Short answer
Google offers Local Services Ads in Canada, but only for certain trades and areas, and the list changes. Google's Canadian help page lists plumbers, HVAC, electricians, roofers and others, and does not list septic services. To know whether you qualify, run Google's eligibility check with your business address and trade, then plan for several weeks of screening.
Local Services Ads are the ads at the very top of Google results for service searches, with a verification badge and a price per lead instead of a price per click. Owners often ask whether they can get them in Canada, and the honest answer is: it depends on your trade and your location, and nobody outside Google can give you a permanent list. This article shows what Google's own help pages say, how to check your own case in about ten minutes, and what to do if the answer is no.
It is based on Google's Local Services Help pages for Canada as they read on 13 October 2026. Google changes them, so treat the lists here as a snapshot and check the current pages. For how the program works in general, see our Google Local Services Ads guide.
Are Local Services Ads available in Canada, and for which trades?
Yes. Canada is one of the countries where Google offers the program, and some features, such as booking leads and lead credits, are listed for the United States and Canada only. Google first launched in Canada in a few big cities and trades and has expanded since, but old news stories about the launch are not a reliable guide to what is offered now.
The key phrase on Google's Canadian getting-started page is that Local Services Ads are available only for certain service categories. That is the sentence that decides your case, and it applies to both the trade and the place.
Which trades does Google list in Canada?
When this guide was written, Google's Canadian getting-started page listed these categories: appliance repair, carpet cleaning, cleaning, electricians, HVAC, junk removal, lawn care, locksmiths, movers, pest control, plumbers, roofers, tree services, water damage, window cleaning and window repair. Google's page for this list is not labelled by country in every place, and a category on the list may still not be open in your city.
| Trade | Listed on Google's Canadian page | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbers | Yes | Run the eligibility check, then prepare the documents for extra screening |
| HVAC, electricians, roofers | Yes | Run the eligibility check for your city |
| Water damage | Yes | This covers cleanup and inspection of water damage; it is not the same as septic work |
| Septic services | Not listed | Run the check anyway, and have a plan that does not depend on the answer |
| Other trades | Check | If your trade is not listed, ask Google, because the list can change |
Whether a particular trade is open in a particular city, such as a smaller town or a rural region, is not something a public list answers for you. That is why the eligibility check matters. Google also notes that the screening and verification process varies by category and location.
How to check your city and trade, step by step
- Open Google's Local Services Ads sign-up from the Local Services Ads pages for Canada, signed in with the Google account you use for your business.
- Enter your business name, address and the areas you serve. Use the same business details as your Google Business Profile.
- Pick your category. The sign-up asks you to choose a practice area. If your trade is not in the list, it is not offered to you at that moment.
- Use the eligibility check. Google's pages have a check-eligibility step that tells you whether ads are available for your business and area.
- Write down the result and the date. If it says no, check again in a few months, because the list changes.
- If it says yes, read the screening requirements for Canada before you start, because verification is where most of the time goes.
If you are not sure which of your services fall under which category, read the Local Services Ads categories guide first. Note that it is written for the general program, and Canadian availability may differ.
What screening involves in Canada
Google verifies businesses before ads can run. For Canada, the Local Services Help pages describe checks such as these, depending on the category:
- Business registration and licences. Google checks that the business is registered and that licences are in order at the province or country level where they apply by local law. You are also expected to confirm that your service professionals are properly licensed.
- Insurance. General liability insurance, and professional liability insurance for some categories. A valid certificate of insurance is the usual document.
- Background checks. Required for select users in Canada and the United States, and covering the business, its owners and its service professionals in applicable categories.
- Extra screening for urgent trades. Google's Canadian page treats plumbing as an urgent category because of time-sensitive calls such as hot water outages, so plumbers get an additional service-professional background check.
- A verified Google Business Profile that is public and linked to your Local Services Ads account.
- Reviews. Minimum review requirements may apply, depending on the category.
Google says screening and verification take an average of three to four weeks after you submit your documents, so start early rather than the week the cold snap arrives. The details differ by category and location, so use the requirements Google shows in your account, not a generic checklist.
Google Guaranteed, Google Verified and what the badge means
The badge on these ads has been called Google Guaranteed, and some current Google pages call it Google Verified. The name, and the terms of any guarantee that goes with it, vary by country and have changed over time. Do not rely on a figure you read in an old blog post or on an agency page. Read the program terms Google gives Canadian advertisers and customers, and describe the badge to customers in the words Google uses today. For more, see the Google Guaranteed badge explained.
How you pay, and how disputes work
You pay for valid leads rather than clicks. Google's help pages say leads judged invalid or low quality at first contact are not charged, and that prices vary by location, job type, lead type and bidding mode. Phone calls, messages and, in Canada and the United States, booking leads can all count as leads.
- Answered calls can be charged. A missed call during business hours is charged only if the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds, according to Google's help pages.
- Repeat contacts from the same number within 15 days are not charged again.
- Disputes. Charged leads are reviewed over 30 days, poor-quality or duplicate leads may be credited, and you can flag a lead from the Leads page.
- A monthly cap. When your monthly budget is used, ads stop until the month ends or you raise the budget.
Google does not publish one Canadian price per lead, because it varies with city, trade and demand, and this article does not invent one. See Local Services Ads cost and the dashboard and lead disputes guide for how to manage cost.
If Local Services Ads are not available to you
A "no" is common outside the largest cities and for trades that are not on the list. You still have options, and for many Canadian trades these carry more of the work anyway.
- Google search ads. Control over place, job and hours. See Local Services Ads vs Google Ads for how they compare, and paid media management for Canadian businesses for the Canadian setup.
- A complete Google Business Profile with accurate categories, hours, service areas and real reviews.
- Local SEO. Service and city pages that answer the search directly. See SEO for Canadian businesses.
- Directories such as HomeStars, tested and measured by booked jobs.
Check again in a few months. The list and the cities change, and a trade that is closed today can open.
Mistakes to avoid
- Trusting an old article or agency page for availability. Use Google's current pages and the eligibility check.
- Paying someone to promise a badge. Google verifies the business. No one can buy approval.
- Submitting wrong or mismatched documents. Business name, address and licence details should match across your documents and your profile.
- Starting late. Screening takes weeks, so do not leave it for the emergency season.
- Not answering the phone. You pay for leads you miss, and a missed lead is a lost job.
- Never checking the leads. Review each lead and dispute the invalid ones inside the window.
- Assuming it works the same in every province. Licensing rules and categories differ. Check the current rules for your province or territory.
How LiveLeadsLane can help
LiveLeadsLane sets up and manages Local Services Ads for contractors in the US, Canada, UK and Europe, alongside Google Ads. It is run by one person, Prakhar Kirsali, working remotely from India with calls in your morning. Fees are quoted in USD: Local Services Ads alone are $299 a month plus a $250 setup fee, and ad spend is paid directly by you to Google. See the Local Services Ads service page and pricing.
I cannot make Google approve a business or open a trade in your city. What I can do is run the eligibility check with you, prepare the documents, and tell you honestly if search ads or local SEO are a better first step. Book a free call if you want a second opinion.
