1 checklist for Canadian crews pressure washing in Buffalo and Detroit

What to take away

What changes when a Canadian crew crosses

A cross-border wash looks like a local one until the paperwork starts. The customer is in another country, the invoice is in another currency, and the wash water falls under a different discharge rule.

Your Ontario or Alberta registration does not register you in New York or Michigan. Provincial workers' compensation coverage does not follow the crew across the bridge by default. A Canadian general liability policy may exclude US operations unless the broker adds them.

The federal government publishes an overview of the trading relationship and the supports for businesses working in both countries. Read it before you sign anything. See Canada-United States: Overview and federal supports - Canada.ca.

Currency and getting paid

The most common mistake is quoting in Canadian dollars. A US property manager budgets in US dollars and will sign a US dollar contract.

Open a US dollar account at a Canadian bank and invoice in US dollars. The customer pays in the currency they expect, and you convert when the rate suits you rather than when a payment lands.

What belongs on a cross-border invoice

Most services supplied to a US customer who is not present in Canada are zero-rated for GST/HST. You charge no GST or HST and still report the sale. The treatment turns on where the service is performed and who receives it, so confirm it with your accountant and refer to CRA for the current rule.

Getting paid without losing the margin

Bank wires are standard for larger jobs. They cost more per transfer and the rate is transparent. Card payments suit small jobs and get expensive on large ones.

Build a currency buffer into the quote. Two to three per cent covers rate movement between quote and payment without an awkward follow-up call.

A business that plans its pressure washing scheduling week to week sees the currency effect immediately, because US deposits and Canadian expenses land in different accounts.

When the customer offers Canadian dollars

Some Canadian-owned US properties will offer to pay in Canadian dollars. Accept only if the rate is fixed at the invoice date and written into the contract. Otherwise you are financing their currency risk.

Insurance and liability for US work

Canadian commercial general liability policies are usually written for Canadian operations. A US job can fall outside the territory clause, which means no defence and no indemnity if a claim arrives. One missed endorsement can void coverage on a US job worth more than the whole trip.

Ask for US territory added, the US client named as additional insured, and a certificate of insurance in the format the client expects.

Insuring a pressure washing business is mostly about matching coverage to where the work happens. Cross-border work adds a territory question to the same conversation.

Workers' compensation does not travel by default

Provincial boards cover injuries in the province. An employee hurt on a Buffalo job may not be covered by WSIB, WorkSafeBC, WCB Alberta or CNESST. Some boards extend coverage for temporary out-of-province work, but you have to ask. Confirm classification and coverage with the relevant provincial board, not with a forum post.

If coverage does not extend, the US client may require US workers' compensation. That is a real cost and it belongs in the quote.

Rates are quoted per $100 of payroll. A low-hazard cleaning classification typically runs from about $1 to $5 per $100 of payroll in New York and Michigan.

A short-term policy usually carries a minimum premium of several hundred US dollars. Treat both figures as typical. The class code, the payroll you declare and the carrier set the final number.

There is a route to coverage for one short job. New York's state fund, NYSIF, writes workers' compensation policies directly to employers, and a US-licensed carrier can write a policy for a named job period. Your commercial broker can place either one. Ask for the certificate before the crew leaves.

Auto and equipment coverage

Your commercial auto policy must permit US travel. Most Canadian policies do, but confirm the territory and the reporting requirements for a US claim.

Equipment left overnight on a US site needs coverage in that territory. A trailer of pressure washing gear is an easy target in an unfamiliar industrial area.

What the client will ask for

US property managers ask for a certificate of insurance, a W-9 or equivalent tax form, and proof of workers' compensation. Have all three ready as PDFs. Waiting a week for a certificate loses jobs.

US tax and registration basics

You can generally perform services in the United States without forming a US company. The tax question is whether the United States can tax the income, and the answer usually turns on the Canada-United States tax treaty.

To claim treaty benefits you file a US return and often Form W-8BEN to the payer. You need an Employer Identification Number, which you can apply for without a US entity.

Do you need a US company?

Usually no. A Canadian corporation can contract directly with a US customer. A US subsidiary adds state franchise fees, a registered agent and a second tax return.

There are exceptions. Some US clients refuse to contract with a foreign entity. Some states treat repeated physical presence as taxable nexus. Get advice once the work becomes regular rather than occasional.

State tax registration

New York and Michigan both run income tax and sales tax regimes. Pressure washing is often not subject to sales tax, but the rules vary and the thresholds matter. Register only when you cross the threshold or when a client requires it. Refer the filing questions to CRA and a qualified accountant.

Keep the paper trail

Keep a file per US job: contract, invoice, proof of payment, insurance certificate, permits and border receipts. If the Canada Revenue Agency or the Internal Revenue Service asks questions later, that file answers them.

A crew that is licensed, and keeping it that way at home will find the US paperwork familiar, just duplicated.

Permits and local rules in Buffalo and Detroit

Neither Buffalo nor Detroit issues a general pressure washing licence the way some US states license contractors. The requirements sit with the city, the county and the sewer authority.

Canada's own permit and licence framework shows how the pieces fit together, and it is worth reading before you assume the US side is simpler. See Permits, licences and regulations - Canada.ca.

