heater. Before that, NOSIs from rental and financing companies held up house sales. The rent or buy page covers getting out of a rental.
The seven pieces of paper
- TSSA registration number, for any gas work.
- The gas technician’s certificate, G2 or G1, for the person who shows up.
- The 313A or 313D certificate and the ODP card, for any air conditioner or heat pump; check the register.
- The ESA LEC number, and the permit for the electrical.
- WSIB clearance, current.
- A liability insurance certificate, current.
- Manufacturer certification for the brand, if the extended warranty depends on it. HRAI membership is a nice extra, not a licence.
Put the numbers on the contract. The quote comparison grid has a line for them.
Questions people ask
What licence does an HVAC contractor need in Ontario?
It depends on the work. Gas appliances need a TSSA-registered fuels contractor with a certified gas technician, G2 for most homes. Air conditioners and heat pumps need a 313A or 313D certificate of qualification and an ODP card for the refrigerant. Electrical for hire needs an ESA licensed electrical contractor.
Is an ODP card enough to install a heat pump?
No. The ODP card allows a person to handle refrigerant, not to work on the equipment. Installing and servicing a residential air conditioner or heat pump takes a 313A or 313D certificate.
How do I check a 313D certificate?
Ask for the name exactly as it appears on the certificate and look it up on the Skilled Trades Ontario public register. 313D is a compulsory trade, so a certified person is on it.
Can a salesman sign me up for a furnace at my door?
Not unless you contacted the company first and asked them to come. Since March 1, 2018, a door-to-door contract for a furnace, AC, water heater and several other home products is void if it breaks that rule, and you do not have to pay.
Does a furnace replacement need a permit?
A like-for-like swap often needs no building permit. The gas work is TSSA-regulated either way, and any electrical for hire needs an ESA permit or notification.
Check the paper and the price together
The system cost comparison calculator tells you what the job should cost before anyone shows you a brochure. The $99 review reads up to three quotes, checks that the licences and permits are on them, and says which one I would sign.
Sources and further reading
- TSSA: hire registered and certified fuels professionals: Technical Standards and Safety Authority: why gas furnace, boiler and water heater work must be done by a registered contractor with a certified technician, and how to check.
- Skilled Trades Ontario: Residential Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic (313D): the compulsory trade for installing and servicing residential air conditioners and heat pumps, and the public register to check a certificate.
- Certificate to handle refrigerants: Ontario: the Ozone Depletion Prevention card required under Regulation 463/10 for anyone who handles refrigerant.
