In short
- Plumber is a compulsory trade under the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021.
- Three documents allow a person to practise it: an apprentice's training agreement, a provisional certificate or a full Certificate of Qualification. Each holder shows on the Public Register.
- A Certificate of Qualification in this trade must be renewed to stay valid.
- Work on gas appliances adds a second rule: only a certificate holder may install, alter, repair or service them (O. Reg. 212/01).
- Unauthorized trade work is reported to the Ministry's Occupational Health and Safety Contact Centre.
What the rule says
Skilled Trades Ontario describes a plumber as someone who lays out, assembles, installs, maintains and repairs piping, fixtures and other components for water supply or disposal. The description also covers connecting any appliance that uses water and installing the piping for processes that carry gas.
Because the trade is compulsory, practising it in Ontario takes one of three documents: a Registered Training Agreement (an apprentice), a Provisional Certificate of Qualification or a Certificate of Qualification. Whoever holds one is listed on the Skilled Trades Ontario Public Register. A Certificate of Qualification in this trade has to be renewed to stay valid.
How a plumber gets there
An apprenticeship in this trade sets 9,000 hours, about five years. Of those, 8,280 are on-the-job work and 720 are in-school training. Skilled Trades Ontario issues a Certificate of Apprenticeship at the end, and a Certificate of Qualification once the person passes the certifying exam. Plumber is also a Red Seal trade.
An apprentice on a Registered Training Agreement is also on the register, so ask for the full picture: who does the work and who supervises.
What to check, in order
Ask the company for the full name of the person who will be at your door. Then look that name up on the Public Register. Ask the same question about the person who will connect or disconnect gas. If a company gives only a business name, ask for a person’s name.
Write the names on the quote. If a different person arrives on the day, ask again.
Gas work sits under a second rule
Section 6 of Ontario Regulation 212/01, made under the Technical Standards and Safety Act, covers seven acts on gas equipment: to install, alter, purge, activate, repair, service or remove it. Each needs a certificate for that purpose. The one exception is work done in the presence of a certificate holder. A gas water heater, a stove connection or a gas line to a furnace all fall under this rule. Water heaters are covered on Water heater.
Permits and the written agreement
A plumber’s certificate says who may do the work. A permit says the work is checked. Plumbing permits in Ottawa covers which jobs the City asks a permit for. For the paper: once a job passes $50, Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act wants it in a written agreement. Ontario’s renovation guide lists what goes in: the company’s name and address, the work and materials, the total and payment terms, a schedule, any sub-trades and who pays them, and the deposit, which the province suggests keeping at 10% of the total or less.
A contract signed at your kitchen table carries a 10-day cancellation right, no reason needed. The price side of this is on Plumber cost in Ottawa.
If something looks wrong
If a name does not appear, ask the company to explain before work begins. If the work has started, write down who was there and hold the balance until the company answers. The Public Register page directs people to contact the Ministry’s Occupational Health and Safety Contact Centre to report trade work in a compulsory trade by someone who may not be authorized, or work performed in an unsafe manner.
Who you are dealing with
This page is the one place on the site that tells you to check us too. Ottawa Plumbing Desk forwards requests to one independent local plumbing company and vouches for none of its certificates. Run the register check above on whoever that company sends to your door.
Questions to ask the company
- What is your name as it appears on the Skilled Trades Ontario Public Register, and the name of the person who will do the work?
- Is the person coming a Certificate of Qualification holder, or an apprentice with a Registered Training Agreement who works under supervision?
- Will the work involve a gas line or a gas appliance, and who holds the gas certificate?
- Will you pull a City of Ottawa permit if the job needs one, and is the fee in the quote?
- What written agreement do I get, and what does it list?
Have this ready for the call
- The company name and the name of the person who calls, written down
- The job in one sentence, so the company can say who on the team does it
- Whether the job touches gas: a water heater, a stove line, a furnace
- The date you need the work done, to compare with the written schedule
Questions people ask
Is plumbing a compulsory trade in Ontario?
Yes. Skilled Trades Ontario lists Plumber under the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021. Compulsory means the person doing plumbing for pay needs one of the trade’s documents and a listing on the Public Register, whoever employs them.
What does a Certificate of Qualification mean?
It is issued by Skilled Trades Ontario after the person passes the certifying exam at the end of an apprenticeship. The apprenticeship sets 9,000 hours, about five years: 8,280 hours of on-the-job work and 720 hours in school. In this trade the certificate must be renewed to remain valid.
Can an apprentice work on my house?
An apprentice with a Registered Training Agreement can practise the trade, so the register includes them. The trade page describes on-the-job training as practical work provided by a skilled worker, or trainer. Ask who supervises the apprentice on your job and who signs off the work.
Who can work on my gas line or gas water heater?
Gas work needs its own certificate under Ontario Regulation 212/01, separate from the plumbing one. Someone without it may work on the appliance only with a certificate holder present. Ask the company for that holder’s name before the visit.
What do I do if I suspect someone is working without authority?
The Public Register page tells people to contact the Ministry’s Occupational Health and Safety Contact Centre to report trade work in a compulsory trade by someone who may not be authorized, or work performed in an unsafe manner. Keep the quote and the names you wrote down.
Does a company's Red Seal on a website count as proof?
Skilled Trades Ontario marks Plumber as a Red Seal trade. The same page requires the person to appear on the Public Register, so match the name of the person doing the work against the register, whatever a website shows.
