Fire Safety for Ontario Condominiums: What Every Condo Board Must Know in 2026

Condominium corporations in Ontario carry significant fire safety obligations — obligations that many boards don't fully understand until a fire department inspection reveals gaps. The Ontario Fire Code places the burden of compliance squarely on the corporation for all common areas, and the consequences of non-compliance range from Orders to Comply to restricted occupancy to serious civil liability.

This guide is written specifically for Ontario condominium boards, property managers, and condo corporation directors — covering exactly what fire safety obligations your corporation holds, what systems require annual inspection, and what the 2026 Ontario Fire Code changes mean for your building.

Who Is Responsible for Fire Safety in a Condo?

This is one of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of fire safety in Ontario condominiums. Responsibility is split between the corporation and individual unit owners — and the line matters.

The condominium corporation is responsible for:

• All common areas including lobbies, corridors, stairwells, parking garages, amenity rooms, mechanical rooms, and roof areas
• All fire protection systems serving the building — fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems, emergency lighting, exit signs, fire doors in common areas, and standpipe systems
• The Fire Safety Plan for the entire building
• Fire drills and evacuation procedures
• Maintenance and testing of all common area fire protection equipment

Individual unit owners are responsible for:

• Smoke alarms within their own unit
• CO alarms within their own unit (where fuel-burning appliances or attached garages apply)
• Not interfering with common area fire protection equipment
• Compliance with the Fire Safety Plan within their unit

The Condominium Act, 1998 and the Ontario Fire Code work together to create this division. The corporation cannot shift its fire code obligations to individual unit owners through a declaration or by-law — the legal responsibility remains with the corporation.

Fire Alarm System Requirements for Ontario Condominiums

Annual Inspection — CAN/ULC-S536

Every Ontario condominium with a fire alarm system must have it inspected and tested annually by a CFAA-certified technician under CAN/ULC-S536. This is not optional — it is a legal requirement under the Ontario Fire Code.

The annual inspection includes testing of all initiating devices (smoke detectors, heat detectors, pull stations), notification appliances (horns, strobes, speakers), the fire alarm panel, battery systems, central station monitoring signal, elevator recall, door holders, and HVAC shutdown. Every device in the common areas must be tested and documented.

Monthly Panel Checks

In addition to the annual inspection, condo boards or their property management companies must conduct and document monthly visual checks of the fire alarm panel — confirming no trouble signals are present and the system is in normal condition. These checks must be recorded.

Fire Alarm Modifications During Renovations

One of the most common compliance failures in condominiums occurs during unit renovations. When a unit owner renovates and a contractor adds or removes walls, installs a new ceiling, or otherwise modifies the unit layout, the fire alarm coverage in that area may be affected. Any modification to the fire alarm system — including adding, moving, or removing detectors — requires a verification test by a certified technician before the system is returned to service.

Condo boards should include fire alarm modification requirements in their renovation approval process and ensure contractors obtain the necessary fire alarm verification before closing walls.

Fire Sprinkler System Requirements

NFPA 25 Annual Inspection

Condominium buildings with fire sprinkler systems must have them inspected annually under NFPA 25. For most Ontario high-rise condominiums built after the 1980s, this means the entire building sprinkler system — typically hundreds or thousands of heads across all floors, parkades, and mechanical rooms.

The annual inspection includes visual inspection of all sprinkler heads, piping, control valves, tamper switches, waterflow alarm devices, the main drain test, and pressure gauge readings. All deficiencies must be documented and corrected.

Monthly and Quarterly Owner Checks

NFPA 25 also requires owner-level checks between annual inspections. Property managers should verify monthly that control valves are in the open position and there are no visible leaks, and quarterly that waterflow alarm devices are functioning. These checks must be documented.

Parking Garage Dry-Pipe Systems

Many Ontario condominium parking garages have dry-pipe sprinkler systems rather than wet-pipe systems, because the unheated environment would cause wet-pipe systems to freeze. Dry-pipe systems have additional quarterly testing requirements and are more susceptible to internal corrosion — they warrant particular attention during the annual inspection.

Emergency Lighting and Exit Signs

Monthly 30-Second Test

Every condominium common area is required to have emergency lighting and exit signs tested monthly — a 30-second functional test confirming all units activate and all exit signs are illuminated. These tests must be documented and records kept on site.

Annual 90-Minute Duration Test

Once per year, all emergency lighting units must undergo a full 90-minute duration test to confirm the batteries sustain required light levels for the full duration. Units that fail the 90-minute test must be replaced.

For large condominium buildings with dozens or hundreds of emergency lighting units across many floors, the annual test is a significant undertaking. First National Fire Protection coordinates with property managers to conduct the annual test floor by floor with minimal disruption to residents.

Fire Door Requirements — 2026 Update

The 2026 Ontario Fire Code amendments introduced one of the most significant new requirements affecting condominiums — mandatory monthly fire door inspections under the updated Section 2.2.

What This Means for Condo Boards

Every fire door in the common areas of your building — corridor doors, stairwell doors, garbage room doors, mechanical room doors, parking garage doors — must now be inspected monthly. The inspection confirms:

• Doors are not propped open or obstructed
• Self-closing mechanisms are functioning
• Doors latch properly without manual assistance
• No visible physical damage
• Seals are intact

This is a significant new obligation for many condo boards who previously only addressed fire doors during the annual NFPA 80 inspection. Monthly inspections must be documented with the date, inspector name, and any deficiencies noted.

Annual NFPA 80 Inspection

In addition to the new monthly checks, the annual NFPA 80 inspection remains mandatory. This full inspection includes label verification, gap measurement, frame and anchorage inspection, and coordinator function testing.

