Building Permits

Beginning Nov. 1, 2025, the City of Cambridge is returning refundable rebate fees collected with building permit applications between 2013 and 2025. This program ended in 2025 and many rebate fees remain unclaimed. 

City staff have reached out to those eligible for rebate fee refunds by email, mail, or phone to confirm contact information and arrange refunds.  

As part of this process, the City will never ask you for banking information and will only be confirming the correct names, email addresses and mailing addresses of the refund recipients. 

If you submitted a building permit application during this period and are unsure if your permit was closed or if your rebate fee has been refunded, you’re encouraged to contact the City. 

In January 2024, the City of Cambridge introduced a Re-Inspection Fee of $100 to help offset the costs of performing multiple inspections for the same stage of construction. 

City Building Inspectors perform inspections to ensure work complies with the plans issued for a permit and the Ontario Building Code. Inspectors need to review a building project at several stages during construction (Division C, 1.3.5. of the building code). 

The permit holder is responsible for ensuring the work is complete and the site is ready for inspection before making a building inspection request (Building Bulletin 2023-01). The permit card, provided with the issued permit, outlines the stages of construction that must be inspected. The following are circumstances where a reinspection fee can be applied after an inspection request has been submitted: 

• An Inspector determines that work is not ready for inspection or is not substantially complete for the stage of construction requested.
• An Inspector performs a recall inspection and no changes have been made to correct deficiencies found at the last inspection.

Inspection Cancellation 

The re-inspection fee will not be applied when a scheduled inspection is cancelled prior to 8:00am on the day of the inspection.   

Partial Inspections 
For large or complex projects (i.e. multi-suite or multi-storey buildings) inspections for stages of construction may be booked in phases. Discuss partial inspections with the site inspector to determine if they are appropriate. 

If you have any questions regarding the Re-Inspection Fee, please contact the building department building@cambridge.ca.  

This bulletin is to provide information about the Building Code requirements for integrated systems testing under the CAN/ULC-S1001 standard (the standard) and the City of Cambridge requirements under this standard.

Code Requirement 

The building code identifies in Division B, 3.2.10.1.(1) and 9.10.18.10.(1) the requirement for buildings to have an integrated testing plan in place for all interconnected fire and life safety system within a building. The plan, and the requirements for implementation of the plan are identified in the CAN/ULC-S1001 standard. 

Note: An Integrated Testing Plan is required for all new buildings where an interconnection of 2 or more fire and life safety systems occurs within a building. The plan is also required for renovations and additions.  If you have specific questions about your project, please contact our office at building@cambridge.ca. 

Examples of fire and life safety systems are:

• Fire alarm system 
• Fire signal monitoring system 
• Emergency power/lighting generator 
• Fire pump 
• Standpipe and hose system 
• Sprinkler system 
• NFPA 96 hood 
• Emergency pressurization system 
• Motorized smoke and fire dampers 
• Smoke control system 
• Smoke ventilation system 
• Elevator 
• Audio/visual and/or lighting control system 
• Notification system 
• Water supply pumps (not a fire pump) 
• Fixed fire suppression system (other than an NFPA 96 system or sprinkler system) 
• Hold open devices
• Electromagnetic locking devices
• Hazardous protection monitoring system
• Buildings with an interconnected smoke alarm system, other than a system serving a house, a house with up to two accessory residential units, or an individual dwelling unit
• Mass notification systems (as defined in S1001) 

Please refer to the CAN/ULC-S1001 standard for further clarification of the above systems. 

Qualification Requirements 

The standard requires that an Integrated Testing Coordinator prepare the Integrated Testing Plan. This person shall possess the knowledge and understanding as identified in 4.2.2. of the standard. For compliance with this requirement, the following qualifications will be required for any individual acting as the Integrated Testing Coordinator. 

• Licensed Professional Engineer, or 
• Certified Integrated Testing Service Provider from UL’s Integrated Systems Testing Program 

Documentation Required 

The standard requires that the following information be prepared and submitted to the Authority Having Juristiction.

• Integrated Testing Plan (ISP), and
• Integrated Testing Report (ITR) 

The Integrated Testing Plan must be submitted to the Site Inspector within 3 months of permit issuance, but no less than 30 days before the ITP is implemented. 

The Integrated Testing Report must be submitted to the Site Inspector prior to any occupancy being granted to the building. For any building where an occupancy inspection is not required, the ITR must be submitted prior to the Final Inspection. 

Please contact your site inspector for the email address to submit the Plan or Report. 

