How Long Does an Electrical Permit Stay Active?

You filed an ESA notification, work is underway, life happens, and suddenly it is nine months later and the job is still not finished. Is your permit still valid? Do you need to refile? What happens if the ESA never closes out the file? This guide covers exactly how long an electrical permit (technically an ESA notification) stays active in Ontario, how to extend it if you need more time, and what happens if it expires before the final inspection.

How long does an ESA electrical permit stay active in Ontario?

An ESA notification in Ontario is generally active for one year from the date it is filed. Within that year the work must be started, inspected, and closed out with a Certificate of Inspection. If the work is not complete within a year, the notification can be extended or the file can be reopened with a request to the Electrical Safety Authority, sometimes with a small fee. If the file lapses entirely, the work will need to be re-notified before final inspection.

The one-year default is what applies to typical residential notifications filed by an ECRA/ESA-licensed contractor. Larger commercial or industrial notifications sometimes have different terms baked in. Always confirm the specific expiry on your own notification confirmation.

What “active” actually means

An active ESA notification means:

• The work is authorized to proceed under Ontario code enforcement.
• The ESA inspector can visit any time to perform a rough-in or final inspection.
• The notification can be closed out with a Certificate of Inspection upon a passed final. See what is a Certificate of Inspection.
• Any correspondence, defect notices, or reinspection requests are handled through the open file.

An expired notification means none of the above until it is reactivated or refiled.

Why the one-year clock matters

Three common scenarios in the GTA that catch homeowners off guard:

• Renovation stalls. A basement finish or an addition slows down due to budget, contractor scheduling, or supply chain issues. The rough-in passes, drywall goes up, then the project sits for eight months while other work is done. The final inspection needs to happen before the notification expires.
• DIY drift. A homeowner-filed notification for a smaller project (allowed under the homeowner exemption for a single-family primary residence) is only worked on weekends and stretches past a year without a final inspection.
• Contractor turnover. The original contractor cannot complete the job and a second one is hired. The new contractor should take over the existing notification if possible rather than opening a duplicate.

In each case, staying on top of the expiry date avoids a re-notification fee and, more importantly, avoids gaps in your paper trail. Related: when do I need an ESA permit for electrical work.

How to extend a notification

Extending an active ESA notification is straightforward when you handle it before expiry.

1. Your licensed contractor (or you, if the notification was filed by you as a homeowner) contacts ESA before the one-year mark.
2. Request an extension citing the reason (project timeline, coordinating trades, sourcing equipment).
3. ESA will typically grant an extension for a reasonable additional period, occasionally with an administrative fee.
4. Continue the work under the extended notification and close out with the final inspection as normal.

Trying to extend after the notification has already lapsed is more expensive and, in some cases, requires a fresh notification (sometimes with a re-inspection of anything that was already approved).

What happens if a permit expires without closure

• ESA may close the file administratively with no Certificate of Inspection issued.
• Any work that had passed a rough-in but never received a final inspection is unverified after that point.
• Future inspection on any related work may require re-verification of the expired-notification scope.
• Insurance carriers and buyer’s lawyers looking for a Certificate of Inspection will not find one for the expired file.
• If defects were outstanding at the time of expiry, they remain outstanding on record.

To restore the paper trail, a new notification must typically be filed by a licensed contractor and a fresh inspection performed. If the work is now behind drywall, the contractor may need to open access points for the inspector to verify.

How to keep a project inside the one-year window

• Sequence the electrical scope realistically before filing. Do not file a notification months before you actually plan to start.
• Book the rough-in inspection promptly once wiring is complete. See what is a rough-in electrical inspection.
• Do not let drywall crews close walls until the rough-in is approved in writing.
• Set a calendar reminder at nine months to check status if the project is stalled.
• Coordinate with your contractor before the eleven-month mark if a final inspection is not imminent.
• Keep the notification confirmation and any ESA correspondence in your renovation binder.

What about older, still-open notifications

If you moved into a home and there is still an open notification on record from a prior owner or contractor that never received a Certificate of Inspection, that file may or may not still be active. A quick call to ESA (or a licensed contractor acting on your behalf) can clarify the status. In many cases the right move is to have the work inspected retroactively so you end up with a Certificate of Inspection on record. Related situation covered at what should I do if I buy a house with unpermitted electrical work.

Cost implications

The ESA permit fee itself is typically a small line item on a residential job. Extension and re-notification fees are also modest. Reinspection fees, however, add up if a defect was left uncorrected for a long time and the project has to be reopened. The real cost of a lapsed notification is usually not the fee — it is the labour to reopen finished walls to verify wiring the inspector never got a chance to see. See how much does an ESA permit cost.

Expert tip from our ESA-licensed electricians

Set a calendar reminder at the eleven-month mark on any open ESA notification, whether we filed it or you filed it yourself as a homeowner. In our field data across the GTA, the single biggest cause of expired permits is not project delays — it is homeowners forgetting the file even exists once the drywall is up and the project feels done. A one-line reminder in your phone eleven months out is the difference between a clean Certificate of Inspection and a small mess to clean up later. Cheaper than every alternative.

Related reading from ezsmart.ca

• When Do I Need an ESA Permit for Electrical Work?
• How Much Does an ESA Permit Cost?
• What Is a Certificate of Inspection and Why Does It Matter?
• What Is a Rough-In Electrical Inspection?
• What Should I Do If I Buy a House With Unpermitted Electrical Work?

Contact us

Have an open or expired ESA notification on a Toronto or GTA home, or planning work and want to make sure the timeline is realistic? Call ezsmart at 416-838-9006 or use our contact page. An ESA-licensed electrician will review the file status, coordinate any needed inspection, and close it out with a Certificate of Inspection.