Condominiums with many fire doors — particularly high-rises with dozens of floors, each with corridor and stairwell doors — should budget for both the new monthly program and the annual comprehensive inspection.

The Fire Safety Plan

Every Ontario condominium is required to maintain a current Fire Safety Plan under Section 2.8 of the Ontario Fire Code. The Fire Safety Plan must include:

• Emergency procedures for staff, management, and residents
• Evacuation procedures and assembly areas
• Floor plans showing exit routes, fire protection equipment locations, and utility shut-offs
• Identification of supervisory staff and their roles during an emergency
• Maintenance schedules for all fire protection systems
• A record of fire drills

Keeping the Plan Current

A Fire Safety Plan is only valid if it reflects the current state of the building. Plans must be updated when:

• The building undergoes renovations or change of use
• Property management or supervisory staff change
• Fire protection systems are modified or upgraded
• The AHJ requests an update

Condo boards should schedule an annual review of the Fire Safety Plan, ideally in conjunction with the annual fire protection inspection.

Posting Requirements

The Ontario Fire Code requires the Fire Safety Plan to be posted in a location accessible to the fire department — typically the fire alarm panel room or security desk. It must also be available to the AHJ upon request.

Fire Drills in Condominiums

Ontario condominiums are required to conduct fire drills. The frequency depends on the building occupancy classification and the requirements of the local AHJ — typically at minimum one drill per year for most residential condominium buildings, with more frequent drills required for some high-rise buildings.

Drills must be documented with the date, time, number of occupants, duration, and any issues observed. Residents should be notified in advance per the Condominium Act requirements for notices affecting quiet enjoyment.

Portable Fire Extinguishers in Condominiums

Common areas of Ontario condominiums must have portable fire extinguishers properly placed, inspected monthly by building staff, and professionally serviced annually by a licensed technician under NFPA 10.

Areas requiring extinguishers typically include mechanical rooms, electrical rooms, parking garages, storage areas, amenity rooms with cooking facilities, and garbage rooms. Extinguishers in parking garages must be appropriate for vehicle fires — typically ABC dry chemical.

Every 6 years, extinguishers require an internal teardown inspection. Every 12 years, a hydrostatic pressure test is required.

Backflow Preventer Testing

Condominium buildings with fire sprinkler systems connected to the municipal water supply have a backflow preventer that must be tested annually by a certified tester. Results must be submitted to the local municipality.

This requirement is frequently overlooked by condo boards whose property managers may not be aware that fire suppression backflow preventer testing is separate from any other plumbing-related backflow testing. First National Fire Protection submits backflow preventer test results to the municipality on your behalf.

Common Compliance Gaps Found in Ontario Condominiums

Based on inspections across Ontario condominium buildings, these are the most frequently cited deficiencies:

Fire doors propped open — by far the most common violation. Residents prop corridor doors open for convenience. Monthly inspections catch this, but a culture of compliance requires ongoing communication to residents.

Outdated Fire Safety Plan — particularly common when property management companies change and the new manager inherits an outdated plan with the previous management team's names throughout.

Emergency lighting failures — batteries that cannot sustain 90 minutes, often discovered only during the annual test. Buildings that have not done a proper 90-minute test in years frequently find multiple failures.

Smoke detectors painted over — during common area painting, contractors sometimes paint over smoke detectors. A painted detector must be replaced — it cannot be cleaned.

Missing monthly inspection records — monthly fire alarm panel checks, emergency lighting tests, and extinguisher visual inspections are required to be documented. Many buildings do the checks but fail to keep proper records.

Sprinkler heads obstructed by storage — particularly in parking garages and storage rooms where residents and building staff store items too close to sprinkler heads.

What Are the Consequences of Non-Compliance?

Orders from the fire department — the most common consequence. Ontario fire departments conduct periodic inspections of condominium buildings and can issue Orders to Comply requiring correction of deficiencies. Serious violations can restrict occupancy.

Fines — under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, fines of up to $50,000 for individuals (including individual directors) and $100,000 for corporations.

Director liability — condominium corporation directors can face personal liability for fire code non-compliance in some circumstances. This is particularly relevant where directors are aware of deficiencies and fail to take corrective action.

Insurance implications — condominium insurers are increasingly requiring proof of current fire protection inspection as a condition of coverage. A claim following a fire where inspections were lapsed can be significantly affected.

Civil liability — if a resident or visitor is injured or killed in a fire and it is established that the corporation failed to maintain its fire protection systems, the corporation faces potentially significant civil liability.

How First National Fire Protection Supports Ontario Condominiums

First National Fire Protection works with condominium corporations and property management companies across Ontario to provide comprehensive, coordinated fire protection compliance services. Our condo-specific services include:

• Annual fire alarm inspection and testing (CAN/ULC-S536)
• Annual sprinkler system inspection (NFPA 25)
• Annual fire extinguisher service (NFPA 10)
• Monthly and annual emergency lighting inspection
• Monthly and annual fire door inspection programs
• Annual backflow preventer testing and municipal submission
• Fire Safety Plan development and annual updates
• Portfolio pricing for property managers with multiple buildings
• Centralized compliance reporting across all buildings

We coordinate our inspections to minimize disruption to residents — working during business hours or scheduling elevator access and common area work around building routines.

📞 Call 1-844-835-3473 | 📞 Ontario Direct: 416-591-1393 | 🌐 firstnationalfire.com | 📧 info@firstnationalfire.com

Serving condominium corporations across all of Ontario. Available 24/7.