Ontario requires a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check (CRJMC) with every towing and vehicle storage certificate application and renewal. Here is what the rule says, who needs one, and how recent it must be.
Start your checkTowing in Ontario is certified by the province. These are the CRJMC rules on the Government of Ontario towing certificate page.
Ontario issues separate certificates for tow operators (the business that offers towing), tow truck drivers, and vehicle storage operators. Each application asks for a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check.
All applicants must submit a CRJMC. If the applicant is a corporation, each active corporate officer and director listed in the Ontario Business Registry or with Corporations Canada also needs a CRJMC. A towing company with three directors therefore needs three checks, plus checks for its drivers' own certificates.
The CRJMC must be less than 90 days old, counted from the search date to the date you submit your application. A check that was fine for another purpose a few months ago may already be too old.
The check goes with your original application and with every renewal. Ontario lists tow operator and vehicle storage certificates as renewing every year, and tow truck driver certificates every three years. Each renewal means a fresh CRJMC.
Source: Government of Ontario — Get a towing or vehicle storage certificate; Government of Ontario — Police record checks. Checked October 2026. Requirements can change — confirm the current rules with the issuing authority before you order.
One detail the provincial page does not spell out.
When we checked the Government of Ontario towing certificate page in October 2026, it required a CRJMC but did not say whether the check must come from a police service or may come from an authorized record check provider. Other Ontario programs, such as security guard licensing, explicitly accept authorized private providers; the towing page is silent on it.
Before you order, confirm with the towing certificate program which issuers they accept. If an online CRJMC from an authorized provider is acceptable for your application, you can order one from us in minutes. If they need a police-issued check, contact your local police service instead.
With a 90-day window, timing is tight. Ordering the wrong kind of check, or ordering too early, can mean paying for a second one. Confirm first, then order close to your submission date.
The CRJMC is the middle of Ontario's three levels of police record check.
Under Ontario's Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015, a CRJMC includes applicable criminal convictions and certain youth findings of guilt, plus:
A Basic criminal record check does not include these items, so it does not meet a CRJMC requirement. A vulnerable sector check is a different check from your local police service and is not what the towing application asks for. For a full explanation of the levels, see CRJMC online: what it is and who needs it.
Your results are released to you first, so you see them before anyone else. If your CRJMC shows a conviction, an outstanding charge or a court order, the province considers it as part of your certificate application. If you are unsure how something on your record affects eligibility, contact the towing certificate program before you apply.
A simple order of operations keeps you inside the 90-day window.
Our Enhanced CRJMC is $51 plus tax, ordered online with no appointment. Most results are emailed within minutes. An embossed paper certificate is available for +$9.00 if you need a paper original.
A Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check (CRJMC). The Government of Ontario requires one from every applicant for towing and vehicle storage certificates.
Less than 90 days old, counted from the search date on the check to the date you submit your application.
Yes. For a corporation, every active corporate officer and director listed in the Ontario Business Registry or with Corporations Canada needs a CRJMC.
Yes. Ontario requires a CRJMC with every renewal. Tow operator and vehicle storage certificates renew yearly; tow truck driver certificates renew every three years.
The provincial towing page did not say which issuers are accepted when we checked in October 2026. Confirm with the towing certificate program before you order; if an authorized provider is accepted, you can order our CRJMC online for $51 plus tax.
No. A basic check shows convictions only. The towing requirement is for a CRJMC, which also shows outstanding charges, warrants, discharges and certain judicial orders.
Once you have confirmed your program accepts an online CRJMC, order the Enhanced check and receive your results by email, usually within minutes.
Order a CRJMCName-based searches only. Not a certified, fingerprint-based RCMP check.
Vulnerable sector checks must be obtained from your local police service.
