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 across all Ontario.   What they came up with was Bill 124. 
(Under article 2.17.5.1 of the Ontario Building code)

Among the points stated above, other intentions of Bill 124 were to provide protection to the public and include the following upgrade in standards:

• Requiring Qualification for all building officials, designers, architects, and interior designers who wish to submit drawings for building permits.
• Mandatory registering of insurance and proof of insurance would also be required for all firms stated above wishing to submit their drawings for building permits (thus putting the onus on the designers)
• Specific timeframes for processing of a building permit, issuing a building permit or providing written confirmation of why a permit would not be issued.
• Mandatory use of a province wide permit application forms
• New rules in regards to governing permit fees
• Mandatory notices & inspections at key construction stages

This bill was passed and came into effect January 1 -2006. In order to become a “licensed designer” and have the ability to submit plans for building permit - you had to write a province wide test. Also all building officials and other designers had to write a respective test to be qualified in their positions.   Due to this testing and the complexity many designers & building officials who could not pass were forced to end their careers.

At the same time – once a designer had past their test and received their Building Code Identification Number (BCIN) – they were then required to purchase “errors & omissions” liability insurance.

So in conclusion – the responsibility for authorizing and designing to code is now on the designer and not the local building department.  When licensed plans come into a building department for permit, the thought is, now that they are a designed by a qualified designer there should not be as much time spent on reviewing plans and thus streamline the permit process

Note: All plans submitted for building, MUST include the designers BCIN number to be obtain for a building permit anywhere in Ontario.  NO BCIN NUMBER – NO PERMIT.

Here at Rijus Home & Design, we provide licensed, detailed & accurate drawings that are guaranteed to be accepted by all building departments.

We are licensed under article 2.17.5.1 on the Ontario Building Code, meeting all requirements of Bill 124, insured and are registered with Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing