Fire Alarm Work in Quebec: Who Can Do It and What Governs It

Last updated: August 2026 · All Quebec sources below retrieved 16 August 2026

A note before you start. This page is written in English about a regulatory system that is written and enacted in French. The French text is the text that governs. Where an official English version exists we quote it and say so. Where it does not, we quote the French verbatim and mark our own English as a translation. For anything load-bearing on a real job, work from the French original.

Quick answer

Every row is sourced below. Where we could not open the primary text, we say not verified rather than guessing.

Quebec licenses the company, not the technician

This is the structural fact everything else hangs off, and it is the one most English-language writing about Quebec gets wrong by assuming Ontario's model.

The Loi sur le bâtiment (Building Act, RLRQ c. B-1.1) has an official English version. Section 46:

No person may act as a building contractor, hold himself out to be such or give cause to believe that he is a building contractor, unless he holds a current licence for that purpose.

No contractor may use, for the carrying out of construction work, the services of another contractor who does not hold a licence for that purpose.

(Official English text, LégisQuébec.)

The licence belongs to the enterprise. It is not a personal ticket. Individual competence enters the system through the répondant, the person a licence applicant designates to sit the RBQ's exams. Section 24 of the qualification regulation sets the technical exam:

1. L'examen de vérification des connaissances en exécution de travaux de construction est établi par la Régie en fonction de la sous-catégorie de licence demandée. Il peut porter sur les matières énumérées ci-après et être divisé en modules: 1° la connaissance des normes, de la réglementation et des techniques de construction spécifiques aux travaux de construction compris dans la sous-catégorie de licence [...]

Our translation: "The construction-work knowledge examination is set by the Régie according to the licence subcategory applied for. It may cover the following subjects and be divided into modules: 1° knowledge of the standards, regulations and construction techniques specific to the construction work included in the licence subcategory [...]"

(B-1.1, r. 9, art. 24.)

So Quebec does test fire alarm knowledge. It tests one designated person per licence, once, at the front door of the business. It does not issue a fire alarm credential to the technician who shows up at your panel.

What subcategory 13.2 actually is

The claim in circulation is that RBQ subcategory 13.2 is the fire alarm subcategory. That claim is correct. Here is the primary text, from Schedule II of the Règlement sur la qualification professionnelle des entrepreneurs et des constructeurs-propriétaires (B-1.1, r. 9):

13.2 Entrepreneur en systèmes d'alarme incendie

Cette sous-catégorie autorise les travaux de construction qui ne sont pas réservés exclusivement aux entrepreneurs en électricité et qui concernent les systèmes d'alarme incendie ainsi que les travaux de construction similaires ou connexes.

The same regulation has an official English version, so we quote it rather than translating:

13.2 Contractor – fire alarm systems

This subclass authorizes construction work that is not exclusively reserved for electrical contractors relating to fire alarm systems, and similar or related construction work.

(B-1.1, r. 9, Schedule II; the RBQ's consolidated list of subcategories is published as a PDF.)

Note the qualifier that gets dropped every time this is quoted secondhand: "that is not exclusively reserved for electrical contractors." 13.2 is defined by what it is not. It is the residual fire alarm work left over after the electrical contractor's exclusive jurisdiction is carved out.

The part that is usually left out

Subcategory 16, Entrepreneur en électricité, is defined in the same schedule. Official English:

1. Contractor – electrical

Except for demolition work, this subclass authorizes construction work on an electrical installation to which Chapter V of the Construction Code applies [...] that is reserved exclusively for electrical contractors.

It also authorizes construction work relating to fixtures permanently connected to the electrical installation, if it is governed by Chapter V of the Construction Code and if it is not specifically governed by another subclass and construction work in subclasses 13.2 and 17.1.

The emphasis is ours. An RBQ licence 16 already authorises the work covered by 13.2. A licensed electrical contractor in Quebec does not need to add 13.2 to install or repair a fire alarm system.

That single sentence undercuts a lot of what is written about Quebec being uniquely restrictive. It is restrictive about firms. It is not restrictive in the way people assume.

