Serving the Greater Toronto Area
Charged under the Fire Code? The fine is the least of it.
We defend landlords, property managers, and business owners facing Fire Code charges — from a smoke alarm notice to a full retrofit order. Ontario Fire Code Defence handles the paperwork, the inspector, the prosecutor, and the courtroom, so you don't have to figure it out alone.
Two GTA offices — Toronto & Mississauga · Response within one business day
What's actually at stake
Fire Code penalties are not traffic-ticket money.
GTA courts have handed out six-figure fines and jail time for Fire Code convictions this year. See recent sentences →
| Maximum fine | 1st offence | Subsequent |
|---|---|---|
| Individual* | $50,000 | $100,000 |
| Director / officer* | $50,000 | $100,000 |
| Corporation | $500,000 | $1,500,000 |
| Ignoring an inspection order | up to $20,000 for every day it continues | |
* Plus up to one year in jail. Any earlier conviction under the Act makes the next one a “subsequent offence” — even for a different violation.
Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, S.O. 1997, c. 4, ss. 27.1, 28, 30
Charges we defend
If you've received an inspection order or a summons referencing any of the following, we can help — and most cases don't need to end in a conviction.
Who's handling your file
Your team
Jorgen has appeared in more than 20 trials across the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice, including regulatory and quasi-criminal prosecutions. His litigation experience includes municipal files brought under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 — the same statute Fire Code charges are laid under — alongside proceedings under the Ontario Securities Act. Before moving into litigation, he spent three years in financial-services compliance and corporate securities law, which gives him a regulator's view of how these files get built — and where they can be beaten.
B.Com., University of Toronto
FSRA · Mutual Funds Dealer Association
Charles brings more than fifteen years of trial advocacy in Provincial Offences Court, with a focus on Building Code and Fire Code infractions and other regulatory charges. He leads a team of experts who support every file — so the work behind your case doesn't rest on one person.
Our senior advisor is a former judge and a former deputy mayor who was closely involved in the zoning of King Street West and Chinatown. He brings the perspective of someone who has served both on the bench and in municipal government.
- Reviews new files with our team and advises on case strategy — whether to fight, negotiate, or resolve.
- Advises on the technical side of the Fire Code: what a requirement demands of a real building, and whether an inspector's reading holds up.
- Guides compliance planning, drawing on his experience with municipal zoning and land-use rules.
Name and full background available on request.
A seven-item Notice of Violation (emergency lighting, fire alarm power, exit signage, an obstructed exit, no fire safety plan), followed by a charge for obstructed means of egress.
Details are anonymized. Every case turns on its own facts; past results don't guarantee future outcomes.
How to fight a Fire Code charge
Most Fire Code matters don't have to end in a conviction. What you do in the first few days after a notice or order matters more than almost anything that happens later.
The first 15 days set the tone for the whole file. Here's what to do before you do anything else.
- Read the notice, order, or summons in full and write down every deadline in it. You have 15 days from service of an inspection order to ask the Fire Marshal to review it, and missing a court date can mean a trial held without you.
- Photograph and document the property's current condition before any repairs begin, so you have a clear "before" record.
- Do not sign anything, make verbal admissions, or agree to a compliance date with the inspector before speaking with a lawyer.
- Pull together your maintenance and testing records, past inspection reports, permits, and any contractor invoices.
- Call early. A file that gets legal input in week one has far more options than one that gets it the week before trial.
There's no one-size defence to a Fire Code charge, and we don't publish a checklist of them — the right approach depends on the evidence, on how the inspection and any order were handled, and on what's happened since. When you bring us a file, we go through:
Then we tell you plainly whether the file is one to fight, to negotiate, or to resolve quickly — and what each path is likely to cost you.
These are the most common ways a defensible file turns into a conviction.
- Ignoring a notice or order, or letting the 15-day window to request a review of an inspection order pass.
- Making repairs immediately without documenting the "before" condition — that record can matter later.
- Talking to the inspector or fire department at length without knowing what you're agreeing to on the record.
- Assuming a "minor" violation isn't worth a lawyer — a single notice can escalate into an order, then a charge, then a trial.
- Waiting until the week before the court date to start gathering evidence or requesting disclosure.
Retrofit and multi-step compliance orders need a strategy of their own — the timeline in the order is often the whole case.
- Understand exactly what the order requires and the deadline attached to each item — partial compliance on time can matter more than full compliance late.
- Get contractor quotes and start remediation before your first court date wherever possible; a plan in motion is far stronger than a plan on paper.
- If the timeline in the order is genuinely unrealistic, ask for an extension in writing before the deadline passes, not after.
- Keep a dated paper trail of every quote, invoice, and contractor communication — this becomes your evidence at a resolution meeting or trial.
This is general information, not legal advice about your specific order or charge. The right defence strategy depends on the facts of your file — book a free consultation to go through yours.
How we work the file
A compliance-first defence, not just a court date.
Fixing the problem won't make a charge disappear on its own — but it stops the $20,000-a-day exposure for ignoring an order, and it changes what a prosecutor is willing to discuss. We build that record from day one, not the week before trial.
Every case is different — nothing here is legal advice, and no outcome is guaranteed. Book a consultation to talk through your specific order or charge.
Know the system you're up against
Who the Fire Marshal and your fire department are, what an inspector can and can't do on your property, and how an order can be reviewed or appealed.
Read the guide →How a charge moves through Provincial Offences Court, every POA courthouse in Ontario, the leading decisions, and what Fire Code sentences look like in 2026.
Find your court →Who we help
Fire Code enforcement in the GTA is concentrated on a handful of property types. If you fall into one of these, you're not alone.
Two offices, one GTA-wide practice
Resources
The official legislation, codes, and court guidance behind everything on this page — direct from the government and court sources, not summaries.
These are the official government and court sources this page relies on. They're general reference material, not a substitute for advice about your specific notice, order, or charge.
Request a free consultation
Tell us what order or charge you've received. This opens your email app with the details filled in — nothing is sent until you press send there.