Elevating device licence

An elevating device licence is the licence that lets an owner operate an elevator or similar device. Buyers of buildings and of elevator service firms meet it from two sides: the owner’s licence for each device and the registration that a service contractor needs. In Ontario, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) reviews and registers elevating devices and issues licences.

How Ontario handles owners and contractors

Ontario’s O. Reg. 209/01 says no owner shall operate an elevating device or permit it to be operated unless it is licensed and complies with the Regulation, the code adoption document and any applicable director’s order, subject to section 2(3), which excludes some devices, such as those in private dwelling houses used only by the occupants and their guests unless the owner asks in writing for the Regulation to apply. When ownership changes, both the current and the new owner must notify the director in writing within 10 days after the change. The director shall then transfer the licence to the new owner on receipt of the required information and fee, subject to exceptions: the director shall not transfer the licence of a device to which a seal has been affixed under the Act, and may refuse while the licence is suspended or a fee is owing. The Regulation also says no person shall act as a contractor unless registered as a contractor. This entry covers Ontario only; check the rules in the province where the devices are.

What to check or ask

• Whether every device is licensed and whether any carries an inspector’s seal.
• Whether the service firm is registered as a contractor for the services it offers.
• Whether the maintenance records will be handed to the new owner on closing.

The service-company side of the market is covered in buying an elevator service company in Canada. For trades where a buyer needs its own credential, see compulsory trade licensing.