Official definition
This Canadian industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in site preparation activities, such as excavating and grading, demolition of buildings and other structures, and septic system installation.
Canadian industry
238910 Site preparation contractors
Entrepreneurs en préparation de terrains
Official classification fields for this page
Official classification fields taken from the current StatCan source bundle.
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| Official title | Site preparation contractors |
| Classification | NAICS Canada 2022 Version 1.0 |
| Publishing authority | Statistics Canada |
| Hierarchical level | Canadian industry |
| Parent code | 23891 - Site preparation contractors |
| International correspondence | F4390* |
| Source | https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/subjects/standard/naics/2022/v1/index |
| Source verification | 2026-05-05 |
Canada-wide tax and filing context
Canada-wide business, tax, and filing context from the local country pack and tax pack.
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| Tax authority | Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) |
| Business identifier | Business Number (BN): 9-digit identifier with program account suffixes such as RT0001 for GST/HST, RP0001 for payroll, and RC0001 for corporate income tax. |
| Filing requirements | Business Number registration; Form T2125 (Statement of Business or Professional Activities) attached to T1; Form T2 (Corporation Income Tax Return); Form T5013; Form GST34 |
| Sector authority | Provincial workers' compensation boards and provincial trades certification bodies |
Exclusions
- construction equipment rental without an operator (See 532410 Construction, transportation, mining, and forestry machinery and equipment rental and leasing (CAN))
- crane rental with operator (See 238990 All other specialty trade contractors (US))
- dismantling tanks in oil fields (See 213118 Services to oil and gas extraction (CAN))
- drilling oil and gas field water intake wells (See 213118 Services to oil and gas extraction (CAN))
- earth retention or underwater trenching (See 237990 Other heavy and civil engineering construction (US))
- line slash maintenance (See 561730 Landscaping services)
- mining blast hole drilling (See 213117 Contract drilling (except oil and gas) (CAN))
- nuclear power plant decommissioning and environmental remediation work, such as the removal of underground steel tanks for hazardous materials (See 562910 Remediation services (US))
- overburden removal (See 213119 Other support activities for mining (CAN))
- rights of way maintenance (See 561730 Landscaping services)
- tree and brush trimming for overhead utility lines (See 561730 Landscaping services)
- underground tank removal containing hazardous material (See 562910 Remediation services (US))
Examples
- blast hole drilling (except mining)
- blasting and trenching, construction site
- building demolition
- construction equipment (except cranes) rental with operator
- digging foundations
- excavating contractors
- foundation drilling contractors
- land clearing, contractors
- pile driving, contractors
- power, communication and pipe lines, rights of way clearance (except maintenance)
- septic tanks and weeping tile, installation
- aerial lift trucks and bucket trucks rental with operator (used by electric utilities or tree trimming)
- backfilling, construction
- backhoes, rental with operator
- blast hole drilling (except mining)
- blasting and trenching, construction site
- blasting, building demolition
- boring for building construction
- brush clearing or cutting
- building demolition
- bulldozing, unspecified, rental with operator
- caisson (i.e., drilled building foundations), construction
- concrete breaking and cutting for demolition
- construction equipment (except cranes) rental with operator
- core drilling and test boring for construction
- crawler work, rental with operator
- cutting of rights-of-way contractor
- demolishing buildings and structures
- demolition contractor
- dewatering, contractors
- diamond drilling for building construction, contractors
- digging foundations
- dirt moving, for construction
- dismantling of engineering structures (e.g., oil storage tanks)
- drainage system installation (e.g., cesspool, septic tank), contractors
- drilled pier (i.e., for building foundations) contractors
- drilled shaft (i.e., drilled building foundations), construction
- driving piling, general contractors
- dry well construction, contractors
- earth moving, contractors
- equipment rental with operator (except cranes)
- equipment rental, cat work (excavating, renting out), with operator
- excavating contractors
- excavating, earthmoving or land clearing, agricultural
- excavating, earthmoving or land clearing, mining (except mine site overburden removal)
- excavating, earthmoving, or land clearing contractors
- foundation digging (i.e., excavation)
- foundation drilling contractors
- grading, construction site
- grave excavation, contractors
- ground thawing for construction site digging, service of
- heavy machinery operations (construction), rental with operator
- house demolishing contractors
- hydrodemolition (i.e., demolition with pressurized water), contractor
- land clearing, contractors
- land levelling, irrigation, contractors
- line slashing or cutting (except maintenance)
- pile driving, contractors
- piling (i.e., bored, cast-in-place, drilled), building foundation, contractors
- power, communication and pipe lines, rights of way clearance (except maintenance)
- rights of way, cutting (except maintenance)
- septic systems, replacement and repair
- septic tanks and weeping tile, installation
- shovel equipment work, construction, rental with operator
- soil compacting service, contractors
- soil test drilling (for building construction)
- sound barriers (earth mounds), construction
- underground tank (except hazardous material) removal
- wrecking, buildings or other structures, contractors
Who is this code for
This code typically applies to:
Also relevant for
blast hole drilling (except mining)blasting and trenching, construction sitebuilding demolitionconstruction equipment (except cranes) rental with operatordigging foundations
Source: STATCAN_TITLE, 2026-05-05
Classification Confidence Score
5 of 6 factors passing
8/ 10
Verified official source — naics-scian-2022-structure-v1-eng.csv (2026-05-05)
International crosswalk — ISIC Rev. 4 mapping: F4390*
Previous edition migration — NAICS 2017 to 2022 continuity confirmed
Complete hierarchy — 5 levels confirmed in hierarchy
Size or threshold documented — SME thresholds documented in federal tax pack
Trade or export match — No direct HS code correspondence in current bundle
Legacy crosswalk — Legacy system (SIC 1980) retired in this region
Business Profiles
When you might need code 238910
These role examples come from the official title and example wording attached to this code.
