Is the building permit not enough?
No. The ESA puts it plainly: Having a building permit isn't the same as filing an electrical notification. You may need both.
The Ontario Electrical Safety Code requires almost all electrical work be reported to the Electrical Safety Authority by filing a notification of work (or "permit")
(Electrical Safety Authority, read November 5, 2026). The City's building inspections and the ESA's electrical inspections are separate; the City's are in the inspections on a build.
Who may do the electrical work?
You, on your own home, or an electrical contractor holding an ESA licence. The ESA: In Ontario, if you hire someone to do electrical work in your home, by law, it must be a Licensed Electrical Contractor (LEC).
That contractor files the notification, requests the inspection and can give you the ESA Certificate of Acceptance for your insurer (Electrical Safety Authority, read November 5, 2026).
| Part of the work | Who it is filed with | Who inspects |
|---|---|---|
| Structure, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, fire separations | City of Hamilton building permit | City building inspectors |
| Wiring, panels, circuits, devices | ESA notification of work | ESA |
What if I hire a general contractor?
Ask who does the electrical. The ESA's advice: If you hire a general contractor, confirm that a Licensed Electrical Contractor will do the electrical work.
On a JDT Construction Inc. job, electrical work is outside the agreement unless the proposal's scope lists it; the agreements page has that wording. Where it is in scope, the proposal names the stage it falls in.
When does a renovation touch electrical?
Almost always when rooms move: a renovation that moves walls, a basement apartment that needs its own panel, an addition with new circuits. Swapping a light fixture is still work the ESA expects reported. How the building permit side is applied for is in who applies for a building permit.