Ontario · City of Hamilton / Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area
Hamilton is undergoing one of Ontario's most dramatic economic transformations, from steelmaking capital to a city with one of the fastest-growing arts, food, and technology sectors in the province. CorpStart files your OBCA corporation (Articles, By-law, and Minute Book) typically within one to two business hours.
Numbered corporation
$299
+ $300 Ontario gov fee
$599 total
Hamilton's growth story is attracting entrepreneurs who left Toronto looking for lower overhead without sacrificing proximity to the GTA. Many are incorporating for the first time. A common mistake in early-stage Hamilton startups is delaying incorporation while operating under a business name, leaving founders personally exposed and making it harder to open business banking or bring on a co-founder with equity. CorpStart gets you incorporated the same business day, so you can focus on the business, not the paperwork.
Nearby communities (Burlington, Brantford, Ancaster, Stoney Creek, Grimsby) are all in Ontario, so one Ontario corporation covers your operations across every one of them. You do not re-incorporate city by city.
Municipal licensing is a separate question from corporate registration, and the two get confused constantly. Depending on what you do, a municipality may still require its own business licence, and the fee is set by each municipality. Carrying on business outside Ontario is different again, and needs extra-provincial registration in that province.
Hamilton licenses 5 of the business types we have researched. A food truck licence is called a Food Service Vehicle licence, Class A under the city's own by-law, and costs $694.53 in the first year. That is separate from incorporating, and the city will want proof your business is registered before it issues anything.
| Business type | What the by-law calls it | First year |
|---|---|---|
| Food truck licence | Food Service Vehicle licence, Class A | $694.53 |
| Taxi and rideshare driver licence | Taxi Cab Driver licence | Not published |
| Salon, barber and tattoo licence | Personal Aesthetic Service Facility licence | $530.58 |
| Contractor and trades licence | Building Repair Contractor licence | $459 |
| Short term rental licence | Short-Term Rental Operator licence, entire dwelling | $953.80 |
Food truck licence: By-law 07-170, Schedule 6. Checked 2026-09-15. View the source
Taxi and rideshare driver licence: By-law 07-170, Schedule 25. Checked 2026-09-15. View the source
Salon, barber and tattoo licence: By-law 07-170, Schedule 13. Checked 2026-09-15. View the source
Contractor and trades licence: By-law 07-170. Checked 2026-09-16. View the source
Short term rental licence: By-law 07-170, Schedule 32. Checked 2026-09-16. View the source
Fee schedules commonly reset in January, so follow the source before you budget. If a figure here disagrees with Hamilton, the city is right and we would like to know. See how Hamilton compares to other municipalities, or browse every licence type we track. Last checked 2026-09-16.
Three steps: no lawyers, no registry line-ups, no guesswork.
Answer our questionnaire
Tell us your corporation name preference, share structure, directors, and Hamilton registered office address. Takes about 15 minutes. We flag issues before you pay.
We prepare and file
CorpStart prepares your Articles of Incorporation, By-law No. 1, and Organizational Resolutions, then files directly with the Ontario Business Registry. Most filings go out the same day.
Receive your Minute Book
Your Certificate of Incorporation, Articles, By-law, and complete digital Minute Book arrive by email. Your bank, accountant, and clients will recognise every document.
No hidden extras. The government fee is collected at cost and shown separately at checkout.
Most popular
Numbered Corporation
e.g., 1234567 Ontario Inc. Fastest option, no name search required.
$299
+ $300 Ontario gov fee = $599 total
Named corporation
Named Corporation
e.g., Acme Holdings Inc. Choose your corporate name, includes NUANS pre-search.
$299
+ $300 Ontario gov fee, NUANS search included = $599 total
I'm opening a restaurant or food business in Hamilton: do I need to incorporate?
