CEC Section 32

Section 32 is the part of the Canadian Electrical Code, CSA C22.1, that covers fire alarm systems, permanently connected smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and fire pumps. It is a supplementary section, meaning it amends the general rules rather than standing alone. It requires the panel on a dedicated circuit with a permanently marked red disconnect lockable in the ON position, copper conductors rated not less than 300 V, and fire alarm wiring kept independent of all other wiring. In Ontario it reaches you through the 2024 Ontario Electrical Safety Code, in force 1 May 2025.

Last updated: September 2026

What it is and where it sits

Section 32 is one section of the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I, published by CSA as CSA C22.1. It covers local fire alarm systems, permanently connected smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and fire pumps. It is a supplementary section, which has a precise meaning: it amends the general rules of the code for these systems rather than standing on its own. You read it together with the general rules, not instead of them.

Like the rest of the CEC it is a model document. It reaches you through your province's adopting code. In Ontario that is the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, whose 2024 edition came into force 1 May 2025 and contains the 26th edition of CEC Part I.

Why a 24 V circuit is treated as Class 1

A fire alarm circuit runs at 24 volts and draws almost nothing, so every instinct built on ordinary control wiring says treat it as Class 2 and get on with it. In Canada that instinct is wrong, and there is a stated reason for it.

Circuits to safety control devices, where failure would introduce a direct fire or life hazard, are treated as Class 1 circuits regardless of voltage or power limitation. A fire alarm system is exactly that kind of device. So the relaxed separation and wiring allowances a Class 2 circuit would enjoy do not apply here. If you learned this trade from American material, this is one of the sharper divergences.

What it requires

	Requirement
Supply	Dedicated circuit to the panel, nothing else on it
Disconnect	Permanently marked, red, lockable in the ON position
Conductors	Copper, insulation rated not less than 300 V
Minimum size	No. 16 AWG pulled into a raceway, No. 19 AWG laid in one; optical fibre permitted
Wiring method	Enclosed metal raceway, metal armoured or sheathed cable, rigid non metallic conduit, or ENT with 50 mm masonry or concrete embedment in combustible construction
Separation	Independent of all other wiring, except at defined connection points
Bonding	Exposed non current carrying metal parts bonded to ground
Dwelling units	Smoke alarms must not be supplied from GFCI or AFCI protected circuits

The lock on device is the item most often missing in the field, usually because it was never fitted, or was removed during a renovation and never put back. It is visible on inspection, and so is a panel sharing a circuit with something else because it arrived after the panel schedule was finalised.

A word about rule numbers

The requirements above are well attested across Canadian sources. Several of the rule numbers commonly attached to them come from secondary guides that do not state which CEC edition they are working from. Rule 32-200, for dwelling unit smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and Rule 32-304, for fire pump service boxes, are confirmed against a provincial interpretation bulletin. The rest we treat as solid requirements with unconfirmed numbering, and so should you: check the number against your own copy of the code before it goes into a compliance document. The breakdown, marked source by source, is in what CEC Section 32 requires.

What it does not cover

Section 32 governs the electrical execution. It does not govern the system. Circuit classes, supervision, fault tolerance across zones, device placement and zoning come from CAN/ULC-S524, and whether the building needed a system at all comes from the building code. Two documents, two inspectors, two sign offs, and you can pass one while failing the other.

One more point worth knowing: voluntary systems are not exempt. A system an owner installed because an insurer asked for one is still wired to Section 32 and still installed to S524, whose own scope covers voluntary as well as required installations. The cable side, including the CSA C22.2 No. 208 product standard behind the FAS markings and why a CSA FT number is not an American CMP or CMR rating, is in fire alarm cable in Canada.

Fire Alarm Academy provides educational content only. It does not confer any certification, licence or credential, and it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by the Canadian Fire Alarm Association, the Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario, ULC Standards, UL Standards and Engagement, CSA Group, the Electrical Safety Authority, any authority having jurisdiction, or any manufacturer. Always work from the edition of any standard adopted by your authority having jurisdiction.