If your Concord basement suite was built on or before July 14, 1994, Vaughan asks you to call its fire department for an inspection. The usual fixes are alarms, the ceiling between floors and self-closing doors.
A lot of the older detached houses in Concord, from the 1950s streets east of Keele to the 1970s and 1980s homes around Glen Shields, have a basement apartment. Some were built decades ago, long before anyone asked for a permit. If yours is one of them, the question isn't whether the suite is nice, it's whether it meets the fire rules the City and the Province apply to it. Here is what those rules actually say, and which fixes are small jobs.
Why July 14, 1994 matters
The City of Vaughan splits secondary suites into two groups. A suite built or proposed after July 14, 1994 has to meet the Ontario Building Code and goes through a building permit. A suite that was already there on or before that date is checked against the Ontario Fire Code instead. For those older suites, Vaughan says the owner must contact Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service (VFRS) to arrange a fire code inspection, and VFRS then identifies any upgrades it requires.
If upgrades are needed, Vaughan asks for a building permit application with drawings to show the work meets the Fire Code, and VFRS does a final inspection when the work is done. If you don't know when the suite was built, you can ask the City. The inspector's list for your house is the one that counts; what follows is the general picture, not a substitute for it.
The floor between the two homes
The Fire Code's rules for two-unit houses sit in Section 9.8 of Part 9. They cover a detached, semi-detached or row house with two units that is no more than three storeys and 600 square metres, where one unit sits above the other or the two share an interior way out. Each unit has to be separated from the rest of the house by a fire separation rated at 30 minutes, or by one rated at 15 minutes with interconnected smoke alarms. A house with a sprinkler system also qualifies.
Older ceilings often pass without being rebuilt. The Code treats existing lath and plaster, or gypsum board, as meeting the 30-minute rating, and existing plaster board with a plaster skim coat as meeting the 15-minute rating. What it won't accept is a barrier full of holes: the floor assembly has to be a continuous barrier. Open pot-light cutouts, an unsealed gap around a pipe or duct, and a missing drywall patch are the usual weak points, and they are the kind of repair a handyman can do once the inspector says what material is acceptable.
Smoke alarms: what interconnected really means
Under Section 9.8, the interconnected alarms have to go on or near the ceiling on every storey of each unit, basements included, and in any shared way out. On floors with bedrooms they belong between the bedrooms and the rest of the unit, such as in the hallway. They also have to meet a few specific conditions:
- When one alarm sounds, every alarm in the interconnected set sounds a similar signal.
- They are connected to an electrical circuit with no disconnect switch between the breaker and the alarms.
- They are listed for interconnected use.
- They are audible in the bedrooms with the doors closed.
Because the alarms run on the house circuit, installing or changing them is electrical work for a licensed electrical contractor, not a weekend task. If the floor between the units is rated at 30 minutes, the code only asks for at least one smoke alarm on each storey of each unit.
Carbon monoxide alarms and who maintains the alarms
Vaughan's secondary suite FAQ says carbon monoxide alarms must be installed outside all sleeping areas in each unit. Both kinds of alarm then have to be kept working. The Fire Code makes the landlord responsible for rental suites: they test smoke alarms every year and after each change of tenant, replace them within the time frame in the manufacturer's instructions, and give the tenant the maintenance instructions. Nobody is allowed to disable a smoke or CO alarm, including by pulling the battery from a unit that chirps.
Doors, exits and the electrical inspection
Doors in the fire separation are meant to close on their own. The Code accepts existing 45 mm solid-core wood or hollow metal doors, in hollow metal or solid wood frames, as long as they have self-closing devices. A door that hangs open because the closer was removed is a simple fix; a lightweight hollow-core door in that spot is not on the Code's list.
Each unit also needs a way out. The basics are a door that serves only that unit, or a shared exit that leads straight outside without passing through another unit. Where a second way out is needed, a window can serve if it opens from inside without tools and meets the size and sill limits above. Where there is a window well, 1 m of clearance in front of the window is required. Finally, the Chief Fire Official can require an Electrical Safety Authority inspection of the house at the owner's cost, so unpermitted wiring in the suite is worth sorting out before the visit.
Where a handyman fits, and where a licensed trade does
- Handyman jobs: a closer on a self-closing door, weatherstripping, freeing a painted-shut window, sealing and patching small holes in the ceiling once the inspector confirms the material.
- Licensed electrical contractor: interconnected alarms on the house circuit, and anything the ESA needs to inspect.
- Your call to VFRS and the City: the inspection itself, and whether the upgrades need a building permit.
Do the inspection first. Money spent on alarms or drywall before you know the list can be money spent twice.
Quick answers
Does a basement suite built before 1994 need a fire inspection in Vaughan?
Yes. Vaughan says the owner of a suite built on or before July 14, 1994 must contact Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service to arrange a fire code inspection. The inspectors then list any upgrades they require.
Do smoke alarms in a basement suite have to be interconnected?
They do when the floor between the units has only a 15-minute fire rating. Fire Code Section 9.8 accepts 15 minutes with interconnected alarms, or 30 minutes without them.
Can a handyman install the smoke alarms for a basement suite?
A handyman can swap a battery alarm, but alarms wired together on the house circuit are electrical work. Hire a licensed electrical contractor for that part.
Who has to test the smoke alarms in a rented basement suite?
The landlord. The Ontario Fire Code has the landlord test each smoke alarm every year and after every change of tenant, and nobody may disable an alarm.
Can a basement window count as the second way out?
Sometimes, if it meets the size and opening rules. Under the two-exit option in Section 9.8, the window must open without tools, give at least 0.38 square metres of clear opening with no side under 460 mm, and have a sill no higher than 900 mm above the floor.
Related reading
- More home repair guides for Concord
- Electrician services from Rhodex: get a fixed price
- Aluminum Wiring in a 1970s Glen Shields Home: What ESA Says and What to Keep
- How Do I Know If a Contractor Is Licensed in Ontario?
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