Provincial Qualifications for ‘Designers’ revised March 2016
1. Provincial Qualifications for ‘Designers’
• The Ontario Building Code requires all interior
decorators (designers) who take responsibility for
design activities in connection with plans submitted
with building permits to pass provincial Building
Code knowledge examinations.
• If your interior decorating work (design) is not
required to be submitted for a building permit,
remember, the work must still comply with the
Building Code, if applicable, however you are not
obliged to be qualified.
2. How to Become Provincially Qualified for
Housing in Ontario
• The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing qualifies
designers ‘interior decorators, interior designers, architectural
technologists, etc) who have passed Ministry examinations on
various categories of buildings.
• You can do it!
• Once you become qualified, your design drawings can be
submitted for a building permit on behalf of your client.
• Insurance, the province does not require designers to have
insurance for alterations to dwellings, but it is a
recommended business strategy.
