Commercial work, explained.

What a COR proves, when a SECOR is enough, the four steps from Certifying Partner to certificate, and how to keep it from expiring.

Step by step: the deadline, what goes on the Statement of Lien and the affidavit, what it costs, the overclaim rule, and what an owner can do once it is on title.

Who has to register, the 15-day rule when you hire, the $200 that unlocks your first clearance letter, what it costs by trade, and the annual return.

Calling someone a sub does not make them one. The CRA's six factors, WCB Alberta's own test, and a quick check for a crew lead paying helpers.

Alberta charges 5% GST and nothing else. When the $30,000 small supplier test makes you register, why registering early pays, and what a GC needs on your invoice.

A verbal deal can be a contract in Alberta, but it settles nothing when memories differ. What to find in a subcontract before you sign it, and how to turn a phone call into a record.

Who needs a Calgary contractor licence, the 2026 fees, the surcharge for crews based outside the city, and the renewal trap that makes you start over.

For subcontractors: how to request a clearance on your own account, the screen where most people get stuck, how long a letter covers you, and what a denial means.

If you own the company, WCB does not cover you unless you buy personal coverage. What it pays, what it costs in your trade, and why a GC hiring a small crew cares.

What commercial general liability insurance covers, what it leaves out, and the four things a GC will ask about it before you start on a commercial job.

The deadlines Alberta's Prompt Payment and Construction Lien Act puts on every link of the payment chain, what a GC has to do if the owner does not pay, and the lien deadline you cannot fix later.

The seven things a general contractor checks before letting a new trade onto a commercial site in Calgary, which of them are the law, and how a sub can have all of them in one folder.

Who has to file a T5018, what goes on the slip, the GST rule people get wrong, and the deadlines and penalties, from the CRA's own pages.

The hours Calgary's Community Standards Bylaw allows noisy work, the sound limits near homes and downtown, the fines, and how to get a noise exemption permit for night work.

Public work is advertised and private work is not. How to see which GCs are bidding on public jobs, how to get onto the bid lists for private ones, and what to have ready before you call.

The City's published targets and actual averages for commercial permits, why incomplete applications are what makes them slow, and who pulls which permit.