Integrated Testing Plan Requirements 

The ITP are instructions for how to ensure that all interconnected fire and life safety systems are working as designed and required. The plan identifies all the possible interconnections and how to test these interconnections. While the standard does not require a specific form to be completed, appendices in the standard provides a sample form. As a minimum, the Integrated Testing Plan must include the following:

• Name of Integrated Testing Coordinator and the Company/Organization. 
• Signature of Integrated Testing Coordinator.
• Date the plan was created.
• Address of the project.
• Permit Number. 
• Description of the building (number of storeys, occupancy type, construction type).
• Owner’s name and contact information.
• Name and contact information for all Prime Consultants involved (Architect, Engineers, Qualified Designers).
• Name and contact information for the General Contractor involved.
• Name and contact information for all subcontractors involved in the installation of the integrated systems.
• Explanation of the responsibilities of all parties listed in the Integrated Testing Plan.
• The plan shall identify all fire and life safety systems included within the building and clearly identify every interconnection involved. 
• The plan shall identify the testing that needs to be performed to confirm the interconnection has successfully been completed.
• The plan shall identify all verification reports/documents that must be submitted before implementing the plan, such as 
• Fire alarm system verification report
  • Emergency generator test report
  • Contractors’ material and test certificate for fire pumps
  • Fire pump field acceptance test report
  • Standpipe system contractors’ material and test certificate for above ground piping
  • Sprinkler system contractors’ material and test certificate for above ground piping
  • NFPA 96 suppression system verification and test report
  • Emergency pressurization system verification report
  • Smoke control system verification report ESA approvals
  • TSSA approvals for elevators  

The Integrated Testing Plan may need to be updated during the construction process. Where the ITP is updated, a copy of the updated plan must be provided to the site Inspector. 

Integrated Testing Report Requirements 

The ITR is the final report submitted to the City of Cambridge confirming that the building is in conformance with the CAN/ULC-S1001 standard. While the standard does not require a specific 
form to be completed, appendices in the standard provides a sample form. As a minimum, the Integrated Systems Report must include the following:

• The original Integrated Testing Plan. 
• Any updates to the Integrated Testing Plan (if applicable). 
• The initial integrated testing results report. 
• Any retest reports showing compliance where initial test failed.
• All conformance letters and sign off documents listed in the ITP as being required. 
• Written confirmation from Design Professionals that they have provided Integrated Testing Coordinator with all required documents for system integration. 
• Written confirmation from Installers of the systems that they have installed the systems, and they are ready for integrated testing. 

The report must have the following information included for reference: 

• Name of Integrated Testing Coordinator and the Company/Organization
• Signature of Integrated Testing Coordinator
• Date the report was prepared
• Address of the project
• Permit Number
• Description of the building (number of storeys, occupancy type, construction type)
• Owner’s name and contact information
• Name and contact information for all Prime Consultants involved (Architect, Engineers, Qualified Designers).
• Name and contact information for the General Contractor involved
• Name and contact information for all subcontractors involved  

For more information on these requirements please contact your site inspector.

Sprinkler systems in residential construction are becoming more common. These can be used to provide additional protection to newly constructed homes, or to supplement fire separation requirements during renovations of existing buildings. Concerns arise with the installation of a sprinkler system when the supply to these systems is unmetered.  Under our water use bylaw, all water supplies must be metered in accordance with City of Cambridge standards. To ensure that all residential installations are complaint, the following information is being provided. 

Flow Through Systems 

A flow through systems is where the water pipes serving fixtures in a house (or Accessory Residential Unit) are also used to supply the sprinkler heads. These systems are permitted where the shared water supply is adequately designed under NFPA 13D. These systems do not have any additional metering requirements, as the water has already been metered once it reaches the sprinkler heads. For these types of systems, flow through sprinkler heads are to be used.  Where a lateral is needed to position the head, the lateral needs to be as short as possible to prevent stagnant water in the system (6” maximum). 

Separate Supply Line Systems 

A separate supply line system is one where all the sprinkler heads are supplied by a separate supply line from the piping serving the plumbing fixtures in the building. For these systems, it is important to ensure that the installation meets both the requirements in NFPA 13D and the City of Cambridge water use bylaw. 

Water Supplies Less Than 37mm (1½”) 

For a water supply less than 37mm (1½”), the sprinkler takeoff must be downstream (after) the water meter. This ensures that all water within the building is metered.   

Water Supplies 37mm (1½”) or Greater 

For a water supply 37mm (1½”) or greater, the sprinkler takeoff can be before the water meter as shown in the detail below. The main control valve needs to be marked/signed so that the building is provided with a sprinkler system. The backflow device on the fire suppression line should be a detector check assembly, equipped with a 15mm (5/8”) detection meter. This detection meter is connected to our AMI network and monitored for any flows. In such a configuration the separate “waterflow detector” may be able to be eliminated (not sure if the OBC allows for this though). The detector check meter in this installation would be established as a second meter account for the property and will receive fixed water service fees only.

If you have any questions regarding these requirements, please contact our office.

