Mississauga Business Licensing Calculator
Select what your business does. Instantly see whether the City of Mississauga requires a licence, what it costs in 2026, and what you'll need at your appointment.
Find your licence & fee
Home occupation zoning check
Running this business from a Mississauga home? By-law 0225-2007 caps your commercial floor area at 25% of your home's gross floor area, or 50 m² — whichever is smaller.
Source: City of Mississauga, 2026 Business Licence Fees (effective Jan 1, 2026), published via mississauga.ca/publication/business-licensing-fees; zoning figures per Mississauga Zoning By-law 0225-2007. All content and calculator results are provided for general informational purposes only, may be incomplete or subject to change, do not constitute legal, financial, or tax advice, and should be independently verified with the City's Licensing, Permits & Regulatory Services office before you apply. MississaugaWallet.ca assumes no liability for any actions taken based on this information.
Which Mississauga businesses need a City licence
Mississauga does not license businesses in general. It licenses particular activities, which is why the answer depends entirely on what you do rather than on how large you are or whether you have incorporated.
Activity-based, not revenue-based
There is no general business licence in Mississauga. The City licenses specified trades and services — personal services, tanning facilities, a range of contracting trades, short-term accommodation and others — under its business licensing by-law.
A freelance designer, consultant or online seller working from a Mississauga home typically needs no City licence at all. A barber, an electrician taking retail work, or someone letting a room on a short-term platform generally does.
What the common licences cost in 2026
A Personal Services Licence is $255.21 for a new application and $230.17 to renew. A Trade Business Licence is $255.21 new and $220.04 to renew. A Tanning Facility Licence is $252.96 new and $217.79 to renew.
A Short-Term Accommodation Licence is $283.00, and unusually it charges the same for a renewal as for a new application. Renewal is cheaper than first application in most other categories, so letting one lapse costs more than keeping it current.
A licence is not permission to operate anywhere
Licensing and zoning are separate approvals, and clearing one does not clear the other. Home-based businesses in particular fall under By-law 0225-2007, which caps the floor area a business may occupy and restricts staff, signage and client traffic.
Getting this order wrong is the common and expensive mistake: signing a lease or committing to fit-out before confirming the use is permitted at that address. The home business framework covers the residential rules in full.
Other regulators may still want to hear from you
This tool covers City of Mississauga licensing only. Food premises answer to Peel Public Health, regulated trades to their provincial colleges, and anything involving alcohol to the AGCO.
Federal obligations are separate again — most notably HST registration once revenue crosses $30,000, which the HST threshold checker will test.
Most home-based Mississauga businesses need no City licence — but check zoning under By-law 0225-2007 before you sign anything, because that approval is separate and is the one people skip.
Sources & assumptions
- City of Mississauga — Business Licensing By-law and 2026 fee schedule
- City of Mississauga — Zoning By-law 0225-2007, home occupation provisions
- Fees shown are the City licence only and exclude inspections, permits and any provincial or federal registration.
Figures reviewed August 2026. Rates change — check the linked source before relying on a number for a filing or a closing.