How Long Does a Fire Safety Plan Take to Get Approved in Toronto?

This is one of the first questions building owners ask me, and it's the right question - especially if you've received a Notice of Violation with a deadline, or you're trying to get a building licensed before a specific date.

The honest answer is: the process has two parts, and you control one of them. Here's a realistic breakdown of the full timeline.

The Two Parts of the Process

Getting a Fire Safety Plan approved in Toronto involves two distinct phases: the preparation phase, which we control, and the fire department review phase, which we don't. Understanding both helps you plan.

Phase 1 — Preparation (What We Control)

Site Visit

The first step is always a site visit. I come to your building, walk every floor, photograph all fire protection systems, document occupancy details, and gather everything needed to write the plan. For most buildings this takes one to three hours. We schedule site visits within a week of your initial call.

FSP Preparation

After the site visit, I write your Fire Safety Plan. For a standard building - a single retirement home, restaurant, commercial unit, or mid-size office - the draft is typically ready within ten to fifteen business days. For more complex buildings with multiple occupancies, multiple buildings, or unusual systems, allow two to three weeks.

If you have an active Notice of Violation with a tight deadline, we expedite. I've had plans drafted and ready for submission in five business days when the situation required it.

Reference: OFC 2.8 - Fire Safety Plan requirements

Your Review

Before we submit to the fire department, I send you the draft for review. You confirm that the building information, contact details, and staff assignments are accurate. Most clients turn this around in one to two days. The faster you review, the faster we can submit.

Phase 2 - Fire Department Review (Toronto Fire Services)

Once we submit to Toronto Fire Services, the review timeline is outside our control - but here's what you can realistically expect.

Standard Review - 4 to 8 Weeks

For a straightforward submission with no deficiencies, Toronto Fire Services typically completes its review and schedules a compliance inspection within four to eight weeks. During this inspection, a fire prevention officer visits the building to confirm the plan accurately reflects the physical building. If everything checks out, the plan is approved.

If Revisions Are Required

Sometimes the inspector requests changes - a floor plan needs to be updated, a section needs more detail, or a system wasn't documented correctly. We handle all revisions at no additional charge and resubmit promptly. Each revision round adds one to three weeks. This is why getting the plan right the first time matters.

Notice of Violation Situations

If you have an active NOV, we flag this with the fire department at submission and request expedited review. Toronto Fire Services generally accommodates this. In most NOV situations, you can get to approval within your compliance window if you start the process immediately.

Reference: FPPA S.20 - NOV compliance obligations

What the Full Timeline Looks Like

• Call and book site visit: same week

• Site visit: Week 1

• FSP draft prepared: Weeks 2–3

• Your review and sign-off: 1–2 days

• Submission to Toronto Fire Services: Week 3–4

• Fire department review and inspection: 4–8 weeks after submission

• Approval: approximately 8–12 weeks from your first call

For urgent NOV situations, we compress the preparation side significantly. Some clients have gone from first call to submission in under two weeks.

What Slows the Process Down?

In my experience, the most common causes of delay are on the client side rather than the fire department side:

• Slow review of the draft plan - the faster you review, the faster we submit

• No existing floor plans on file, which requires us to produce them from scratch

• Difficulty confirming staff assignments and warden names

• Multiple rounds of revisions due to inaccurate building information provided initially

The best thing you can do to speed up the process is respond quickly when I send you the draft. Every day your review sits means another day before submission.

What About Other Ontario Fire Departments?

Every municipality has its own review process and workload. Markham Fire and Emergency Services, Mississauga Fire, and Brampton Fire all operate on slightly different timelines. Generally, smaller municipalities are faster than Toronto. We work with all GTA and Southern Ontario fire departments and know the submission requirements for each.

Ready to Start?

If you need a Fire Safety Plan and you're working against a deadline, call us now. The earlier we start, the more options you have.

Sterling Safety — 613-794-3320 | info@sterlingsafety.ca | sterlingsafety.ca  |  Toronto, GTA & Southern Ontario - Free site visit, fixed pricing, fire department submission included.