New Fire Code - Effective Jan 1, 2026

Ontario Releases New Fire Code: What Homeowners and Landlords Need to Know Before January 2026

On November 14, 2025, the Province of Ontario introduced significant updates to the provincial fire code—changes that will directly affect homeowners, landlords, and property managers across the province. These new regulations come into force on January 1, 2026, leaving us under 2 months to be compliant, as there is no grandfathering clause.

You can review the full legislation here:
➡️ Ontario Fire Code Regulation: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/070213

The Big Change: Carbon Monoxide Alarm Requirements

One of the most impactful updates involves carbon monoxide (CO) detection. Until now, Ontario’s fire code allowed grandfathering, meaning older homes could follow historic placement rules for CO alarms. Requirements varied depending on the age of the building and the type of fuel-burning appliances present.

Traditionally, the code required CO alarms to be located within 16 feet of any sleeping area, but did not mandate alarms on other levels of the home. For example, a rental property without bedrooms on the main floor or basement didn’t need CO alarms in those areas.

What’s Changing?

As of January 1, 2026, the new fire code mandates that:

✔ Carbon monoxide alarms must be installed on every floor of a residence with a fuel-burning appliance.

This applies regardless of whether that floor contains a bedroom, as long as the property has a fuel-burning appliance.

✔ Multi-unit and larger properties must have CO alarms in all common areas

This includes shared hallways, laundry rooms, and other communal spaces on every level of the building.

These updates reflect a major shift toward whole-building CO protection and will require many property owners to install additional devices.

Why This Matters Now

Because the updated code was only released on November 14, 2025, we had already completed fall smoke and CO inspections under the old rules.

We are now reviewing all inspection reports to determine which properties are already compliant and which require upgrades. When we cannot confirm compliance from existing reports, we’ll be dispatching contractors to install additional alarms as needed.

To help reduce costs, we will use battery-operated CO alarms wherever permitted, but the absence of grandfathering means that action cannot be delayed.