Safety Code

In order to ensure public safety, the Building Act provides for the adoption of a Safety Code covering buildings and equipment for public use, including electrical, petroleum and plumbing facilities as well as those intended for the use, distribution or storage of gas. The Safety Code applies to owners of buildings, equipment and facilities. This code is adopted chapter by chapter.

Renovating your house or residential condo and would like to know what standards apply? Go to the Construction Standards page

On this page:

Chapter I – Plumbing – Effective October 1, 2002. The latest amendments came into force on February 11, 2013.

Reference Standards

Article 1 of Chapter I – Plumbing of the Safety Code refers to certain definitions of the National Plumbing Code of Canada, which is included in the Construction Code, Chapter III – Plumbing. The table below shows the applicable standard according to the year of plumbing installation. You can download these standards free of charge by following the links in the table, which will take you to the National Research Council of Canada virtual store. You’ll need to create an account to access these standards free of charge.

Chapter II – Electricity has been in force since October 1^st, 2002. Its most recent amendments have been in effect since October 1^st, 2018.

Chapter III – Gas has been in force since December 2, 2003.

Chapter IV – Elevators and other elevating devices has been in force since January 1^st, 2006.

Chapter V – Passenger Ropeways has been in force since October 21, 2004. It consists of the Passenger Ropeways standard (CAN/CSA Z98) published by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and has been amended to facilitate its application and adapt to the specific needs of Québec.

Chapter VI – Petroleum Equipment Installation has been in force since April 1^st, 2007.

Chapter VII – Amusement Rides and Devices has been in force since May 3, 2012.

Chapter VIII – Building has been in force since March 18, 2013 and consists of the National Fire Code of Canada 2010, with amendments for Québec. Chapter VIII – Building of the Québec Safety Code and the National Fire Code of Canada 2010 (amended) are available on the website of the National Research Council Canada (NRC).

Reference Standards

The Building chapter of the Safety Code requires buildings to comply with standards in effect at the time of their construction or transformation. The following table shows the applicable standard according to the building’s year of construction or transformation.

Complete editions of all Québec construction codes can be downloaded free of charge using the links included in the table. Note that some editions are only available in French.

APPLICABLE REGULATION ACCORDING TO THE BUILDING’S YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION OR TRANSFORMATION

Period	Applicable regulation
As of January 8, 2022	Québec Construction Code, Building chapter (NBC 2015 amended – Québec)
June 13, 2015 to January 7, 2022	Québec Construction Code, Building chapter (NBC 2010 amended – Québec)
May 17, 2008 to June 12, 2015	Québec Construction Code, Building chapter (NBC 2005 amended – Québec)
November 7, 2000 to May 16, 2008	Québec Construction Code, Building chapter (NBC 1995 amended – Québec)
November 11, 1993 to November 6, 2000	National Building Code of Canada 1990
July 18, 1986 to November 10, 1993	National Building Code of Canada 1985
May 25, 1984 to July 17, 1986	National Building Code of Canada 1980
December 1st, 1976 to May 24, 1984	Québec Construction Code[Fr]
Prior to December 1st, 1976	Regulation respecting safety in public buildings[Fr]