Business Licensing
We have reopened in-person counters for regular business hours (8:30 am to 4:30 pm):
Business Licence applications or renewals can be submitted 7 days a week to [email protected].
Questions for staff? Contact us 5 days a week by email [email protected] or phone at 905 546-2782 option 3.
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:
Licensing and Bylaw Services
330 Wentworth St N, Hamilton, Ontario L8L 5W3
Email: [email protected]
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 Bylaw Services
Phone: 905-546-2782 and select option 3
Email: [email protected]
