All new construction in Markham is subject to inspection by City Building Officials. Buildings must meet the health and safety provisions of the Ontario Building Code, the Building Code Act, the Building By-law and other applicable law and standards. Staff also perform special investigations of illegal construction and unsafe buildings.

The following is a list of typical projects that require inspection:

• All commercial, industrial and institutional projects
  
• All commercial and industrial tenant projects
  
• All housing projects, including additions
  
• Change of Use projects
  
• Life safety systems
  
• On-site sewage systems
  
• Public swimming pool construction
  
• Commercial kitchen exhaust systems and the fire suppression system
  
• Spray booth exhaust systems and the fire suppression system
  
• Dust collection systems

Our Services Include:  

• Building Construction Investigation Program
  
• Building inspections of non-housing projects
  
• Building inspections of housing projects
  
• Building inspections of on-site sewage systems
  
• Building inspections of public swimming pools
  
• Building inspections of commercial kitchen exhaust systems
  
• Building inspections of dust collection systems
  
• Building inspections of spray booth exhaust systems
  
• Building Investigation Request - How do I make one?
  
• Inspecting Unfinished I.C.I. Buildings for Occupancy [PDF]
  
• Inspecting unsafe structures

Requesting a Building Inspection:  

• How to request an inspection Permit Inspection Request Line (PIRL)
  
• When to request an inspection
  
• Recording inspection results

Building Inspection Checklists:  

During the course of construction and at the time of building occupancy, building officials inspect a building for compliance with the building permit documents and the Ontario Building Code. We receive many requests from builders, architects, professional engineers, owners and members of the public for information on what specifically our inspectors check for during construction. The following checklists can be of assistance to those responsible for ensuring a structure is built to code.(1)

Non-Housing Projects (I.C.I. buildings)

• Additional Requirements for High Buildings
  
• B-2 Occupancy and Life Safety System
  
• Barrier-Free Design
  
• Building Envelope
  
• Fire Separations
  
• Interior Layout
  
• Life Safety Systems - Fire Alarms
  
• Occupancy
  
• Sprinkler, Standpipe and Emergency Power Systems
  
• Start of Constructions and Foundations
  
• Structural Framing
  
• Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations

Housing Projects

• Energy Star Design
  
• Plumbing Rough-In
  
• Prescriptive Compliance Package
  
• Residential Light Steel Framing
  
• Septic Systems
  
• Septic Systems Shallow Buried Trenches

(1) Checklists cannot contain all references in the Building Code. Compliance with each item on the above checklists does not absolve anyone from building in full compliance with the Ontario Building Code and Act.