Ontario · Simcoe County
Barrie sits at the top of Highway 400 on the western shore of Lake Simcoe, close enough to Toronto to commute from and far enough to cost less to operate in. CorpStart files your OBCA corporation (Articles, By-law, and Minute Book) typically within one to two business hours.
Numbered corporation
$279
+ $300 Ontario gov fee
$579 total
A great many Barrie businesses were started by people who used to commute south and decided to stop. That path tends to begin as a side operation run from home and then outgrow it, which is the point at which incorporating usually starts to matter, both for personal liability and because larger clients in the Greater Toronto Area often will not contract with a sole proprietor. Barrie is also unusual in how it prices municipal licences. It charges the same flat fee for almost every general business licence it issues, from a food truck to a contractor to a tattoo parlour, so the licensing question in Barrie is which category you fall into rather than what it will cost.
Nearby municipalities (Innisfil, Oro-Medonte, Springwater, Orillia, Bradford) all fall under the same Ontario Business Corporations Act. A single Ontario corporation covers your operations throughout the province with no additional municipal registrations.
Barrie licenses 3 of the business types we have researched. A food truck licence is called a Refreshment Vehicle Motorized licence under the city's own by-law, and costs $287.54 in the first year. That is separate from incorporating, and the city will want proof your business is registered before it issues anything. It does not issue a taxi and rideshare driver licence at all.
| Business type | What the by-law calls it | First year |
|---|---|---|
| Food truck licence | Refreshment Vehicle Motorized licence | $287.54 |
| Taxi and rideshare driver licence | No individual taxi driver licence is issued | Barrie does not issue this licence at all |
| Salon, barber and tattoo licence | Tattoo Parlour licence | $287.54 |
| Contractor and trades licence | General Contractor licence | $287.54 |
Food truck licence: General Business Licensing By-law 2006-266; 2026 User Fees, Schedule B. Checked 2026-09-15. View the source
Taxi and rideshare driver licence: Transportation Inspection and Approvals By-law 2006-265; 2026 User Fees, Schedule B. Checked 2026-09-15. View the source
Salon, barber and tattoo licence: General Business Licensing By-law 2006-266; 2026 User Fees, Schedule B. Checked 2026-09-15. View the source
Contractor and trades licence: General Business Licensing By-law 2006-266; 2026 User Fees, Schedule B. Checked 2026-09-15. View the source
Fee schedules commonly reset in January, so follow the source before you budget. If a figure here disagrees with Barrie, the city is right and we would like to know. See how Barrie compares to other municipalities, or browse every licence type we track. Last checked 2026-09-15.
Three steps: no lawyers, no registry line-ups, no guesswork.
Answer our questionnaire
Tell us your corporation name preference, share structure, directors, and Barrie 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.
$279
+ $300 Ontario gov fee = $579 total
Named corporation
Named Corporation
e.g., Acme Holdings Inc. Choose your corporate name, includes NUANS pre-search.
$279
+ $300 Ontario gov fee, NUANS search included = $579 total
Can I incorporate in Barrie if my clients are all in Toronto?
Yes, and it is common. An Ontario corporation is a provincial entity, so it covers work anywhere in Ontario regardless of where the registered office sits. Your registered office must be a physical Ontario address and a Barrie address qualifies. There is no requirement to have any presence in Toronto in order to invoice Toronto clients.
I run my business from home in Barrie. Does that change anything?
Not for incorporating, which only requires an Ontario address for the registered office, and a residential one is acceptable. It can change things municipally, because home based businesses are usually subject to zoning conditions covering floor area, visitors, signage and employees. Those conditions vary between municipalities and are worth checking with the city before you commit to working from home permanently.
Do I need a Barrie 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 Barrie'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, Barrie licenses food truck licence, salon, barber and tattoo licence and contractor and trades 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 Barrie?
$287.54 in the first year. Barrie calls it a Refreshment Vehicle Motorized licence under General Business Licensing By-law 2006-266; 2026 User Fees, Schedule B, which is worth knowing because searching the city website for the common name often returns nothing. Keeping it costs $287.54 a year after that. 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 Barrie?
Barrie does not issue this licence at all. No individual taxi driver licence is issued. We last checked on 2026-09-15, and this records what the city publishes rather than a claim that no permission of any kind is needed, since public health and provincial regulators sit outside municipal licensing.
What does a salon, barber and tattoo licence cost in Barrie?
$287.54 in the first year. Barrie calls it a Tattoo Parlour licence under General Business Licensing By-law 2006-266; 2026 User Fees, Schedule B, which is worth knowing because searching the city website for the common name often returns nothing. Keeping it costs $287.54 a year after that. 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 Barrie?
$287.54 in the first year. Barrie calls it a General Contractor licence under General Business Licensing By-law 2006-266; 2026 User Fees, Schedule B, which is worth knowing because searching the city website for the common name often returns nothing. Keeping it costs $287.54 a year after that. We last checked this on 2026-09-15, 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 Barrie today
$279 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.