Emergency Preparedness

June 22, 2026 Published by Toronto and Area Chapter - By Harry Tchalikian

The 2026 Ontario Fire Code is in Effect – It’s Time to Assess Your Building!

From the Spring 2026 issue of CCI Toronto Condovoice Magazine.

Working in the Fire Services, keeping up with ever changing codes and standards is a staple of the profession. Specifically in Fire Prevention, Building and Fire Codes are frequently amended between editions for various reasons, and the adoption of new editions bring a deluge of changes that are put into practice. 2024 brought us a new Ontario Building Code and 2026 has brought us a new Ontario Fire Code. The two codes are companion documents, meaning changes in the Fire Code reflect the changes in the Building Code, for the purpose of maintaining fire safety in all buildings, old and new. These two new editions are even more substantial in their changes, than previously adopted codes, due mostly to Harmonization.

The Ontario Building and Fire Codes are based on the National Model Codes developed by the National Research Council of Canada. This cycle of model code development and adoption was led by the Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes. The purpose of Harmonization is to minimize unnecessary technical variations between various building, fire, and other construction codes across the country. Prior to Harmonization, each province was free to adopt the model codes in full or partially with changes made to suit the specific needs of the respective jurisdiction. The 2026 Fire Code therefore matches the National Fire Code more closely than ever before, which in combination with the other changes that were naturally pending, has resulted in a vastly different Fire Code.

What has so far proved to be the most far reaching and discussed change is the expansion of the carbon monoxide alarm installation requirements. The 2015 Ontario Fire Code introduced the province wide requirement of having a carbon monoxide alarm installed in residential suites containing a gas appliance or furnace, or that share a wall floor or ceiling with a garage or service room. The 2026 Fire Code now requires a carbon monoxide alarm on every storey of those suites, not just near the sleeping areas. Meaning, if you live in a multi-storey house and you haven’t already done so, you are required to install a carbon monoxide alarm on every storey. Regarding multi-unit buildings, any suite and public corridor heated by forced air from a gas furnace now requires a carbon monoxide alarm as well. These changes prompted many requests for clarification, as many multi-unit buildings use baseboard or radiator heating. Furthermore, even forced air heating may not directly originate from a gas appliance, such as with fan coil units and electric furnaces. The regulation was also expanded to include care occupancies, public corridors and suites that are directly adjacent to the exhaust duct of a fuel fired appliance. What’s clear by the sum of these changes is that if it’s possible to get carbon monoxide in residential or care occupancy suites and public corridors by any malfunction or usage of a fuel fired appliance then you need a carbon monoxide alarm in those suites, adjacent to sleeping areas and on every storey, and in the public corridors. For many multi-unit buildings confirming this may require a thorough assessment of your HVAC system.

The next most significant change for all buildings is the expansion of dangerous goods regulations. As one of the more significant Harmonization changes, the Ontario Fire Code previously regulated certain hazardous materials only, like flammable and combustible liquids, and compressed gas cylinders. What was lacking was the comprehensive accounting of all dangerous goods otherwise addressed by WHMIS and Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations. How do these other dangerous goods affect fire safety? Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations covers the hazards in transit, and WHMIS, aligned with the Globally Harmonized System, regulates health and safety of the person for the direct hazard posed by the materials. The previous exclusion of these other hazardous materials deemed to be dangerous goods meant that Inspectors would only address the fire safety hazards on a caseby- case basis, and only when there was an elevated fire safety threat. It simply wasn’t in the Ontario Fire Code for Inspectors to directly address it. Now that it is, Inspectors will be looking for some basic provisions in almost every building. Industrial facilities whose businesses utilize dangerous goods are the obvious ones. What may be overlooked is the use of dangerous goods serving other occupancies, like cleaning supplies, swimming pool chemicals, cooling tower treatments, etc. The Fire Code now regulates some basic things in these other buildings. What dangerous goods do you have? How much do you have? Where are they located? Once you establish an accounting of your inventory, the Fire Code now requires that these materials be stored properly, such that reactive materials are separated, ambient conditions are maintained, they are stored in appropriate containers and in stable arrangements, and any specific hazardous characteristics are also addressed, such as off gassing. Industrial scale storage, handling and use, and many high hazard dangerous goods in any quantity will require more stringent measures.

An emerging building construction type has also been finally introduced into the Ontario Fire Code for ongoing maintenance. Encapsulated mass timber construction has been utilized for a number of years, as a means of constructing high-rise buildings out of wood. There are several such buildings completed and under construction in Toronto alone. Formally amended into the Ontario Building Code in 2022, this construction method was already in use through performance-based design provisions allowed for in the Building Code. The current permitted maximum height allowed by the Building Code is 18 storeys and 76 meters above grade. Other buildings around the world go even higher. So, what are the safety features that make this possible? First, mass timber structural elements are larger than typical heavy timber construction. Under fire conditions, larger elements don’t burn through readily as a char layer develops on the surface that keeps the inner core relatively protected. The avoidance of concealed spaces further prevents fire from travelling beyond the compartment of origin. As per the Building Code, all of these buildings must be fully sprinklered and passively protected by drywall. That’s where the Fire Code comes in. Whatever drywall was there when the building was built needs to stay there. Inspectors will be looking for this during inspections as that drywall keeps the wood fully protected for up to 70 minutes in a fire. Sprinkler system maintenance is nothing new in the Fire Code, so it’s business as usual there.

In the realm of inspection, testing and maintenance of fire protection systems, both the Ontario Building Code and Ontario Fire Code have introduced CAN/ULC-S1001, Standard for the Integrated Systems Testing of Fire Protection and Life Safety Systems. If your building has a fire alarm system, an emergency generator, elevators, fire pumps, and any other system that may communicate with another system, you’ll need to assess these interconnections and ensure that they’re all tested by this standard if not addressed by the already required testing. This standard simply ensures that nothing falls between the cracks. Of note are more complex systems, like emergency generators, smoke control systems and elevators which may otherwise not be fully tested for their integrations. Also be mindful that with any new edition of the Fire Code comes the next generation of all referenced editions, like CAN/ULC-S536 Standard for the Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Fire Alarm Systems. This most recent edition significantly expands on the testing requirements and prevents alterations of records templates.

Though not so far reaching, it’s important to discuss changes with regards to smoke alarms given the consequences of not having them when needed. The 2012 Ontario Building Code was amended to require a smoke alarm in every sleeping room of a dwelling unit, including houses, condominium suites, etc. This only applies to new construction approved after that requirement came into effect, however for rooming houses the Ontario Fire Code requires them in all sleeping rooms retroactively. This means if you live in, own or manage a rooming house, which is a building where individual sleeping rooms are rented out, ensure that there’s a smoke alarm in every sleeping room. This is in addition to the smoke detection already required in the common areas.

Bringing all this together is the fire safety plan, and it’s time now to update it. Specifically with regards to dangerous goods, which all buildings will have, the fire safety plan now needs to include all the same information mentioned above including supervisory staff response. This is regardless of quantity. If you have one can of aerosol, the fire safety plan needs to include it with the prescribed detail. Though what we’ve covered is mostly in the context of residential buildings, most of it is applicable to all buildings. There are many more new requirements that I couldn’t possibly get to in a reasonably sized article. The fire safety plan is also a custom-tailored Fire Code for that building specifically. Therefore, updating your fire safety plan can ensure that your building’s fire prevention needs are being met as per the 2026 Fire Code.

Harry Tchalikian District
Chief of Professional Development
Community Risk Reduction at Toronto Fire Services