Demolition licensed contractor information

To qualify for a City of Winnipeg demolition contractor licence, companies must:

• Have COR or SECOR certification (D1 and D2 licences only)
• Provide verification of appropriate liability insurance (D1 and D2 licences only)
• Pay the contractor licence fee

Step 1: Apply

Email the required documentation to contractorlicence@winnipeg.ca:

1. Licensed demolition contractor application, including signed conditions of contractor licence document
2. Copy of COR/SECOR certification, including certificate and current letter of good standing
3. Verification of appropriate liability insurance

Step 2: Fees/payment

Submit payment after receiving notification that document processing is complete. Credit card payment instructions will be provided at that time. You may also drop off a cheque. Licensing fees can be found in the Planning, Development and Building Fees and Charges schedule.

City of Winnipeg demolition contractor licences are issued to companies. The company is responsible for all demolition work performed under permits obtained with the licence.

Provide up-to-date contact information. If information has changed, email contractorlicence@winnipeg.ca.

Demolition contractors are expected to comply with administrative and technical requirements of the Manitoba Building Code, the Winnipeg Building By-law and the Planning, Development and Building Fees and Charges schedule. These include:

• demolition contractor responsibilities
• permit procedure & penalties
• types of work needing a permit

A contractor’s licence may be suspended or revoked if they have violated any of the provisions of the Winnipeg Building By-law, the Manitoba Building Code or the conditions of their licence. This includes engaging in work without a permit (where a permit is needed) or failure to call for inspection.

Utility disconnection: It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all utilities, including electricity and natural gas, are in the appropriate state for the building demolition. The applicant must ensure arrangements have been made with Manitoba Hydro and other utility providers prior to commencing demolition.

Licensed companies must be aware of the following conditions. They must be acknowledged and signed as part of the licensing application process.

• Fees as outlined in the Planning, Development and Building Fees and Charges schedule, including:
  • incomplete demolitions beyond the term of the permit
  • work performed without a permit where a permit is needed
  • work performed by anyone not licensed by the City that requires the permit holder to have a valid licence issued by the City
• Companies must let the City know where any revision of work is made regarding the scope of work approved under the permit.
• A licence may be suspended or revoked if a company has violated any of the provisions of the Winnipeg Building By-law, the Manitoba Building Code or the conditions of this licence. This includes engaging in work without a permit where a permit is needed.
• Company contractor licences are intended to be continuous and if not renewed by the expiry date, a late fee will be added to the cost.
  • If not renewed within six months of the expiry date, it will become inactive and the company must re-qualify per requirements and pay a fee to reactivate the licence.
  • Licence renewal reminders will be sent via email.
• The company must declare the value of work, which shall include permanent or fixed equipment and devices as well as the labour, materials, and other devices necessary to complete the work.
• For D1 and D2 licence holders:
  • COR/SECOR certification and the necessary liability insurance must be maintained for the duration of the licence term. Failure to comply may result in licence suspension.
  • Companies must submit COR/SECOR annual letters of good standing and let the City know of any changes to their certification.
  • Companies will receive an email identifying their association with a permit applied for by a licensed D-Prime contractor, and if not associated with that permit, must let the City know immediately.
    • If a new D1 or D2 contractor is replacing a licensed contractor on a permit applied for by a D-Prime applicant, they are responsible for completion of the scope of work specified on the permit.
• For D-Prime licence holders:
  • The work proposed on a D-Prime demolition permit application must be performed by a licensed D1 or D2 contractor, as applicable, and the licensed contractor must be identified on the permit application.
  • If the company incorrectly identifies a licensed D1 or D2 contractor on a permit application, the application or permit will be cancelled and a non-refundable administration fee withheld. A new application will be needed.
  • Where the licensed D1 or D2 contractor identified on a demolition permit is no longer performing the work as noted on the permit, the licensed D-Prime permit applicant shall notify the City in writing of the new licensed D1 or D2 demolition contractor that will be performing the work.
    • The new licensed D1 or D2 contractor shall be responsible for completion of the scope of work specified on the permit for which the previous licensed D1 or D2 contractor was contracted to perform.

Companies with a D1 or D2 contractor licence are required to maintain COR or SECOR certification. This must include safe work procedures related to demolition work. The Construction Safety Association of Manitoba and the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association provide COR/SECOR training and certification.

The certification must remain current and copies of updated COR/SECOR certificates, and annual letters of good standing, must be provided to the City as part of ongoing demolition contractor licence maintenance. The company is responsible for notifying the City of any changes to their certification.

A contractor licence will be suspended if the COR or SECOR certification is revoked or not maintained. The suspension does not carry a financial penalty but companies with a suspended licence cannot get permits for demolition work. They also cannot be listed under a D-Prime application as the licensed D1 or D2 contractor. Once COR or SECOR certification is re-established, the suspension will be lifted.