Buffalo and Erie County

Buffalo regulates work through the city permit office and, for some commercial properties, through Erie County. Washing a building exterior rarely needs a building permit. Washing that involves repairs, painting or structural work can cross into permit territory.

Permits for that work come from the City of Buffalo Department of Permit and Inspection Services. Storm water is the bigger issue, and the Buffalo Sewer Authority runs the city's combined sewer system. Wash water carrying detergent, oil or heavy grease cannot go into a storm drain.

Capture it, filter it, or discharge it to the sanitary sewer only on the terms the Buffalo Sewer Authority sets for the connection.

Fees follow the scope and the discharge volume rather than the size of the wash. A small commercial job commonly falls under a few hundred US dollars, and plan review typically takes a few days to a few weeks. Treat those as typical and confirm the current schedule with the office before you quote.

Detroit and Wayne County

Detroit works under Michigan's contractor and environmental rules. The city's Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department handles permits for structural work, and the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department regulates discharge to the sewer system.

Michigan treats commercial pressure washing discharge carefully. If your water contains cleaning agents, plan for containment and disposal, and keep the disposal receipt.

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department approves non-domestic discharge to its sewers and can require pre-treatment before you release anything. Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy covers discharge that reaches a river or a drain.

Expect the same pattern as Buffalo: fees set by volume and load, and a review that typically runs from a few days to a few weeks.

Working in French for Quebec clients

If a Quebec-based client owns the US property, expect contracts and invoices in French. Quebec's language rules follow the client relationship, and a French contract is not a translation problem, it is a legal one.

Commercial vehicle and driver rules

A pressure washing rig is a commercial vehicle. That changes the rules at the border and on the road.

Transport Canada sets out the motor carrier, commercial vehicle and driver requirements for crews crossing to US job sites, including hours of service, vehicle standards and documentation. See Motor carriers, commercial vehicles and drivers.

Documents for the driver

What the border officer wants to hear

The officer is checking that you are working, not immigrating. Answer in this order and then stop talking.

A Canadian employee working for a Canadian company on a short US job usually enters as a business visitor. Taking a US payroll job or staying for months changes the analysis. Get advice before that point.

Hours of service and vehicle checks

Commercial vehicles crossing the border are subject to inspections. A failed brake or tire check stops the trip. Do a full pre-trip inspection in Canada, where repairs are cheaper and parts are familiar.

Hours of service rules apply to the driver, not the crew. If one person drives both directions, plan the schedule around the legal driving limit.

Employees on the trip

If you employ people, federal labour standards govern the employment relationship, including hours, overtime and termination. See Federal labour standards - Canada.ca.

Provincial rules may also apply depending on the province of employment. Cross-border trips raise questions about travel time, per diems and overtime that are best settled in writing before departure.

If you hire extra labour

Bringing workers in from outside Canada for cross-border jobs adds a Labour Market Impact Assessment and work permit requirements. See Hire a temporary foreign worker with a Labour Market Impact Assessment - Canada.ca.

This is slow and expensive. For short US jobs, hiring locally in Buffalo or Detroit is usually faster, but it brings US payroll and workers' compensation obligations.

A pre-trip checklist

This assumes a Canadian crew driving to a Buffalo or Detroit site for a job of one day to two weeks. Adjust the tax and permit lines for longer contracts.

Two to four weeks before

The week before

At the border

On site and after

A worked example

A two-person Ontario crew washes a Buffalo warehouse over two days. The quote is 4,800 US dollars. The insurance endorsement costs 300 Canadian dollars, the EIN application is free, the sewer discharge permit is 150 US dollars and conversion costs about 100 Canadian dollars.

The job still clears a profit. Without the endorsement, one slip-and-fall claim on the wet loading dock would have been uninsured. That is the real risk in this arithmetic, and the numbers above are illustrative, not a quote for your job.

Where crews get caught

Most problems trace back to assumptions made at the quote stage. Assuming the Canadian policy covers US work. Assuming no permit is needed. Assuming the client will pay in Canadian dollars. Each assumption is cheap to check and expensive to get wrong.

What inspectors expect on a Canadian job site is a useful rehearsal for the US version, because the documentation demands are similar even when the agencies differ.

How work flows through a small pressure washing operation also applies across the border, with one addition: a paperwork stage that runs before the job rather than after it.

Common questions

Do I need a US company to wash buildings in Buffalo or Detroit?

Usually no. A Canadian corporation can contract directly with a US client, file the appropriate US return and claim treaty benefits. Forming a US entity adds cost and a second tax filing, so do it only when a client or a state threshold forces the issue.

Will my Canadian insurance cover a US job?

Often not by default. Many commercial general liability policies limit territory to Canada. Ask the broker to add US territory, name the client as additional insured and issue a certificate before you quote.

Do I charge GST or HST on a US customer's invoice?

Services supplied to a US customer are commonly zero-rated for GST/HST, so you charge nothing but still report the sale. The rule turns on where the service is performed and who receives it, so confirm with CRA and your accountant.

What permits do I need in Buffalo or Detroit?

Neither city issues a general pressure washing licence. Permits depend on the scope and on sewer discharge. In Buffalo, ask the City of Buffalo Department of Permit and Inspection Services and the Buffalo Sewer Authority. In Detroit, ask the Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department and the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. Keep the receipts in the job file.