The Building Code is a regulation made under the Building Code Act, 1992. This edition of the Building Code Compendium contains the Supplementary Standards referenced by the Code and additional explanatory material and is prepared for purposes of convenience only. For the authoritative text of the Building Code regulation, see the official volumes. The 2012 Building Code was enacted by Ontario Regulation 332/12, which came into force on January 1, 2014.
The Building Code sets out technical requirements for the construction (including renovation) and demolition of buildings, the change of use of existing buildings where the change would result in an increase in hazard and the maintenance and operation of on-site sewage systems. The technical requirements of the Building Code do not have application to existing buildings other than the maintenance and operation of on-site sewage systems and buildings which undergo a change of use where the change would result in an increase in hazard.
The Code is essentially a set of minimum provisions respecting the safety of buildings with reference to public health, fire protection, accessibility and structural sufficiency. It is not intended to be a textbook on building design, advice on which should be sought from professional sources. Its primary purpose is the promotion of public safety through the application of appropriate uniform building standards.
The 2012 Building Code updated the previous edition of the Building Code, which dated from 2006. Many of the changes introduced into the 2012 Building Code increased the level of harmonization between Ontario’s Code and those in other Canadian jurisdictions. As well, the 2012 Building Code is written in an objective-based format which is intended to promote innovation and flexibility in design and construction.
The Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC), supported by the National Research Council (NRC), released new editions of the model National Building, Plumbing and Fire Codes (mNBC, mNPC and mNFC) in 2010. These Codes have no legal status unless adopted by a province, territory or municipality.
Ontario’s 2012 Building Code applies throughout Ontario and is based in large measure on the 2010 mNBC and mNPC. The amendments to the Building Code filed in May 2019 introduce further changes that harmonize with the 2015 mNBC and mNPC. However, differences between the model National Codes and Ontario’s Building Code occur. Ontario’s 2012 Building Code has Ontario-specific requirements in areas such as energy efficiency, water conservation, renovation of existing buildings, and barrier-free access. Ontario has also moved to consolidate construction requirements from other legislation into the Building Code, including those related to on-site sewage systems, pools, spas, food premises, private sewers and private water supplies.
The 2012 Building Code is Ontario’s second edition of the Building Code published in an objective-based format. The objective-based format augments specific technical requirements by identifying the underlying objectives and sub-objectives of those requirements (see table below). Each technical requirement that is an acceptable solution in Division B is linked to one or more of the objectives, as well as functional statements, through the Attribution Tables in Supplementary Standard SA-1. Some objectives were developed jointly by the NRC and Canadian provincial/territorial jurisdictions.
| Objective | Sub-Objective |
|---|---|
| Safety | Fire Safety |
| Structural Safety | |
| Safety in Use | |
| Safety Fire Safety Structural Safety Safety in Use Resistance to Unwanted Entry | |
| Health | Indoor Conditions |
| Sanitation | |
| Noise Protection | |
| Vibration and Deflection Limitation | |
| Hazardous Substances Containment | |
| Privacy* | |
| View to the Outdoors* | |
| Accessibility | Barrier-Free Path of Travel |
| Barrier-Free Facilitie | |
| Fire, Structural Water and Sewage Protection of Buildings | Fire Protection of the Building |
| Structural Sufficiency of the Building | |
| Protection of Adjacent Buildings from Fire | |
| Protection of Adjacent Buildings from Structural Damage | |
| Water and Sewage Protection of Buildings and Facilities | |
| Resource Conservation* | Water and Energy Conservation* |
| Infrastructure Capacity* | |
| Environmental Integrity* | Air Quality |
| Water and Soil Quality | |
| Conservation of Buildings* | N/A |
*Ontario-specific objectives are highlighted in grey.
The objective-based format is intended to assist Building Code users to understand the “why” behind Code requirements, as well as the “what”. This new format is more flexible and more responsive to innovation, as it should provide Code users with more information to evaluate construction equivalents and acceptable alternatives to the requirements of the Code.
The objective-based framework establishes a framework for evaluating “alternative solutions” against the performance achieved by the “acceptable solutions” set out in the Code.
ObjectivesEvery technical requirement that is an acceptable solution in Division B is linked to at least one objective, which explains the objective which the requirement is intended to achieve.
Functional StatementsFunctional Statements describe what the design and construction of the building must do to achieve the objectives. At least one functional statement is linked to each technical requirement that is an acceptable solution in Division B.
The Building Code is divided into three Divisions, which are further subdivided into Parts.
Part 1 contains the compliance and general requirements of the code, including organization, application, interpretation, terms and abbreviations, and referenced documents and organization.
Part 2 ReservedPart 2 is reserved to maintain the organization of the acceptable solutions in a manner similar to previous Codes and to accommodate potential future changes in this Code and the model National Building Code (mNBC).
Part 3 Fire Protection, Occupant Safety and AccessibilityPart 3 contains the requirements with respect to health and fire safety, which depend upon the use to which a building is put and its type of occupancy. The first Section contains material relating to occupancy classification and the more occupancy and fire safety within floor areas, exit requirements, requirements for service spaces and health requirements. Section 3.8. contains requirements for those buildings required to be accessible to persons with physical or sensory disabilities. Section 3.11. includes requirements for the design of public pools.