As the City of Cambridge is not the approval authority for plans of subdivision and plans of condominium, we do not receive registered plans from the Land Registry Office (LRO). In order to 
assign civic addresses and/or unit numbers in a timely manner, the Building Services Division is making changes to our process.   

As soon as a plan gets registered, the developer or builder should email a copy to building@cambridge.ca.   

“Draft” Addressing

• Provide a copy of the draft approved plan showing the proposed lots and blocks.  “Draft” addresses will be assigned for office use only. This is not an official document to provide to utilities. 

For properties that are blocks on the registered plan of subdivision (i.e., for future street facing townhomes, vacant land condominiums), please provide the draft approved plan of condominium or council-approved part lot control exemption by-law together with the reference plan to determine if additional civic numbers or unit numbers are required.   

Finalized Addressing 

Please ensure the registered plan includes the following:  

• The owner’s certificate with the date and signature of the owner or person with authority to bind the corporation. 
• The Region of Waterloo’s approval block with the date and signature of the person issuing the approval. 
• The registration block with the plan number, date, time, signed by the representative for the land registrar. 

In the Fall of 2021, the City of Cambridge Building Division became aware of the use of laminated finger-joined lumber (LFL) as structural members in buildings. LFL was being used in Part 9 residential buildings as a substitute to built-up dimensional lumber and other pre-engineered wood products such as LVL’s. 

Currently the use of LFL is not a prescriptive solution in the Ontario Building Code (OBC), or the National Building Code of Canada, unless identified with a grade stamp in accordance with NLGA 
special product standards SPS-1, “Fingerjoined Structural Lumber”, or SPS-3, “Fingerjoined Stud Lumber – Vertical Use Only” (as described in A-9.23.10.4.(1) of Appendix A to the OBC). 

The City was accepting LFL that was not grade marked with SPS-1 or SPS-3 (with conditions); however, effective immediately (today) the City will no longer be accepting the use of LFL as a structural member in buildings unless the LFL is:

• SPS-1/SPS-3 grade stamped
• Has obtained a valid CCMC Evaluation
• Has obtained a valid BMEC Authorization
• Has obtained a Ministers Ruling, or
• Until these products are prescriptively permissible through the OBC. 

For Building Permits which have been previously issued with LFL lumber specified, the LFL specified will be accepted provided the framing inspection has been approved within 6 months 
(March 19, 2024).  

As always thank you for your cooperation and if you have any questions, please contact us.

As part of our ongoing effort to improve our customer service, the City of Cambridge will be transitioning away from yellow or white paper inspection reports to a PDF that will be emailed to permit holders. This enhanced digital report can be emailed to two contacts, and will provide more timely and comprehensive details on the overall progress of your permit including:

• Showing status of all required inspections (passed, not passed, or not yet completed) 
• Identifying all outstanding deficiencies that need to be corrected to date 
• Lists outstanding reports to be provided 
• Notes any comments or general information from the Inspector (e.g., Contact Inspector for foundation rebar inspection prior to pouring concrete) 
• Report is always legible, no worry about fading or carbon copy issues

A gradual transition to this new report will begin in the coming weeks. 

If you have any questions regarding the Re-Inspection Fee, please contact the building department building@cambridge.ca.  

As a trusted partner in the construction industry the City of Cambridge Building Division aims to work alongside you to complete your building permits and subsequent site inspections. Together we can ensure projects across the city are safely constructed. 

We understand how complex construction scheduling demands are. Please ensure you are aware of the requirements for inspection requests to avoid any unnecessary delays.

1. Inspection preparation check-list 

• Site Supervisor pre-walkthrough of the construction to confirm that the project is currently ready for inspection.  
• Correct any deficiencies found during the pre-walkthrough.
• Submit all required reports to the Inspector or prepare hard copies to have on site (e.g., soils report, OLS certificates, Engineer's field review of framing).
• Have all approved documentation on site (e.g., permit drawings, stamped floor joist/truss 
  layouts and component designs, HVAC designs).  
• Determine preferred scheduling for inspections. Plan ahead and combine inspections to reduce the time necessary to complete.
• High time commitment inspections for multiple permits will require a few days to complete.  (E.g., framing, HVAC Rough-in, Plumbing Rough-in)  

2. Request inspection 

It is the permit holder’s responsibility to notify the Inspector when ready for inspection at each stage of construction. Please ensure all necessary work is completed before requesting an inspection. 

To request an inspection, call the Inspector listed on the building permit at least 24 hours before the desired date with the following information: 

• Building permit number  
• Lot number, civic address and street name
• Timing preference of morning or afternoon—ensuring your availability for that half day
• Areas to be inspected (reference required inspections listed on permit)
• If partial inspection for multi-storey/unit, include floors/unit numbers
• Site contact name and phone number 

For more information on the building permit inspection process, please contact your site inspector.