Exemptions from Business Licences

In October, the Electrical Contractors Association of Alberta (ECAA) called upon the AAMDC, the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association, and the Ministry of Enterprise and Advanced Education to discuss issues pertaining to the administration of municipal business licences. The ECAA has identified that there is a lack of awareness about how exemptions of business licence are applied at the municipal level. As such, the ECAA wanted to develop a strategy on how to educate its members and municipalities about the appropriate application of licence exemptions.

The exemption of business licences is identified in Section 40 of the Professional and Occupational Associations Registration Act (POARA). The POARA applies to a variety of professions including registered members of the Electrical Contractors Association of Alberta. Section 40 states:

Exemption from municipal licence
No municipality has the power to require any member of a registered association to obtain a licence from the municipality to engage in the field of practice established by the registered association under the regulations.

The ECAA is the registered association for the professions of Professional Electrical Contractor (PEC), Professional Contractor Student, Certified Master Electrician (CME) and the Registered Master Electrician (RME). The application of Section 40 means that a registered member of the ECAA that operates as a sole proprietor—with no employees—is exempt from purchasing or maintaining a municipal business licence in Alberta.

As part of its education strategy, the ECAA has developed and sent a notice to Alberta municipalities. This notice can be viewed here and is attached to this bulletin. For more information about how section 40 applies to ECAA members, please contact the ECAA at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling 1.800.252.9375.

For more information about professional legislation, please visit Professions and Occupations department of Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education.

The AAMDC encourages its members to review these documents to ensure the exemption of licenses is applied consistently across all municipalities.

Enquiries may be directed to: