Ontario Fire Code: what changed for fire doors in 2026
Ontario Regulation 87/25 amended the Fire Code effective 1 January 2026. If you own or manage a commercial building in Ontario, your inspection obligations changed — and most buildings have not caught up.
The short version
Doors in fire separations must now be inspected monthly, not annually — whether or not the door is in regular use. Egress doors and doors with electromagnetic locking devices require monthly inspection plus annual testing. Records must be kept. Ontario is introducing on-the-spot fines for non-compliance.
The obligation falls on the “owner”, which the Code defines broadly enough to include property managers, landlords and long-term lessees.
What the Ontario Fire Code is
The Ontario Fire Code is O. Reg. 213/07, made under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997. It governs how existing buildings must be maintained and operated for fire safety — as distinct from the Ontario Building Code, which governs how buildings are designed and constructed.
That distinction matters. A building can have been built entirely to code and still be in breach of the Fire Code years later, because doors have been modified, closers have failed, labels have been painted over or hold-opens have been fitted.
The Fire Code is enforced locally by municipal fire departments. In practice that means a fire prevention officer from Toronto Fire Services, Hamilton Fire Department, Mississauga Fire or whichever service covers your building. Enforcement culture varies between them.
What changed on 1 January 2026
O. Reg. 87/25 amended the Fire Code with effect from 1 January 2026. Two changes matter most for doors.
Section 2.2 — doors in fire separations
Doors that form part of a fire separation must be inspected monthly. This applies regardless of whether the door is in regular use — a fire door on a mechanical room that nobody opens from one month to the next carries the same obligation as a busy corridor door.
This is a significant change in frequency. Many building owners were operating on an annual cycle and are, as of this year, out of step with the requirement.
Section 2.7 — egress doors and electromagnetic locks
Doors on means of egress, and doors fitted with electromagnetic locking devices, are subject to expanded requirements: monthly inspection and annual testing, with records maintained.
Electromagnetically locked doors are worth particular attention because they must release on alarm and on power failure. A mag lock that holds when the fire alarm sounds is a serious hazard and a serious violation.
Administrative Monetary Penalties
Ontario is introducing Administrative Monetary Penalties, which allow fire departments to issue fines directly rather than proceeding through prosecution. In practical terms, the consequence of a missed inspection becomes faster and more certain.
Who the Code holds responsible
The Fire Code places obligations on the “owner” — and defines that term more broadly than most people expect.
It is not limited to the registered titleholder. Depending on circumstances it can extend to property managers, landlords, and persons with control over the premises including long-term lessees.
In practice this means responsibility often sits with whoever controls building maintenance, which in a managed building is the property manager rather than the owner in the abstract. In a triple-net lease it may be the tenant.
If your lease is ambiguous, resolve it now
The worst time to discover that nobody was clear on who inspects the fire doors is when a fire prevention officer asks for the records. Establish it in writing before an inspection, not after an Order to Comply.
Undocumented compliance is non-compliance
The Code requires records. A fire prevention officer asking for them will not accept “we check them regularly.”
This is the part building owners underestimate. Inspecting the doors and fixing the faults satisfies the spirit of the obligation, but if you cannot produce dated evidence of what was inspected, what was found and what was done about it, you cannot demonstrate compliance.
A defensible record should show, for each door:
- A unique identifier for the opening, so the record refers to a specific door
- The date of inspection and who carried it out
- What was checked and what was found
- Photographic evidence of any deficiency
- What corrective action was taken, and when
- A retained history, so the pattern over time is visible
Confirm retention periods and the format your local fire service expects — practice varies, and your fire prevention officer will tell you directly if you ask.
Canadian doors carry ULC labels, not UL
A detail that catches people out, particularly when hardware or doors are sourced from the United States.
Fire doors in Canada are tested and listed to CAN/ULC-S104 and carry a ULC label. US doors carry UL or Warnock Hersey labels against US standards. They are not automatically interchangeable, and substituting hardware or components across the two can invalidate a rating.
If someone has replaced a closer, a latch or a seal on a rated door with a part that is not listed for that assembly, the assembly is compromised even though the door works perfectly.
A sensible order of operations
Find out how many doors you have
Most buildings do not know. Walk the building and identify every opening in a fire separation and every egress door. You cannot schedule an obligation you have not counted.
Establish a baseline
A first full inspection tells you the condition of the stock. Expect a long deficiency list — that is normal for a building that has never been assessed.
Correct what must be corrected
Separate genuine code failures from wear and cosmetic issues, and deal with the first group. Most are minor and inexpensive.
Put the recurring schedule in place
Monthly is now the requirement. Build it into your maintenance calendar with records captured each time, rather than reacting when an inspector arrives.
Questions about the Code
Does monthly really mean every single fire door?
Can building staff do the monthly inspection themselves?
What happens if we are not compliant?
We have never done this. How much trouble are we in?
Is NFPA 80 relevant in Ontario?
Where can I read the regulation myself?
This page is general information, not legal advice. Fire Code obligations depend on your building, its classification and its use. Your local fire prevention officer is the authority on what applies to you, and we would encourage you to speak with them directly.
Not sure where your building stands?
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