Your RBQ licence number on quotes, invoices and ads

In Quebec, a contractor holding a licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) must show the licence number on estimates, quotes and tender bids, contracts, statements of account and invoices, and in any form of advertising. The RBQ format is « Licence RBQ : XXXX-XXXX-XX ». Leaving it off can lead to a $500 or $1,500 administrative penalty, or a larger penal fine.

What section 57.1 of the Building Act says

The rule comes from section 57.1 of Quebec's Building Act (CQLR, chapter B-1.1). It is one sentence long. The holder of a licence "shall mention, in any form of publicity made by the holder, the number of the licence" on "estimates, tender bids, contracts, statements of account and any other document determined by regulation of the Board".

Two things stand out. The obligation follows your business everywhere it faces a customer or the public, not just on paper. And the RBQ can add documents to the list by regulation. The section was amended in 2024, by the same statute that added an administrative penalty for leaving the number off. What applies today can change, so the RBQ page on displaying your licence is worth rereading once a year.

The section makes no distinction based on who receives the document. A subcontractor quoting a general contractor is covered just as much as a contractor bidding directly for an owner.

Documents and media covered

The RBQ lists them on its page about displaying your licence. In plain contractor terms:

• Estimates, quotes, contracts, statements of account and invoices. Every one of these that goes to a customer carries the number.
• Advertising in any form, business cards included. In a directory, the number becomes mandatory as soon as the listing names your services (renovation, construction) or your sector (residential, commercial). A bare listing with your name, address and phone number does not need it.
• Your website and your company's social media accounts. Personal accounts too, if you advertise your services there.
• Vehicles that show the company name and travel on public roads or job sites: vans, flatbeds, heavy equipment. On a tractor-trailer, the number goes on the tractor, the trailer or both, depending on where the advertising appears. One mention per vehicle or vehicle unit is enough.
• Job site signs, whenever the company name is on them.

A useful habit: if something carries your company name and is aimed at a customer or the public, check whether it falls on this list. The one broad exception is promotional items, covered below.

The exact format

An RBQ licence number has 10 digits. The RBQ's French-language page gives the format as « Licence RBQ : XXXX-XXXX-XX ». With a made-up number, that reads: Licence RBQ : 1234-5678-90. If you publish in English, check with the RBQ which wording it accepts before you change your templates.

Keep the mention complete. A number printed without the word "Licence", without "RBQ" or without the hyphens does not follow the requested format. Use one number everywhere as well: if you restructured your business and received a new licence, the old number has to come off every template.

Where should it go? On a quote or an invoice, the header is the easy spot because it repeats on every page. On a website, the footer does the job. On a truck, put it next to the company name so both are read together.

Exemptions

Promotional items bearing the company name do not need the number. The RBQ gives pens, mugs, key chains and clothing such as T-shirts, sweaters and jackets as examples.

The RBQ also states that contractors who are members of the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec (CMEQ) or the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec (CMMTQ) do not have to display their RBQ licence number, because they are identified by their corporation's logo. Contractors domiciled outside Quebec are also exempt from this measure.

If one of these cases applies to you, don't rely on a summary, this one included. Read the RBQ page or call your corporation to confirm what applies.

What is prohibited: the RBQ logo and the Quebec flag

It is tempting to put the RBQ logo next to your number to show you are in good standing. You can't. The RBQ is clear that displaying the Quebec government flag or the RBQ logo is strictly prohibited. The government signature is a registered trademark reserved for government departments and agencies.

The number in plain text is all you need. No RBQ logo on the quote, no flag on the truck to look more official. If your designer built a template with either one, fix it now.

Penalties when the number is missing

The Act provides two routes: an administrative penalty with a fixed amount, and penal proceedings with much higher fines.

Administrative monetary penalty (s. 159.3)

Since 2024, paragraph 4 of section 159.3 allows a monetary administrative penalty against anyone who fails to show the information required by section 57.1 in advertising or on an estimate, a quote, a contract or a statement of account. The amount is fixed: $500 for a natural person and $1,500 in other cases, such as a corporation.

Penal fines (ss. 194 and 196)

Paragraph 7 of section 194 also makes a breach of section 57.1 a penal offence. Section 196 sets the fines. The amounts in the table come from the French text on LégisQuébec as read on October 27, 2026. They are indexed and change over time, so check the current text before quoting them.

Put side by side, the math is easy. Fixing a quote template takes an afternoon at most. A $1,500 penalty costs real money, and it can come back.

Cases that make people hesitate

Quotes sent by email

The quote itself, as a PDF, must carry the number. The Act does not mention the email that goes with it. Adding the licence line to your email signature is still a simple precaution, especially if that signature describes your services.

Work orders signed on site

A field work order that acts as the contract for an extra, or that leads to an invoice, looks a lot like the documents in section 57.1. When in doubt, put the number on it. It costs nothing once it sits in the header of your templates.

Change orders

A change order amends a contract, so it makes sense for it to carry the same mention as the original contract. Again, a shared header settles the question.

Contractor checklist

Go through this list and tick off what is done. Whatever is left unticked is your to-do list.

• The estimate and quote template shows « Licence RBQ : XXXX-XXXX-XX ».
• The contract and change order templates show the number.
• Invoices and statements of account show it, progress invoices included.
• Business cards for everyone who has one.
• The website footer.
• The company's social media pages, plus any personal accounts where you advertise your services.
• Print and online ads, and directory listings that name your services.
• Every lettered vehicle, including the trailer if it carries advertising.
• Job site signs that show the company name.
• No RBQ logo and no Quebec flag anywhere.
• The number shown is correct, checked against the RBQ's register of licence holders.

How OKTO PSA puts your RBQ licence and NEQ on documents

In OKTO PSA for construction, you enter your RBQ licence number and your Quebec enterprise number (NEQ) once. The software then prints them on invoices and in the header of every document it produces, quotes included. A new quote, a progress invoice or a purchase order goes out with the number without anyone having to remember it.

Invoices also show GST and QST on separate lines, with your tax numbers under each tax. The details are on the progress billing and holdbacks page. The quote workflow, from templates to online signature in the client portal, is on the construction quotes page.

What OKTO PSA does not do: it has nothing to do with your website, your trucks or your business cards. For those, the checklist above is a manual job. For everything the software covers on a job site, see OKTO PSA for construction, or open the interactive demo to see a quote with the licence in place.

This guide is not legal advice. It summarizes the Building Act and the RBQ's instructions as we read them on October 27, 2026. For a specific situation, talk to a lawyer or contact the Régie du bâtiment du Québec.

Sources: Building Act, ss. 57.1, 159.3, 194 and 196 (LégisQuébec), Régie du bâtiment du Québec, displaying your licence (French), checked on October 27, 2026.