Subcategory 17.1 works the same way one level down:

17.1 Entrepreneur en instrumentation, contrôle et régulation

Cette sous-catégorie autorise les travaux de construction qui ne sont pas réservés exclusivement aux entrepreneurs en électricité et qui concernent les systèmes d'instrumentation, de contrôle et de régulation. Elle autorise également les travaux de construction compris dans la sous-catégorie 17.2 de l'annexe III.

Our translation: "This subcategory authorises construction work that is not exclusively reserved to electrical contractors and that concerns instrumentation, control and regulation systems. It also authorises the construction work included in subcategory 17.2 of Schedule III."

Who may do what: the RBQ in its own words

The RBQ publishes a technical information sheet on fire alarm and fire detection system verification. It is the clearest official statement we found on who may perform which activity. Verbatim:

Tous les travaux d'installation, de réparation et de modification effectués sur un système d'alarme incendie doivent être effectués par un entrepreneur détenant la ou les licences appropriées. L'inspection, quant à elle, ne requiert pas que l'entrepreneur détienne une licence. Toutefois, il faut faire attention car, si l'entrepreneur ne détenant pas de licence découvre des anomalies dans le système d'alarme, le propriétaire devra faire affaire avec un deuxième entrepreneur détenant les licences appropriées pour effectuer les modifications, réparations ou remplacements nécessaires.

Our translation: "All installation, repair and modification work performed on a fire alarm system must be performed by a contractor holding the appropriate licence or licences. Inspection, for its part, does not require the contractor to hold a licence. However, care is needed, because if the unlicensed contractor discovers anomalies in the alarm system, the owner will have to deal with a second contractor holding the appropriate licences to carry out the necessary modifications, repairs or replacements."

Read that twice. Inspection does not require an RBQ licence at all. The licensing wall sits in front of installation, repair and modification, not in front of inspecting and testing.

The same page sets out the licence stack:

L'entrepreneur détenteur d'une licence de sous-catégorie 13.2 Entrepreneur en systèmes d'alarme incendie peut installer et vérifier les systèmes d'alarme et de détection incendie. Cependant, si le système comporte des composantes électroniques, informatiques ou de télécommunication, il doit aussi détenir les licences des sous-catégories 17.1 Entrepreneur en instrumentation, contrôle et régulation et 17.2 Entrepreneur en intercommunication, téléphonie et surveillance. Finalement, si des travaux d'électricité assujettis sont requis, il doit aussi détenir la licence de sous-catégorie 16 Entrepreneur en électricité.

Our translation: "A contractor holding a subcategory 13.2 licence, Fire alarm systems contractor, may install and verify fire alarm and fire detection systems. However, if the system includes electronic, computing or telecommunications components, it must also hold the licences for subcategories 17.1, Instrumentation, control and regulation contractor, and 17.2, Intercommunication, telephony and surveillance contractor. Finally, if regulated electrical work is required, it must also hold the subcategory 16 licence, Electrical contractor."

And on frequency, the same sheet states that the annual work must be done by a specialised firm:

Chaque année, des inspections, des tests et des essais plus approfondis de chaque dispositif du système doivent être effectués en plus des inspections hebdomadaires et mensuelles. Ces tests et ces inspections doivent être effectués par une firme spécialisée et un rapport d'inspection complet doit être obtenu et conservé.

Our translation: "Each year, more thorough inspections and tests of every device in the system must be performed, in addition to the weekly and monthly inspections. These tests and inspections must be performed by a specialised firm and a complete inspection report must be obtained and kept."

(All three quotations: RBQ, Vérification des systèmes d'alarme et de détection incendie.)

Note that firme spécialisée is not a defined term in the regulation. It is the RBQ's plain-language description on an information sheet, not a legal category with entry requirements.

The codes, the editions, and the dates

Quebec has two instruments, both made under the Building Act, both free and both official on LégisQuébec.

Code de construction, chapter I, Bâtiment (B-1.1, r. 2). Article 1.01:

1.01. Dans le présent chapitre, à moins que le contexte n'indique un sens différent, on entend par «code» le «Code national du bâtiment – Canada 2020» (NRCC-CONST-56435F), première impression, publié par la Commission canadienne des codes du bâtiment et de prévention des incendies du Conseil national de recherches du Canada.

