Becoming a Licensed Home Builder in Ontario - The CRJMC Step Under the HCRA
If you want to build or sell new homes in Ontario, you have to be licensed by the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) under the New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017. Building without a licence is an offence the HCRA actively enforces. And one step in that licence application catches first-time applicants off guard: the criminal record check.
Here's the practical part up front. Every first-time applicant has to provide the results of a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check (CRJMC), and the HCRA will not accept one more than six months old. You can satisfy it through the HCRA's own third-party provider or with a check from a municipal police service or the OPP - and for legitimate off-flow needs, like a self-check before you apply, an online CRJMC from crjmc.net returns in about 15 minutes for $54.99.
This article covers who actually gets checked (it's not everyone in your company), how the CRJMC fits the HCRA's broader conduct review, the six-month rule, the cost picture, and renewal.
What the HCRA is and why it checks you
The HCRA is the regulator that licenses and oversees new-home builders and vendors under the New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017. It took over builder licensing from Tarion in 2021. Its job is consumer protection: making sure the people building Ontario's new homes are competent, financially responsible, and of good conduct.
A licence application weighs three things - technical competence, financial responsibility, and conduct - and the CRJMC feeds the conduct assessment. The HCRA publishes a Guide to Good Conduct that frames how it judges honesty, integrity, and past behaviour. The CRJMC is one input into that judgment, not the whole of it. The check itself is the "Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check" defined under the Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015 (PRCRA) - a step up from a basic criminal record check.
Who gets checked: applicants vs interested persons
This is the single most misunderstood part of HCRA licensing, so it's worth being precise.
The applicant - the individual or principal seeking the licence - must provide a CRJMC as part of a first-time application.
Interested persons - officers, directors, partners, and others with control or influence over the business - are identified on the application form and covered by the applicant's declaration about their past and present conduct and financial responsibility, including any prior Tarion registration or HCRA licence. Crucially, interested persons are not automatically required to submit their own CRJMC at application or renewal. However, the Registrar may decide that more information - including a CRJMC - is needed about one or more of them.
The practical takeaway: budget for the applicant's CRJMC up front, and be ready to produce an interested person's check quickly if the Registrar asks for one. That "produce one fast" moment is where an online check earns its keep. You also have an ongoing obligation to notify the Registrar of any change to interested-person information.
The two routes to satisfy the CRJMC
The HCRA gives first-time applicants two accepted ways to provide the check:
The HCRA's third-party provider. First-time applicants can use the HCRA's designated provider to obtain the check, with results delivered into the HCRA flow.
A municipal police service or the OPP. The HCRA also accepts a CRJMC completed by your local police service or the Ontario Provincial Police.
Either way, it must be a true CRJMC (not a basic criminal record check), and the six-month freshness rule applies. Where an online CRJMC from crjmc.net fits best is the off-flow situations: a pre-application self-check, a fast turnaround when the Registrar requests an interested person's check, or a builder who also needs a CRJMC for another credential. If you're relying on an online check for the in-flow application itself, confirm acceptance against the HCRA's current wording first.
The six-month freshness rule
The HCRA will not accept a CRJMC more than six months old as of the application. That sounds simple, but it trips up builders because the full application also involves competency exams, financial documentation, and a business plan - paperwork people often assemble over months.
Don't pull the CRJMC first and let it age out. Order it near the end of your application prep, once the slower competency and financial pieces are in hand. The sweet spot is within the two to four months before you submit.
What's on a CRJMC
A CRJMC shows criminal convictions for which a record suspension hasn't been granted, certain Youth Criminal Justice Act findings within their disclosure limits, absolute and conditional discharges within their windows, and outstanding charges, warrants, peace bonds, and other current judicial orders.
It does not show most withdrawn or stayed charges, or most non-conviction information - those appear, in narrow circumstances, only on a Vulnerable Sector Check.
