On August 1, 2024, British Columbia replaced the Fire Services Act, a law dating from 1979, with the Fire Safety Act. For building owners, property managers and strata councils, the change was easy to miss. There was no new form to file the next morning, and the fire safety plan rules did not move. But the Act changed who is accountable, how buildings get inspected, and what happens when an owner ignores an order. Here is what changed and what it means for you.

The short version

• Owners now have a plainly stated duty to make sure no fire hazard exists on or in their premises.
• Municipalities must run a risk-based compliance monitoring system for public buildings, using inspections and owner-completed fire safety assessments.
• Fire inspectors can issue orders, and the fire commissioner can impose administrative penalties for non-compliance.
• Orders affecting strata lots can be served on the strata corporation, which then must comply.
• The BC Fire Code, including the fire safety plan requirements in Section 2.8, still sets the technical rules.

The owner’s duty: no fire hazards

Section 7 of the Fire Safety Act is one sentence long: an owner of premises must ensure that no fire hazard exists on or in the owner’s premises. The Act defines a fire hazard as a condition that endangers life or property due to fire, including conditions arising from the state of repair of the premises, the way the premises are used or occupied, and the keeping of combustible, flammable, explosive or other hazardous materials.

That is a broad duty. A blocked exit, a failed fire alarm, a storage room packed with cardboard next to a furnace, or a building being used for something it was never designed for can all fall inside it. The BC Fire Code already said the owner or the owner’s authorized agent is responsible for carrying out the code’s provisions. The Act puts the duty to deal with fire hazards directly into statute.

Risk-based inspections and fire safety assessments

Under Part 6 of the Act, each municipality must implement a risk-based compliance monitoring system for public buildings within its boundaries. A public building includes any building other than a private dwelling, any structure the public is ordinarily invited into or that is used for commercial, industrial or institutional purposes, and facilities such as storage yards and tank farms.

The system is made up of fire safety inspections and fire safety assessments. Higher-risk buildings can be inspected more often than lower-risk ones. If the municipality asks you to complete a fire safety assessment, you must complete it in the form and manner the fire commissioner requires and submit it within the time the municipality sets. If you do not, the municipality may conduct a fire safety inspection, and municipalities may charge a fee for inspections under this Part if the fee is set by bylaw.

The Office of the Fire Commissioner has been developing a manual to help owners complete these assessments. As of its August 2026 guidance, the manual was still in progress with no firm completion date, so expect the process to vary by municipality for now.

Regional districts are not monitoring entities under the Act. Outside municipal boundaries, inspections generally happen on complaint or owner request, with support from the Office of the Fire Commissioner where the regional district asks for it.

Orders, reviews and penalties

If a fire inspector is satisfied that an owner has contravened the Act or the regulations, section 11 allows the inspector to serve an order. An order can require the owner to repair or remove part of the premises, change the use or occupancy, remove or secure hazardous materials, or take other precautions against a fire hazard. The owner must comply within the time specified, and the order must explain the right to ask the fire commissioner for a review.

Enforcement now has two tracks:

• Administrative penalties. Only the fire commissioner or a delegate can impose one. The Office of the Fire Commissioner has said penalties are reserved for serious, repeated and deliberate non-compliance, after local compliance tools have been exhausted, and that the owner is notified first and given a chance to correct the problem.
• Offences. Failing to comply with an inspector’s order, obstructing an inspection or giving false information are offences. Each day an offence continues can be treated as a separate offence, and directors and officers who authorize or permit a corporation’s offence can also be liable.

What changed for strata corporations

Strata councils should pay attention to two provisions. First, the Act’s definition of occupier includes the strata corporation for common property and common facilities. Second, section 46 deals with orders affecting strata lots. An order that applies to six or more strata lots can be served on the strata corporation rather than on each owner. An order affecting a single lot can also end up with the strata corporation if the owner cannot be served or does not comply. Once served, the strata corporation is deemed to be an owner of those lots and must comply with the order.

In practice, a council can no longer treat fire safety as something that only individual owners answer for. Our guide to what the law requires of strata corporations covers the fire safety plan side.

What did not change

The Fire Safety Act did not rewrite the technical requirements. The BC Fire Code 2024, in force since March 8, 2024, still decides which buildings need a fire safety plan, what the plan contains, how often it is reviewed and how often fire drills are held. A plan still has to be prepared in cooperation with the fire department and reviewed at intervals not greater than 12 months.

The Office of the Fire Commissioner has also confirmed that the Act does not affect renovation permits or life safety system requirements, which remain in the BC Building Code and BC Fire Code. The codes are not used to force current standards onto an existing building whose systems still address the hazards of its use.

What owners and councils should do now

• Confirm your fire safety plan exists, is in the building and was accepted by the fire department
• Make sure the plan has had its annual review and the supervisory staff names are current
• Walk the building for obvious hazards: blocked exits, propped fire doors, storage in service rooms
• Keep fire alarm, sprinkler and extinguisher inspection reports on site
• Watch for a fire safety assessment request from your municipality and diarize the deadline
• For strata councils, put fire safety on the agenda and minute who is responsible for what

Frequently asked questions

Does the Fire Safety Act require a new fire safety plan?

No. The Act does not replace your plan. The requirement for a plan comes from the BC Fire Code. If your plan is current and accepted, it does not need to be redone because of the Act. If it is out of date, the Act makes enforcement easier.

Who completes the fire safety assessment?

The owner or the owner’s authorized agent, such as a property management company acting under a written agreement. Any deficiencies found remain the owner’s responsibility to correct.

Does the Act apply to short-term rentals and private homes?

Private dwellings are not part of the proactive inspection program, but they are not exempt from the Act. An inspector can still enter with the occupier’s consent or a warrant, for example in response to a complaint.

Talk to someone who does this every day

We have been writing BC fire safety plans since 2003, more than 1,000 of them, for strata councils, property managers and commercial owners from Vancouver to the Fraser Valley. If the new Act has you wondering where your building stands, we can review your current plan and tell you plainly what needs to change. Pricing is upfront and approval is guaranteed. Request a quote through our contact page or call (778) 574-2895.