Our translation: "In this chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise, 'code' means the 'National Building Code of Canada 2020' (NRCC-CONST-56435F), first printing, published by the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes of the National Research Council of Canada."

The RBQ states the in-force date and the transition plainly:

Les modifications au chapitre I, Bâtiment, du Code de construction sont entrées en vigueur le 17 avril 2025.

Une période transitoire de 18 mois est prévue suivant l'entrée en vigueur de cette édition du chapitre. Les bâtiments et les équipements destinés à l'usage du public dont les travaux de construction ou de transformation débutent entre le 17 avril 2025 et le 17 octobre 2026 peuvent respecter la précédente version ou la nouvelle édition du chapitre I, Bâtiment, du Code de construction.

Our translation: "The amendments to chapter I, Building, of the Construction Code came into force on 17 April 2025. An 18-month transitional period is provided following the coming into force of this edition of the chapter. Buildings and equipment intended for public use whose construction or alteration work begins between 17 April 2025 and 17 October 2026 may comply with the previous version or the new edition of chapter I, Building, of the Construction Code."

Code de sécurité, chapter VIII, Bâtiment (B-1.1, r. 3). Article 370:

1. Les normes liées à la protection des incendies sont celles établies par le Code national de prévention des incendies – Canada 2020 (NRCC-CONST-56437F), première impression, ci-après appelé CNPI, publié par la Commission canadienne des codes du bâtiment et de prévention des incendies du Conseil national de recherches du Canada. Ces normes s'appliquent aux bâtiments et aux équipements destinés à l'usage du public visés par le présent chapitre, en y effectuant, le cas échéant, les modifications qui sont indiquées dans l'appendice 1 [...]

Our translation: "The fire protection standards are those established by the National Fire Code of Canada 2020 (NRCC-CONST-56437F), first printing, hereinafter called the NFC, published by the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes of the National Research Council of Canada. These standards apply to the buildings and equipment intended for public use covered by this chapter, subject to the amendments set out in appendix 1 [...]"

The RBQ states that the chapter VIII amendments were published in the Gazette officielle du Québec on 2 April 2025 and came into force on 17 April 2025, replacing a version in force since March 2013, with an 18-month transitional period and a three-year period for article 2.1.3.7.

One live caveat. On 7 July 2026 the RBQ announced that draft regulations had been published in the Gazette officielle for public comment, proposing to extend the transitional period by one year, so that the pre-17-April-2025 chapter I could be applied to work started before 17 October 2027. As at the date of this page these are draft regulations open for comment, not law. Check the current status before relying on the extension.

(Sources: B-1.1, r. 2 · B-1.1, r. 3 · RBQ, chapitre Bâtiment du Code de construction incluant le CNB 2020 · RBQ, chapitre Bâtiment du Code de sécurité incluant le CNPI 2020 · RBQ, prolongation de la période transitoire, 7 juillet 2026.)

Which CAN/ULC standards Quebec names

Here we have to be precise about what we could and could not read, because this is where confident guessing does the most damage.

What is in the regulation text itself. We searched the full LégisQuébec text of both the Code de construction and the Code de sécurité, consolidations current to 1 April 2026. The strings "S536" and "S537" do not appear anywhere in either regulation. "S524" appears once, in the Code de sécurité, at article 352:

1. Les dispositions des paragraphes 10) et 11) de l'article 3.2.4.19. CNB 1995 mod. Québec ne s'appliquent pas si les avertisseurs sonores sont raccordés à un circuit de classe A selon la norme CAN/ULC-S524 «Installation des réseaux avertisseurs d'incendie».

No edition year is given. Article 353 references CAN/ULC-S531 for smoke alarms, also without a year.

Both codes contain a general rule that resolves the edition. Code de construction, article 1.05, and Code de sécurité, article 343, are worded almost identically:

Une référence dans le présent chapitre à une norme, y compris à un code, est, le cas échéant, une référence à cette norme telle qu'elle est adoptée par un chapitre du Code de construction, du Code de sécurité ou d'un autre règlement adopté en vertu de la Loi sur le bâtiment.

