Licensed With Ministry of Housing: (What Does that Mean?)

Near the end of 1999, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing started to look at a way to create a licensed body of designers and streamline the building permit process in Ontario.

What they came up with was Bill 124, (under article 2.17.5.1 of the Ontario Building Code) a law which in effect forces all houses designs to be building compliant, which would in turn speeds up the permit application process. To make sure all house designs were building code compliant, they enforced a province wide test – everyone who wants to be a designer, or work as a building permit official must, acquire their respective diplomas/degree and also write an province wide test and pass with a grade of 70%. 

This testing caused many designers to end their design business and building officials to find new careers. 

At the same time the Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing also put into practice for all house designers the need for errors & omissions liability insurance.

So in the conclusion – the responsibility authorizing and designing to code now is now on the designer and not on the local building department. So when using a designer, the designer must meet the requirements of Bill 124 and have Building Code Identification Number (BCIN).

NOTE: All plans submitted for building code, MUST include the designers BCIN number to be considered for a building permit in all of Ontario. No BCIN number – no permit.