Licensed gas contractors are a big part of keeping homes and businesses in BC safe. From installing and maintaining gas lines to repairing and inspecting gas appliances and heating systems.
If you hold a gas licence, it’s important to understand what’s expected of you under the Safety Standards Act and its regulations. Here are five key responsibilities every licensed gas contractor should know.
The number of licences you need depends on the scope of work your company performs. If you only provide gas services, a gas licence may be enough. But if you also take on other regulated work (such as electrical work like heat pumps, or work involving boiler and pressure vessels), you’ll need additional licences. Having the proper licence(s) proves that you and your team have the skills, knowledge, and experience to work safely on those systems. It also ensures that your business appears in our Find a Licensed Contractor registry, making it easier for the public to find your business or verify that their contractor is properly licensed.
Keeping your licence up to date also helps us investigate grey market activity, which includes working without a licence, working with expired licences, or working out of scope of your licence. In 2024, we audited a licensed gas contractor operating outside the safety system and found unpermitted work, expired permits, and a 43% inspection fail rate. Our enforcement team presented the findings and made clear the seriousness of the violations, outlining potential enforcement actions if compliance was not achieved. The contractor was required to submit a formal compliance plan, resolve all issues, and is now under heightened monitoring for the next 12 months, with further non-compliance subject to escalated enforcement, including potential penalties or licence suspension.
If you’re a licensed gas contractor in BC, it’s key to keep up with the latest gas codes, safety requirements, and regulatory notices from Technical Safety BC. Knowing and following the rules in the Safety Standards Act and regulation isn’t just about ticking a box, it helps keep people safe, reduces the risk of incidents, and can save you from penalties like fines or even losing your licence.
An incident we investigated shows why this matters. An explosion inside a mobile trailer was traced back to a preventable error: an apprentice, left unsupervised, connected gas to a system but failed to perform the required leak testing and equipment checks. To make matters worse, the appliances had already been altered by other workers. Had the contractor ensured compliance with the codes and regulations and supervised the work appropriately, this incident could have been avoided.
Make sure you understand the terms and conditions of your licence, and only take on the regulated work you’re authorized to perform. Conditions may be added over time, so it’s important to stay up to date. If you wish to review the terms and conditions of your licence, you can retrieve a copy of this document in your Online Services account at any time.
Your company’s scope of work also depends on the certification level of the gas fitter attached to each permit. The gas fitter completing the work must be the same individual named on the permit. This ensures accountability for the work performed and confirms the individual is working within the scope of their qualifications.
To see the breakdown of certification levels, visit our Gas Certification page.
Before starting work, make sure you’ve applied for the right permit, and that it’s still valid; never work outside the scope of your permit. For licensed gas contractors, permits generally fall into two main categories: installation permits and operating permits.
Permits aren’t just a formality. They confirm that work is being done safely, and that regulated equipment is being installed and maintained correctly. They can also help you avoid legal issues, fines, and liability in case of accidents or non-compliance. In fact, in 2024 we investigated a licensed gas contractor who performed unpermitted work at multiple sites. Addressing grey market work such as this is a top priority for Technical Safety BC. Despite several chances to correct the issues, they failed to comply, resulting in a $26,000 penalty that had to be enforced through the courts. Learn more about our work with compliance and safety.
Not sure if a job already has a permit? Use our Permit Lookup Tool to check.
These are just some of the key responsibilities for licence holders in BC. To learn more take our take our licensed contractor course and to review the full list of requirements, visit our Licences page.