Our translation: "A reference in this chapter to a standard, including to a code, is, where applicable, a reference to that standard as it is adopted by a chapter of the Construction Code, of the Safety Code or of another regulation made under the Building Act."

So the operative reference tables live inside the adopted national codes, not in the Quebec regulation text.

What we could open. The amending decree D. 437-2025, made 19 March 2025 and published in the Gazette officielle du Québec on 2 April 2025, reproduces amendments to table 1.3.1.2., the referenced-documents table. We read the following rows:

(Gazette officielle du Québec, Partie 2, D. 437-2025.)

CAN/ULC-S524:2019 is the installation edition Quebec references. That is verified.

What we could not open. We could not extract the S537 or S536 rows from that decree, and we could not read the full text of Division B article 3.2.4.5 in the Quebec-modified NBC 2020. We are therefore not stating which edition of S537 or S536 applies in Quebec. See the section on what we could not verify.

The RBQ's own competency documents do name both standards. The RBQ publishes a competency profile for subcategory 13.2. Among the competencies expected of a 13.2 licence holder:

Assurer la mise à l'essai de tous les composants du réseau d'alarme incendie en conformité avec la norme CAN/ULC-S537

Effectuer l'évaluation du réseau en conformité avec la norme CAN/ULC-S536

Our translation: "Ensure the testing of all components of the fire alarm system in conformity with standard CAN/ULC-S537." / "Carry out the evaluation of the system in conformity with standard CAN/ULC-S536."

(RBQ, Profil de compétences, sous-catégorie 13.2.)

That is a competency profile, not a code provision. It tells you what the RBQ expects a 13.2 licence holder to be able to do. It does not, by itself, impose a duty on a building owner.

Separately, the RBQ's technical sheet ties the Safety Code's periodic verification obligation to S536:

Les vérifications exigées par le CBCS doivent être faites à intervalle régulier conformément à la norme CAN/ULC – S536, Inspection et mise à l'essai des réseaux avertisseurs d'incendie.

Our translation: "The verifications required by the Building chapter of the Safety Code must be carried out at regular intervals in conformity with standard CAN/ULC-S536, Inspection and testing of fire alarm systems."

The electrician trade, and one definition worth knowing

Quebec splits electrical qualification down two tracks, and confusing them is a common error.

On construction sites. The trades are governed by the CCQ under the Act respecting labour relations, vocational training and workforce management in the construction industry (R-20). The trade definitions live in R-20, r. 8. Article 21 defines the electrician trade, and its second paragraph is directly on point:

Le terme «électricien» désigne également toute personne qui fait des travaux d'installation, de réfection, de modification, de réparation et d'entretien des divers systèmes de sécurité tels alarme-incendie, alarme-intrusion, carte d'accès et caméra vidéo.

Our translation: "The term 'electrician' also designates any person who performs installation, refitting, modification, repair and maintenance work on the various security systems such as fire alarm, intrusion alarm, access card and video camera."

This is an official Quebec source stating in plain terms that fire alarm work falls within the electrician trade. No other province we have written about names fire alarm inside its electrician trade definition this explicitly.

The same article creates a specialty within the trade:

Spécialité d'installateur de systèmes de sécurité: Le terme «installateur de systèmes de sécurité» désigne toute personne qui fait des travaux d'installation, de réfection, de modification, de réparation et d'entretien des divers systèmes de sécurité tels alarme-incendie, alarme-intrusion, carte d'accès et caméra vidéo, à l'exclusion des installations électriques définies au paragraphe 3 de l'article 2 de la Loi sur les installations électriques.

Les travaux décrits dans la juridiction de l'installateur de systèmes de sécurité ne comprennent pas la pose des conduits et du câblage dans ces conduits, sauf pour les travaux nécessitant dans leur totalité moins d'une journée de travail et moins de 150 m de conduits et de pose de câblage à l'intérieur desdits conduits.