Companies with a D1 or D2 contractor licence must maintain liability insurance coverage, which may include pollution liability if hazardous materials are involved. Liability insurance requirements are:

• D1 - minimum $5 million per occurrence
• D2 - minimum $2 million per occurrence
• Certificate of insurance must show that operations include demolition and any specific restrictions, limitations and details of any underwriting or job specific approvals needed for demolition activities. The certificate must show if there are no restrictions, limitations, or required approvals.

The City of Winnipeg (Risk Management Division, Insurance Branch) will determine if the liability insurance certificate is acceptable and will monitor expiry. Approximately two weeks before expiration, the Insurance Branch will contact the licensed company and the insurance broker to request a renewal certificate of insurance. If a renewal certificate is not provided before the expiry date, the contractor licence will be suspended until a renewal certificate is provided and processed by the Insurance Branch.

The suspension does not carry a financial penalty but companies with a suspended licence cannot get permits for demolition work. They also cannot be listed under a D-Prime application as the licensed D1 or D2 contractor. A suspension notice will be emailed to licence administrators when the certificate expires.

All newly licensed companies will automatically be sent a Permits Online registration email.

Once registration is complete, contractors will have access to Permits Online where they can apply and pay for permit applications, track the status of applications and permits, and pay their licence renewal fee. In addition, administrators can pay the licence renewal fee. If you need help, email contractorlicence@winnipeg.ca or call 204-986-5189.

Only active permits are shown in Permits Online. Closed permits are removed after 30 days. For sites remaining undeveloped, you must schedule final inspections with the appropriate Inspections Branch to close permits.

Emails are sent at permit-related milestones. These emails are sent to the permit applicant's email address on file. Depending on the permit type, emails may include the licensed company if the permit applicant is an authorized signee.

Make sure to add all emails containing “@winnipeg.ca” to a safe sender list to ensure messages are received. We recommend applicants set up email rules/filters to suit their business needs.

The City publishes a daily updated list of licensed demolition contractors. Only the company name and the type of licence is published. This is not optional; all active licensed demolition contractors are published. If there are any errors in published information, email contractor‌licence@‌winnipeg.ca.

Administrators are typically company owners, a person designated as a contract administrator or others having authority in the company. Administrators can:

• apply for permits under the company contractor licence
• modify the administrators and authorized signees associated with the company licence
• serve as the primary contact for the licence
• serve as the alternate contact if the permit applicant is unavailable
• pay the licence renewal in Permits Online

It is mandatory to name at least one administrator for a demolition licence.

In the case where an administrator retires, suddenly passes or otherwise leaves the company:

• If there is more than one administrator linked to the licence, request the inactive administrator be removed from the licence.
• If the inactive administrator is the only administrator associated with the licence, a new licence administrator must be in place for the company before the departure of the inactive administrator, if possible.

Any staff members, in addition to the administrator(s), who may be submitting permit applications on behalf of the company must be listed as an authorized signee under the company licence.

To add authorized signees:

• New applicants can complete the authorized signees portion of the licensed demolition contractor application form.
• Existing contractors can request a current contractor information update form by emailing contractorlicence@winnipeg.ca.

Authorized signees must be employed by the company which assumes full responsibility for their permits and actions related to permits obtained on the company's behalf. As permit applicants, authorized signees serve as the main contact for the permits they have obtained. The company remains responsible for active permits obtained by authorized signees, even after they have been removed from the licence. If an authorized signee has been disrespectful to City staff, we may remove that signee or suspend the contractor licence.

For demolition contractors, the company licence will be valid for a one-year term. Licensing fees can be found in the Planning, Development and Building Fees and Charges schedule.

• Starting at approximately six weeks before the licence expiry date, email reminder notifications will be sent to the address(es) on file about the upcoming expiration and available payment methods.
• At each licence renewal, administrators will be asked to confirm the company contact information and that of the administrators and any authorized signees.
• A late fee will be applied to all licence renewals made after the expiry date.

Company contractor licences are intended to be continuous. Should a licence not be renewed within six months of the expiry date, it will become inactive and the company must re-qualify per the requirements and pay a fee to reactivate the licence. If a company allows their contractor licence to expire beyond six months, they are still responsible for all active permits under the licence until they are closed or cancelled.

If closing a business or opting to not renew a licence:

• Permit applications may be cancelled and applied for under another contractor licence or transferred to another company’s licence.
• Licensed companies are responsible for all work associated with permits obtained under their licence, including active permits obtained by administrators and/or authorized signees, even after they have been removed from a licence.
• A plan must be in place for closing all active permits under the company’s licence before the licence expires. If additional time to complete active projects is needed, the licence must be renewed until project completion. Active permits can be viewed using Permits Online.
• Contact the appropriate Inspections Branch to schedule final inspections and ensure all active permits are closed.
• If closing the company before the completion of all active projects where another separate company is taking over the project(s):
  • A separate request to transfer each permit must be made by the permit applicant in writing to ppd-‌permit‌@winnipeg.ca
    • The email must reference the permit number and include the new demolition contractor contact information; the new demolition contractor must be copied on each email.