No, incorporation is not a legal requirement for opening a food business. What a corporation does is put a separate legal person between you and the business's obligations, which matters most where the obligations are large and long: a multi-year commercial lease is the usual example, and a personal guarantee on that lease undoes much of the benefit, so read what you are signing. Whether a particular landlord wants a corporate tenant varies by landlord rather than by city, so ask yours rather than assuming. The order does matter if you decide to incorporate: doing it before the lease is signed means the corporation is the tenant from the start, and CorpStart can file the same day.
Hamilton has lower rents than Toronto: is it worth setting up an Ontario corporation here instead of federally?
An Ontario corporation is the right fit for most Hamilton businesses operating in Ontario. If you plan to maintain operations in other provinces, a federal corporation protects your name nationally, but it does not save you the provincial filings: a federal corporation registers extra-provincially wherever it carries on business, and that includes Ontario. For a Hamilton-based business with Ontario customers, an OBCA incorporation through CorpStart is cost-effective and filed same day.
Can McMaster University spinouts or research companies incorporate through CorpStart?
Yes. CorpStart prepares and files Ontario corporation documents: Articles of Incorporation, By-law No. 1, and a full digital minute book. University spinouts often have specific share structure needs (founder shares, IP assignment considerations) that go beyond the filing itself; consult a technology lawyer for those structural decisions. We handle the incorporation so you can focus on the early conversations with your institution and potential investors.
Do I need a Hamilton business licence as well as incorporating?
They are two different things and incorporating does not replace the licence. Incorporating is a provincial filing that creates the company. A municipal licence is Hamilton's permission to carry on a specific activity inside the city, and it is issued under the city's own by-law. Of the business types we have researched, Hamilton licenses food truck licence, taxi and rideshare driver licence, salon, barber and tattoo licence, contractor and trades licence and short term rental licence. The city will normally want proof the business is registered before it issues a licence, so the order runs registration first and licence second.
What does a food truck licence cost in Hamilton?
$694.53 in the first year. Hamilton calls it a Food Service Vehicle licence, Class A under By-law 07-170, Schedule 6, which is worth knowing because searching the city website for the common name often returns nothing. We last checked this on 2026-09-15, and Ontario fee schedules commonly reset in January, so confirm against the city before you budget.
What does a taxi and rideshare driver licence cost in Hamilton?
Hamilton does not publish the fee where an applicant can find it, so we do not publish a number either. It calls the licence a Taxi Cab Driver licence. We last checked on 2026-09-15. Contact the city's licensing office for a current figure rather than relying on an estimate.
What does a salon, barber and tattoo licence cost in Hamilton?
$530.58 in the first year. Hamilton calls it a Personal Aesthetic Service Facility licence under By-law 07-170, Schedule 13, which is worth knowing because searching the city website for the common name often returns nothing. We last checked this on 2026-09-15, and Ontario fee schedules commonly reset in January, so confirm against the city before you budget.
What does a contractor and trades licence cost in Hamilton?
$459 in the first year. Hamilton calls it a Building Repair Contractor licence under By-law 07-170, which is worth knowing because searching the city website for the common name often returns nothing. Keeping it costs $367 a year after that. We last checked this on 2026-09-16, and Ontario fee schedules commonly reset in January, so confirm against the city before you budget.
What does a short term rental licence cost in Hamilton?
$953.80 in the first year. Hamilton calls it a Short-Term Rental Operator licence, entire dwelling under By-law 07-170, Schedule 32, which is worth knowing because searching the city website for the common name often returns nothing. We last checked this on 2026-09-16, and Ontario fee schedules commonly reset in January, so confirm against the city before you budget.
Learn more about Ontario incorporation
Full OBCA overview, what's included, and Ontario vs federal comparison.
The process is the same province-wide, but the tax angle and pitfalls differ by line of work and situation. Explore the guide that fits you.
Incorporate in Hamilton today
$299 service fee + $300 Ontario gov fee. Submitted to the Ontario Business Registry within one to two business hours. No lawyers, no delays.
Start my corporationCorpStart is a document preparation service, not a law firm. The information on this page is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. For advice specific to your situation, consult a licensed Ontario lawyer.