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The City of Hamilton is announcing a new licensing option for businesses wishing to test the market on a temporary basis before becoming fully licensed. The Temporary Business License is valid generally for 30 days depending on the circumstance.
The Temporary Business Licence is a unique tool that fits with the City’s philosophy of being “Open for Business”. New business models are using the pop-ups to:
The concept was presented in an information report to the Open For Business Sub-Committee (PDF, 245 KB) on May 5, 2016.
Typical licensing of a business goes through many inspections to ensure compliance with all the regulations and conditions in order to obtain a business licence. Inspections are completed for Health, Fire, Building, Traffic, Parking and Zoning before a licence is issued to a new business owner.
Several criteria must be met for a Temporary Business Licence and for occupancy to be granted. The minimum requirements are:
You will need to submit an application letter that includes:
You can submit by email or in person to:
Municipal Law Enforcement - Licensing and Permits Office
Hamilton City Centre
77 James Street North, Suite 250, Hamilton, Ontario
Email: licensing@hamilton.ca
The application will be reviewed by our staff and the Temporary Business Licence will be granted under the sole discretion of the Licensing Director, who will ensure that there is a valid reason to issue the licence. A temporary licence will not be granted to business operators seeking to open a business up early without proper and full inspections or hoping to compromise public health and safety concerns.
For more information, contact:
Licensing and Permits Office
Phone: 905-546-2782 and select option 3
Email: licensing@hamilton.ca