Part 4 Structural DesignPart 4 is made up of four Sections. The first deals with the loads to be used in design calculations and the methods of design to be followed. Section 4.2. regulates foundation design and construction. Section 4.3. deals with design in wood, masonry, concrete, steel, aluminum and glass. Section 4.4. deals with the design of air-supported structures, parking structures and guards over retaining walls. Section 4.3. and parts of Section 4.4. contain performance requirements referring to the design methods outlined in detail in the relevant Canadian Standards.
Part 5 Environmental SeparationPart 5 includes requirements for the design of building elements to control groundwater, condensation and the penetration of wind and rain.
Part 6 Heating, Ventilating and Air-ConditioningPart 6 provides for the safe functioning of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning equipment installed in a building. The requirements deal mainly with installation standards for design.
Part 7 PlumbingPart 7 governs the design, construction and installation of plumbing systems within properties. It also addresses the required material to be certified or in compliance with a testing standard.
Part 8 Sewage SystemsPart 8 governs the design, construction, operation and maintenance of various class of sewage systems located within properties. It addresses sewage systems up to 10,000 litres capacity serving one lot. Systems larger than 10,000 litres/day and off-lot (communal) sewage systems are regulated under the Ontario Water Resources Act, with approvals issued by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. MECP also regulates waste approvals for the hauling of sewage and land application sites under Part V of the Environmental Protection Act.
Part 9 Housing and Small BuildingsPart 9 provides detailed requirements for the construction of houses and small buildings up to 600 m2 per floor and 3 storeys in height, and applies to all occupancies except assembly, care or detention and high hazard industrial.
Part 10 Change of UsePart 10 governs the requirements with respect to a change in major occupancy without any proposed construction to the buildings.
Part 11 RenovationPart 11 provides for flexibility in meeting life safety requirements when renovating existing buildings, with or without changes in major occupancies of the buildings or parts of the buildings. This flexibility allows, subject to certain conditions, the use of alternate methods of compliance to requirements contained in Parts 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, or 12, for all existing buildings or any major occupancies.
Part 12 Resource ConservationPart 12 regulates the mandatory and enabling energy efficiency requirements, and insulation in residential and non-residential buildings.
Part 1 contains several administrative provisions relating to matters such as professional design requirements, permits and inspections, and building permit fees.
Part 2 Alternative Solutions, Disputes, Rulings and InterpretationsCommission, Minister’s Rulings, Minister’s Interpretations, and documentation of alternative solutions.
Part 3 QualificationsPart 3 contains qualification requirements for chief building officials, inspectors, registered code agencies, designers and on-site sewage installers.
Part 4 Transition, Revocation and CommencementPart 4 contains the transition rules from the outgoing 2006 Building Code to the 2012 Building Code. It also contains the revocation of the outgoing 2006 Building Code and the commencement date of the 2012 Building Code.
Appendix A contains additional non-regulatory explanatory information to assist Code users in understanding the intent of the requirements contained in Divisions A, B and C .
Appendix B contains Imperial conversion factors for metric values used in the Code. It is not a regulatory section of the 2012 Building Code.
Supplementary Standards with the SA prefix are referenced by Division A of the Building Code. They include the Attribution Tables which relate objectives and functional statements of Division A to acceptable solutions of Division B.
Supplementary Standards with the SB prefix are referenced by Division B of the Building Code. They include MMAH SB-1, “Climatic and Seismic Data”, MMAH SB-2, “Fire Performance Ratings” and others.
Supplementary Standards with the SC prefix are referenced by Division C of the Building Code. They include administrative provisions (e.g., MMAH SC-1, “Code of Conduct for Registered Code Agencies”).
For the most part, the official units of measurement in the Code are based on the metric system. However, imperial equivalent values which appear in brackets in Part 9 are included for convenience only.
Furthermore, Part 7 has been converted to SI units where it is feasible, except for pipe sizes which are expressed in inches. These are nominal dimensions by which pipe is known in the trade and the exact dimension may vary with different pipe materials.
2012 Building Code Compendium vi Volume 1 Additional Information Metric Conversion For the most part, the official units of measurement in the Code are based on the metric system. However, imperial equivalent values which appear in brackets in Part 9 are included for convenience only. Furthermore, Part 7 has been converted to SI units where it is feasible, except for pipe sizes which are expressed in inches. These are nominal dimensions by which pipe is known in the trade and the exact dimension may vary with different pipe materials. Numbering System A decimal numbering system has been used to identify particular requirements. The first number indicates the Part of the Code, the second, the Section in the Part, the third, the Subsection and the fourth, the Article in the Subsection. An Article may be further broken down into Sentences (indicated by numbers in brackets), and the Sentence further divided into Clauses and Subclauses. These are illustrated as follows:
| 3 | Part |
| 3.6. | Section |
| 3.6.2. | Subsection |
| 3.6.2.3. | Article |
| 3.6.2.3.(1) | Sentence |
| 3.6.2.3.(1)(f) | Clause |
| 3.6.2.3.(1)(f)(i) | Subclause |
| 3.6.2.3.(1)(f)(i)(A) | Sub-subclause |
| 3.6.2.3.(1)1. | Paragraph |
| 3.6.2.3.(1)1.i. | Sub-paragraph |
© Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 2022. Reproduced with permission.