01
238910
Site preparation contractors
Use this page when the business is directly described by the official title or definition for 238910 Site preparation contractors. It is the closest source-backed checkpoint before BN registration, GST/HST review, banking onboarding, or internal classification work.
02
238910
blast hole drilling (except mining)
Use this page when the activity is described in the official StatCan example wording as blast hole drilling (except mining). Compare the definition, exclusions, and nearby codes here before attaching 238910 Site preparation contractors to a business file.
03
238910
blasting and trenching, construction site
Use this page when the activity is described in the official StatCan example wording as blasting and trenching, construction site. Compare the definition, exclusions, and nearby codes here before attaching 238910 Site preparation contractors to a business file.
04
238910
building demolition
Use this page when the activity is described in the official StatCan example wording as building demolition. Compare the definition, exclusions, and nearby codes here before attaching 238910 Site preparation contractors to a business file.
Business categories in this branch
A rotating set of business activity examples linked to this part of the Canadian hierarchy.
In this section
- 238910Site preparation contractors
Commonly confused with
532410 — Construction, transportation, mining, and forestry machinery and equipment rental and leasing
construction equipment rental without an operator (See 532410 Construction, transportation, mining,...
238990 — All other specialty trade contractors
crane rental with operator (See 238990 All other specialty trade contractors (US))
213118 — Services to oil and gas extraction
dismantling tanks in oil fields (See 213118 Services to oil and gas extraction (CAN))
237990 — Other heavy and civil engineering construction
earth retention or underwater trenching (See 237990 Other heavy and civil engineering construction...
561730 — Landscaping services
line slash maintenance (See 561730 Landscaping services)
ISIC Rev. 4 correspondence
F4390*Other specialized construction activities
Approximate correspondence
Site preparation contractors n.e.c. (e.g., pile driving; installation of septic systems, construction equipment rental with an operator (except cranes))
US NAICS reference238910 - Site Preparation Contractors
Source row
238910Site preparation contractors
This page mirrors the source row from the structure CSV and the matching rows from the elements and crosswalk files.
Frequently asked questions
What does code 238910 cover?
Site preparation contractors: This Canadian industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in site preparation activities, such as excavating and grading, demolition of buildings and other structures, and septic system installation.
Which level of the hierarchy is 238910?
It is a canadian industry page in the NAICS Canada 2026 hierarchy.
What is the parent of 238910?
It rolls up to 23891 Site preparation contractors.
Should I stop at 238910 or go lower?
This page already points to the exact six-digit Canadian industry in the current site structure.
Are official inclusion notes attached to 238910?
No inclusion rows are attached to this page in the local elements file.
Are there exclusion notes for 238910?
Yes. 12 exclusion note(s) help separate this page from nearby codes.
Does 238910 include illustrative examples?
Yes. 69 example row(s) are available for boundary checking.
What kinds of businesses often start from this page?
Examples in this branch include Civil works, Building trades, Renovation crews, Site preparation.
Is there an ISIC mapping for 238910?
Yes. The page shows F4390* Other specialized construction activities.
Does this page show a US NAICS reference?
Yes. A same-code US reference is attached: Site Preparation Contractors.
Why are both English and French titles shown?
NAICS Canada is bilingual, so the page keeps both language titles visible for comparison and lookup.
Where does the page text come from?
From the local StatCan structure file, elements file, ISIC crosswalk, and the bundled US 6-digit reference workbook.