Most of the trades Prontco launches — cleaning, painting, landscaping, pressure washing, mobile detailing, junk removal, epoxy flooring and general handyman work — need no trade certification in British Columbia. The exceptions are real and enforced: gas, refrigeration and electrical work require certified people and licensed contractors under Technical Safety BC and SkilledTradesBC, pesticide application needs a provincial applicator certificate, and some work needs a municipal permit regardless of who does it.
"No certification" never means "no rules." Every trade below still needs a business registration, a municipal licence and, in practice, liability insurance.
Trade by trade: certification, permits and the line you can't cross
| Trade | Certification required? | What actually applies |
|---|---|---|
| House & office cleaning | No | Municipal licence; bond often requested; WHMIS awareness for chemicals if you hire |
| Painting | No | Municipal licence; lead-safe practices on pre-1990 homes; strata approval for exteriors; swing-stage or lift work has WorkSafeBC fall-protection rules |
| Landscaping & lawn care | No for general work | Pesticide Applicator Certificate from the Province for any pesticide or herbicide application; many municipalities restrict cosmetic pesticides outright; irrigation tie-ins may need a plumbing permit and backflow tester |
| Pressure washing & soft wash | No | Municipal water-use restrictions apply in summer under the Metro Vancouver Drinking Water Conservation Plan; wash water and chemicals cannot go to storm drains; working at height means fall protection |
| Gutter cleaning & guards | No | Fall protection above 3 m under WorkSafeBC rules; ladder safety; strata approval on multi-family buildings |
| Mobile auto detailing | No | Municipal licence (often as a mobile business); wash-water discharge rules vary by city; some stratas and parkades prohibit water use on site |
| Junk removal | No | Metro Vancouver transfer-station account and tipping fees; hazardous and controlled waste (paint, propane, asbestos-containing material) has separate disposal rules; commercial vehicle licensing for larger trucks |
| Epoxy flooring | No | WHMIS and respirator use; some products are regulated coatings; commercial jobs may require a certificate of insurance and WorkSafeBC clearance |
| Handyman | No for general repairs | The line: electrical, gas and most plumbing alterations require licensed trades and permits. Structural changes, decks above a certain height, and anything touching the building envelope typically need a municipal building permit |
| HVAC | Yes | Gas work requires a Technical Safety BC gasfitter certificate (Class A or B) and a licensed gas contractor; refrigeration work requires a certified Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Mechanic and an ozone-depletion (ODP) card; both are now designated skilled trades in BC, so certification is compulsory to do the work, not just to advertise it. Permits are pulled per job |
Skilled trades certification in BC — what changed
British Columbia reintroduced compulsory certification for a first group of trades through SkilledTradesBC, phased in from 2024. The group includes gasfitters, refrigeration and air-conditioning mechanics, electricians, sheet metal workers and several others. For the trades on this page it means one thing: if the work is gas, refrigeration or electrical, the person doing it must be certified or a registered apprentice, and a business offering it must hold the matching Technical Safety BC contractor licence. Painting, cleaning, landscaping and general handyman work are not designated trades and are not affected.
Permits: who pulls them and when
Permits attach to the work, not the trade. A handyman replacing a deck board needs nothing; a handyman building a new deck over about 60 cm off grade needs a building permit from the municipality, and it's the owner's or contractor's responsibility to get it before starting. Electrical and gas permits in BC are issued by Technical Safety BC (or by the City of Vancouver, which runs its own electrical and gas permitting) and can only be pulled by a licensed contractor. Plumbing permits come from the municipality. When you're not sure, the municipality's building department will tell you in one phone call — and "I checked with the city" is a sentence that wins jobs.
The environmental rules trades forget
- Storm drains go to the ocean. Wash water, soft-wash chemicals, paint rinse and detailing runoff cannot be discharged to a storm drain anywhere in Metro Vancouver. Capture it or route it to a sanitary drain with the property owner's permission.
- Water restrictions. Metro Vancouver's conservation plan restricts pressure washing and vehicle washing during summer stages — check the current stage before quoting a July driveway.
- Pesticides. Several municipalities ban cosmetic pesticide use on residential property outright. A certificate lets you apply where it's legal; it doesn't override a local ban.
- Waste. Transfer stations charge by weight and refuse or surcharge banned materials. A junk-removal quote that doesn't account for tipping fees is a quote that loses money.
Where Prontco fits
We check your trade against this list during setup, tell you plainly which side of the line your services sit on, and write your website and quotes so you're only offering what you're allowed to do. We don't issue certifications or permits — Technical Safety BC, SkilledTradesBC, the Province and your municipality do. See what's included →
Sources
Technical Safety BC — gas, electrical and refrigeration licensing and permits · SkilledTradesBC — designated trades and certification · WorkSafeBC — fall protection and workplace rules · Metro Vancouver — water conservation stages and transfer stations. Plain-English summary as of September 2026; rules change and municipalities differ. Confirm with the authority before you rely on any of it.
Frequently asked
Do you need a certification to start a cleaning business in BC?
No. Cleaning is not a designated trade in British Columbia. You need a business registration, a municipal business licence and, in practice, liability insurance and often a bond.
Do you need a trade certification for landscaping in BC?
Not for general landscaping and lawn care. Applying pesticides or herbicides requires a provincial Pesticide Applicator Certificate, and many Metro Vancouver municipalities ban cosmetic pesticides regardless.
What handyman work requires a permit in BC?
Electrical, gas and most plumbing alterations require licensed trades and permits. Structural changes, new decks above roughly 60 cm, and building-envelope work typically require a municipal building permit. General repairs and finishing do not.
Is HVAC a regulated trade in BC?
Yes. Gas work requires a Technical Safety BC gasfitter certificate and a licensed gas contractor; refrigeration work requires a certified Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic. Both are designated skilled trades in BC with compulsory certification.
Can I discharge pressure-washing water to the storm drain?
No. Across Metro Vancouver, storm drains discharge to waterways. Wash water and chemicals must be captured or routed to a sanitary drain with permission.
Is painting a regulated trade in BC?
No. Painting requires no certification. Lead-safe practices apply on older homes, exterior work on stratas needs council approval, and working from lifts or swing stages triggers WorkSafeBC fall-protection rules.
Trade-specific launch guides
City guides