What happens if you fail a fire inspection in Ontario is a written order, a deadline and a re-inspection. A fire prevention officer issues an inspection order under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, listing each Ontario Fire Code item and a date to comply by. You fix the items, keep the records, and the officer comes back to confirm. Windsor Fire & Rescue Services charges $185 plus HST for that re-inspection. A fine is a separate step that needs a charge and a conviction, and on conviction the court decides the penalty.
What does failing a fire inspection in Ontario actually mean?
Okay, so first things first. There are two different things people call a failed fire inspection, and they carry different weight.
The first is a deficiency list from your own contractor. After an annual sprinkler, fire alarm or extinguisher inspection, the report lists every item that did not meet NFPA 25, CAN/ULC-S536:2019 or NFPA 10. That list is yours to act on, and nobody outside the building has seen it yet.
The second is a visit from the fire department. A fire prevention officer inspects for compliance with the Ontario Fire Code and is entitled to ask for two years of records under Division C Section 1.1.2. If something does not comply, the officer can write an inspection order.
The reason the difference matters is timing. The contractor’s list has no legal deadline until it becomes an order, as opposed to the order, which has a date on it. So the fastest way to never see an order is to close the contractor’s list first, and we cover that in how to prioritize fire inspection deficiencies.
What is a fire inspection order, and what does it contain?
The big thing is this: a fire inspection order is a list, and a list can be closed. It is a written document under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997. It names the building, the person it is directed to, each item that does not comply, the Code section behind it, and the date each item has to be done by.
An order can be directed to the owner or the occupant. In practice the owner is asked first, because Division C Section 1.2 of the Code puts compliance on the owner. The Act also allows an appeal within a set period, so read the order to the end before you do anything else.
Here is what each stage looks like, in the order it usually happens.
| Stage | What it is | Who issues it | What it costs | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deficiency report | Your contractor’s list of items that failed NFPA 25, CAN/ULC-S536:2019 or NFPA 10 | Your inspection contractor | The repairs | Sort, price and fix the items; record each fix |
| Fire department inspection | A visit to check compliance with the Ontario Fire Code, with a request for your two-year records | A fire prevention officer | Nothing for the first visit in Windsor | Hand over the records; walk the building with the officer |
| Fire inspection order | A written list of non-compliant items, each with a Code section and a compliance date | A fire prevention officer under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 | The repairs | Fix each item by its date; keep proof |
| Re-inspection | A return visit to confirm each item on the order is closed | The same fire service | $185 plus HST in Windsor | Show the corrective measures record and the repair invoices |
| Charges and court | Prosecution for not complying with an order, or for a serious violation | Laid under the Act; decided by the court | On conviction, the court decides the penalty | Call counsel; keep fixing the items anyway |
A restaurant in Windsor came to us with an order listing 3 items: extinguishers 14 months out of date, one dark exit sign, and a fire alarm annual that had lapsed. All 3 were closed in 4 working days. The re-inspection took 15 minutes, and the $185 was paid once.
So an order is paperwork with a clock on it, as opposed to a verdict. The clock is the part to respect.
What are the Fire Code violation penalties in Ontario?
One thing to know: the inspection itself does not carry a fine. A penalty comes through a charge and the court, and most orders are closed long before that.
The Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 makes it an offence to contravene the Fire Code or to fail to comply with an order. On conviction, the court decides the penalty, and the Act sets maximums of $50,000 for an individual and $100,000 for a corporation. Imprisonment is also available to the court for an individual, so counsel gets a call the moment an order turns into a charge.
So what that means is the fire code violation penalties in Ontario are real, and they are for people who ignore the order. I have never seen a customer charged who was fixing the items and talking to the fire prevention officer. The ones who get there are the ones who let the deadline pass without a word.
Where there is an immediate threat to life, the Act also allows an order that takes effect right away, which can include closing part of a building until the hazard is removed. That is rare, and it is why a blocked exit or a closed sprinkler valve goes to the top of any list.
What happens at the re-inspection, and what does it cost?
The re-inspection is where the order gets closed. The fire prevention officer comes back after the compliance date and checks each item against the order. In Windsor, Windsor Fire & Rescue Services charges $185 plus HST for that visit, and it applies every time an item is still open when they return.
What the officer is entitled to see is proof, as opposed to a promise. Division C Section 1.1.2 of the Ontario Fire Code requires records of corrective measures. The repair invoice, the updated inspection report and a photo of the fixed item are the three things to have on the counter.
So the re-inspection is 15 minutes if the file is ready, and a second fee if it is not.
What is the fastest route from a failed inspection to a clean report?
Honest answer: price every item at once, then fix them in order of risk. Most buildings lose weeks here, because each item goes out for a separate quote and the deadline arrives with half the list open.
Red Seal’s deficiency action plan comes back within 48 hours of the inspection. Every item gets a priced repair path, so the whole order can be approved in one sitting and never billed above the approved quote. For anything that stops a system working, the response is 2 hours in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent and same day in Sarnia-Lambton and London, as our emergency fire alarm repair page explains.
If the order touches your fire safety plan, Division B Section 2.8 expects the plan kept current, and our post on fire safety plans covers the update. The Fire Code Compliance Blueprint Inspection also includes one support call or meeting with the fire prevention officer or insurer within 12 months at no fee. So you do not go into the re-inspection on your own.
So the route is this: read the order to the end, get every item priced inside 48 hours, fix the life-safety items first, and bring the records to the re-inspection.
Frequently asked questions
Will I get a fire inspection order after my contractor finds deficiencies?
Not from the contractor. A deficiency report is a private document between you and your inspection company, and a fire inspection order can only come from a fire prevention officer under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997. The officer is entitled to ask for your two years of records under Division C Section 1.1.2 of the Ontario Fire Code, which is where open deficiencies show up. Closing the contractor’s list is the simplest way to keep an order from ever being written.
What are the fire code violation penalties in Ontario for a corporation?
On conviction for an offence under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, the court decides the penalty, up to a maximum of $100,000 for a corporation and $50,000 for an individual. A penalty follows a charge and a court process, and the inspection itself does not carry one. Fixing the items on the order and recording each fix is what keeps the matter out of court.
How long do I have to fix a fire inspection order?
The order itself sets the date for each item, and the dates vary with the risk. An item that stops a sprinkler or fire alarm from working is usually given days, and a records or signage item is usually given longer. If you cannot meet a date, call the fire prevention officer before it passes rather than after, and bring a repair quote with you.
Can the fire department close my building after a failed fire inspection?
The Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 allows an immediate order where there is an immediate threat to life. That order can include closing part or all of a building until the hazard is removed. It is reserved for serious conditions, such as a blocked exit or a fire protection system that is out of service with no fire watch. Most fire inspection orders carry a compliance date and no closure.
Does a failed inspection mean a fine?
No, a failed inspection means an order with a date on it, and a fine needs a charge, a court and a conviction. After 3,000+ inspections in the last few years, the orders closed in a week were the ones priced in 48 hours and fixed in order of risk. Red Seal’s fire system inspections come with a report within 24 hours, guaranteed within 48 hours or 20% off.
Close the order before the compliance date. Send your building address to Red Seal and get a fixed-fee inspection quote within 24 hours. Get a fixed-fee quote or call 548-888-FIRE (3473).
Red Seal Fire Protection inspects, tests and repairs fire sprinkler, fire alarm, fire extinguisher, fire pump and backflow systems for commercial, industrial and multi-residential buildings in Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent, Sarnia-Lambton and London, Ontario.
