Untold Code: Part 1 – Mapping and Navigation

(A Blog Series helping others understand Building Code)

Each Province in Canada and each State within the United States of America may choose to either adopt their
Country model building code (National Building Code of Canada [NBC] or International Building Code [IBC]/ International Residential Code [IRC] in the USA) or they may develop their own building code based off these parent codes.
 
In Canada – British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec have a Provincially specific Building Code, noting Alberta’s Building Code is a version of the NBC with Provincially specific changes and modifications.  The remaining Provinces adopt the National Building Code as their building standard, some with supplementary laws or regulations.
 
All Federally owned lands throughout Canada must only adhere to the NBC, whether within a Province that has it’s own building code or not.  First Nation lands throughout the country may choose to adopt the National Code(s), however the NBC is not legally enforceable for First Nation lands.
 
This blog series will focus on the Ontario Building Code [OBC], however since all Building Codes throughout Canada are modelled off the NBC much of the blog series can be considered throughout the country, with confirmation of the content and statements in this blog series against applicable codes and regulations in other Provinces required.