The Premier of Ontario has declared a province-wide state of emergency and issued a stay-at-home order in response to rising COVID-19 variant infection rates.
Building inspections are required at various stages of construction under the Ontario Building Code to ensure all construction is done in accordance with approved plans. An inspector will visit your site and confirm that the minimum requirements of the Ontario Building Code have been satisfied and the building is safe to occupy.
Most renovation, construction or demolition projects require a building permit before construction can start. Please remember that it is illegal to start construction before receiving your building permit.
If required inspections are not passed, the property owner is held responsible. Ensure your contractor/authorized agent obtains the required inspections by asking them to provide you with documentation verifying the required construction stages have been inspected and passed.
Inspection stages that are missed may result in orders to comply and possibly legal action. Obtaining the inspector’s approval at each required construction stage keeps your project on track, which saves you time and money. The required stages to be inspected are provided with your building permit. If work has been covered over without inspections, it will need to be uncovered before construction of the project can continue.
Open permits that have not been signed-off due to outstanding inspections, may delay the re-financing or closing of the sale of your home/building.
Prior to occupying the new construction space, final inspections need to be passed and an occupancy permit needs to be issued. Before making the final payment to your contractor, confirm that the final inspections have been passed and an occupancy permit has been obtained. It is generally more difficult to have a contractor return if final payment has been received. In addition, accidents as a result of incomplete construction may not be covered under your insurance policy.