Ontario · Durham Region
Oshawa is the largest city in Durham Region and the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area, built around a century of automotive manufacturing and now diversifying faster than most of its neighbours. 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
Oshawa has an unusually high share of businesses that began as a supplier to somebody larger, which shapes the incorporation question. A firm invoicing a manufacturer, a hospital or a college is dealing with procurement departments that expect a corporation and a proper minute book, and that expectation usually arrives before the revenue does. Oshawa is also worth reading carefully on home based work: it licenses exactly one home occupation, the food shop, so a consultancy or trade run from a dwelling there has no licence to apply for, which is a different answer from a fee that simply is not published.
Nearby municipalities (Whitby, Clarington, Ajax, Courtice, Bowmanville) all fall under the same Ontario Business Corporations Act. A single Ontario corporation covers your operations throughout the province with no additional municipal registrations.
Oshawa licenses 2 of the business types we have researched. A food truck licence is called a Class B Mobile Refreshment Vehicle Licence under the city's own by-law, and costs $330 in the first year. That is separate from incorporating, and the city will want proof your business is registered before it issues anything.
| Business type | What the by-law calls it | First year |
|---|---|---|
| Food truck licence | Class B Mobile Refreshment Vehicle Licence | $330 |
| Home based business licence | Class D Home Occupation Food Shop licence | $275 |
Food truck licence: Business Licensing By-law 122-2024; Fees and Charges By-law 109-2024. Checked 2026-09-15. View the source
Home based business licence: Business Licensing By-law 122-2024; Fees and Charges By-law 109-2024. Checked 2026-09-16. View the source
Fee schedules commonly reset in January, so follow the source before you budget. If a figure here disagrees with Oshawa, the city is right and we would like to know. See how Oshawa compares to other municipalities, or browse every licence type we track. Last checked 2026-09-16.
Three steps: no lawyers, no registry line-ups, no guesswork.
Answer our questionnaire
Tell us your corporation name preference, share structure, directors, and Oshawa 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
I want to sell food I make at home in Oshawa. What do I need?
A Class D Home Occupation Food Shop Licence, which costs $275.00 and runs for two years rather than one. There is a real exception worth knowing: if you sell only low risk pre-packaged food such as dry goods or bottled drinks you need no licence, and the moment anything requires refrigeration you do. You will also need a Durham Region health inspection with a Green Dine Safe designation, which is a separate authority.
Does incorporating help when bidding for work with larger Durham employers?
Often, though not for the reason people expect. Procurement departments at manufacturers, hospitals and colleges frequently require a corporation with insurance and proper records before they will onboard a supplier, and a sole proprietorship can be screened out at the vendor registration stage rather than on the merits of the bid. The corporation is a qualification step more than a tax one at that point.
Do I need an Oshawa 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 Oshawa'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, Oshawa licenses food truck licence and home based business 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 Oshawa?
$330 in the first year. Oshawa calls it a Class B Mobile Refreshment Vehicle Licence under Business Licensing By-law 122-2024; Fees and Charges By-law 109-2024, which is worth knowing because searching the city website for the common name often returns nothing. Keeping it costs $310 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 home based business licence cost in Oshawa?
$275 in the first year. Oshawa calls it a Class D Home Occupation Food Shop licence under Business Licensing By-law 122-2024; Fees and Charges By-law 109-2024, which is worth knowing because searching the city website for the common name often returns nothing. Keeping it costs $200 a year after that. We last checked this on 2026-09-16, 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 Oshawa 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.