Frame it against the HCRA's conduct review: a single old, disclosed matter is not automatically disqualifying. The Registrar weighs it under the Guide to Good Conduct, and honesty on the application matters far more than a perfectly clean sheet. One thing to watch: Bill 75 (the Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act, 2025) could, if it becomes law, keep some summarily-prosecuted hybrid offences visible for longer.
What it costs
There are two cost buckets - the check itself, and the HCRA's licence fees.
CRJMC (other providers / police)
~$30-$100, days to weeks
provider / police service
The CRJMC is a minor line item next to the licence and per-home fees - but a missing or stale one stalls the whole application. Confirm the current HCRA figures in your application portal, since fees change.
Why builders use an online CRJMC
The HCRA steers first-time applicants to its own provider and accepts police-issued checks, so an online CRJMC isn't pitched as a replacement for the in-flow route. Where it genuinely shines is a handful of real situations:
A pre-application self-check. Before you invest in exams, fees, and a business plan, a principal with an old charge can see what the HCRA would see - cheap insurance on a $3,000+ application.
Interested persons on Registrar request. When the Registrar asks for a CRJMC on a director or partner, an online check comes back in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on a police appointment.
Dual-credential builders. A principal who also holds a PSISA, tow (TSSEA), or other regulated licence needs a CRJMC for those too - reusable within its six-month window.
Deadline pressure. When a financing or project timeline hinges on getting licensed, speed matters.
In each of these, crjmc.net delivers the exact document, online, in about 15 minutes for $54.99.
What to do next
Confirm you need a licence - building or selling new homes means yes.
Assemble the slow pieces first - competency exams, financial documentation, business plan, and your interested-person list.
Choose your CRJMC route - the HCRA's provider or a municipal police/OPP check - and order it inside the six-month window.
For a fast self-check or a Registrar-requested interested-person check, order online at crjmc.net - about 15 minutes, $54.99.
Submit the HCRA application with the CRJMC fresh.
Keep copies and notify the Registrar of any interested-person changes.
Renew annually to stay in good standing.
Quick Q&A
Who needs a CRJMC - just me, or everyone in my company?
You, the applicant. Interested persons (officers, directors, partners) are declared on the form and checked only if the Registrar asks.
Does the HCRA make me use its provider?
No. You can use the HCRA's third-party provider or a municipal police service or the OPP. If you want to use another online route, confirm acceptance against the HCRA's current wording.
My CRJMC is seven months old. Will the HCRA take it?
No. It can't be more than six months old as of your application. You'll need a fresh one.
Will an old conviction automatically sink my application?
No. The Registrar weighs conduct under the Guide to Good Conduct. Disclose honestly - non-disclosure is the bigger problem.
Do interested persons need their own checks?
Not automatically - only when the Registrar requests one.
What's the difference between a CRJMC and a basic criminal record check?
A CRJMC adds judicial matters - outstanding charges, certain orders - on top of convictions. It's the level the HCRA wants.
Does a withdrawn charge appear?
Generally not on a CRJMC.
I also hold another regulated licence - can I reuse that CRJMC?
Yes, within its six-month validity window.
Get started
If you need a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check for your HCRA application - or a fast self-check before you invest in the process - you can complete it online and have it back in minutes.
Start your CRJMC - 15 minutes, $54.99
For the in-flow application, use one of the HCRA's accepted routes inside the six-month window, keep a copy, and submit it with your application.
Sources: HCRA - Before Applying for a Licence (hcraontario.ca/builder-vendor/become-a-licensed-builder/before-you-apply), HCRA - Applying for a Licence (hcraontario.ca/builder-vendor/become-a-licensed-builder/applying-for-a-licence), HCRA - Licensing Fees (hcraontario.ca/licensing-fees), HCRA - Guide to Good Conduct (hcraontario.ca/hcra-advisory-guide-to-good-conduct), New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017, Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015 (ontario.ca/laws/statute/15p30), crjmc.net.