Our translation: "Security systems installer specialty: the term 'security systems installer' designates any person who performs installation, refitting, modification, repair and maintenance work on the various security systems such as fire alarm, intrusion alarm, access card and video camera, excluding electrical installations defined in paragraph 3 of section 2 of the Electrical Installations Act. The work described within the jurisdiction of the security systems installer does not include the laying of conduit and of the cabling inside that conduit, except for work requiring in total less than one working day and less than 150 m of conduit and of cabling laid inside that conduit."

That 150 m threshold is the sort of detail that only exists in Quebec. Work it out before you bid.

The corresponding right to work is the certificat de compétence compagnon (CCC) issued by the CCQ. (CCQ.)

Off construction sites. Quebec's own guidance is explicit that the two systems do not overlap:

Les travaux visés par le certificat en électricité s'effectuent dans un contexte hors construction [...] Pour les travaux réalisés sur les chantiers assujettis à cette loi, il faut détenir un certificat de compétence délivré par la Commission de la construction du Québec.

Our translation: "The work covered by the electricity certificate is performed in a non-construction context [...] For work carried out on sites subject to that Act, a competency certificate issued by the Commission de la construction du Québec must be held."

The non-construction certificate is the certificat de qualification en électricité (CÉ), and Quebec states it is issued by the ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, not by the CCQ. (Québec.ca.)

The firm. Beyond the RBQ licence, an electrical contractor must belong to the CMEQ. The Loi sur les maîtres électriciens (c. M-3), section 21:

1. Quiconque n'est pas membre en règle de la Corporation est passible d'une amende de 5 000 $ à 25 000 $ dans le cas d'un individu et d'une amende de 15 000 $ à 75 000 $ dans le cas d'une personne morale si: 1° elle exerce au Québec comme maître électricien; 2° elle laisse entendre, fait présumer ou croire erronément qu'elle a le droit d'exercer le métier de maître électricien ou usurpe le titre de maître électricien ou d'entrepreneur électricien.

Our translation: "Anyone who is not a member in good standing of the Corporation is liable to a fine of $5,000 to $25,000 in the case of an individual and of $15,000 to $75,000 in the case of a legal person if: 1° they practise in Quebec as a master electrician; 2° they suggest, imply or wrongly cause it to be believed that they have the right to practise the trade of master electrician, or usurp the title of master electrician or electrical contractor."

The Building Act ties the two together: among the conditions for holding a licence, an applicant must establish, where the Act respecting master electricians requires membership in the CMEQ, that the corresponding fees have been paid. (Loi sur le bâtiment · Loi sur les maîtres électriciens.)

Verification: what we found, and what we did not

The question a technician actually asks is: who is allowed to sign an S537 verification in Quebec?

Here is the honest state of the evidence.

We found no Quebec provision naming a person. We searched the full text of the Code de sécurité, chapter VIII, for qualification, compétence, certificat and licence. The word licence does not appear anywhere in the Code de sécurité. The qualification-related hits in that regulation fall in chapter IX, on bathing areas, not chapter VIII. Chapter VIII, Bâtiment, does not name a qualification for anyone performing work on a fire alarm system.

What the RBQ says instead. Its technical sheet says a 13.2 licence holder peut installer et vérifier fire alarm and detection systems, and that inspection alone requires no licence. Its 13.2 competency profile lists S537 testing and S536 evaluation as competencies of the licence. Neither document names an individual designation, a training programme, or a signatory.

The RBQ does point at an industry association, in the same paragraph as its licence register:

Le Registre des détenteurs de licence permet de s'assurer que l'entrepreneur détient la ou les sous-catégories appropriées. Vous pouvez aussi consulter des associations professionnelles telles que l'Association canadienne d'alarme incendie pour trouver un entrepreneur.

Our translation: "The Register of licence holders makes it possible to confirm that the contractor holds the appropriate subcategory or subcategories. You may also consult professional associations such as the Canadian Fire Alarm Association to find a contractor."

That is a suggestion for finding a contractor. It is not a requirement, and it does not make association registration a legal condition of doing the work in Quebec. Read it as exactly what it says.

Quebec vs Ontario

Both provinces sit on the same national CAN/ULC standards. They regulate the people completely differently.

The practical consequence: in Ontario the qualification travels with the person. In Quebec it travels with the business. An Ontario technician's credential means nothing to the RBQ, and a Quebec licence means nothing to an Ontario fire inspector, because they are answers to different questions.

Compare with Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, and see the national standards that all four provinces build on.

The rest of the country

Quebec is the only province found that regulates the firm rather than the person. Of the rest, four name a qualification for an individual: Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba — whose Fire Code, M.R. 82/2023, Division B, Article 6.3.1.5 names the CFAA program in the regulation itself — and Newfoundland and Labrador, whose NLR 45/12, s. 8(3) requires a licence and is the only Canadian rule found that reaches verification. Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island name nobody; British Columbia has no provincial rule and only Vancouver's by-law. Detail: Manitoba · Saskatchewan · Atlantic Canada.

What we could not verify

Listed plainly. Nothing here is asserted anywhere else on this page.

1. Which edition of CAN/ULC-S537 Quebec references, or whether it appears in the Quebec reference tables at all. The string does not appear in either regulation on LégisQuébec, and we could not extract an S537 row from the D. 437-2025 table 1.3.1.2. We could not read Division B, Part 3 of the Quebec-modified NBC 2020 in full.
2. Which edition of CAN/ULC-S536 Quebec references. Same reason. The RBQ names S536 on an information sheet without an edition year.
3. The full verbatim text of NBC 2020 mod. Québec article 3.2.4.5. We confirmed from the reference table that S524:2019 is cited at 3.2.4.5.(1) and S540-13 at 3.2.4.5.(3), but we did not read the article itself.
4. Whether Quebec's appendix 1 amendments to the NFC 2020 change the Part 6 fire alarm testing requirements. We found no occurrence of S524, S536 or S537 in the appendix text published on LégisQuébec, but we could not read the whole appendix.
5. Who signs a verification report in Quebec. No Quebec source we opened names a signatory, a designation or a professional seal for an S537 verification.
6. The status of the 7 July 2026 draft regulations extending the transitional period to 17 October 2027. They were published for comment. We did not confirm adoption.
7. The currency of the RBQ's 13.2 exam information sheet. It lists CAN/ULC-S524-06, S536-04 and S537-04 as exam reference documents. Those are older than the editions in the current code, and the sheet is undated in what we could read. Treat it as an exam bibliography, not a statement of the law.

An honest gap is more useful to you than a confident guess. If you need a definitive answer on any of the above, the RBQ answers questions at 1-800-361-0761.

Where to read the text, free

• LégisQuébec publishes the Loi sur le bâtiment, the Code de construction, the Code de sécurité and the qualification regulation in full, free. Each page carries the notice "Ce document a valeur officielle", this document has official value. The consolidations we read were current to 1 April 2026.
• The consolidated code with the national text. The NRC publishes Code de construction du Québec, Chapitre I : Bâtiment, et Code national du bâtiment : Canada 2020 (modifié) as a free PDF, in a first printing (2025) and a second printing (modified version, 2026). ISBN 978-0-660-77351-3 and 978-0-660-77350-6, DOI 10.4224/qjwe-y253, via the NRC Publications Archive. This is the document to open if you need the actual article text and reference tables.
• The RBQ licence register. Before hiring or subcontracting, confirm the subcategories through the Registre des détenteurs de licence. Building Act s. 46 makes using an unlicensed contractor an offence for the contractor who hires them, not only for the one who lacks the licence.

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General information, not legal advice. Verified against the French text published on LégisQuébec, consolidations current to 1 April 2026, and against RBQ publications retrieved 16 August 2026. The French text governs. Confirm current requirements with the RBQ or your authority having jurisdiction before relying on this for a specific project.

CAN/ULC standards are copyrighted documents available from UL Standards & Engagement and authorised resellers. No standard text is reproduced here.

Fire Alarm Academy is not affiliated with, endorsed by or accredited by the Régie du bâtiment du Québec, the Commission de la construction du Québec, the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec, the Canadian Fire Alarm Association, ULC Standards, or any authority having jurisdiction or industry association.