A designer setting footing depths for a new house looks in SB-1 for the depth of frost penetration at the site. Where does the Building Code say that depth is to come from?

From local experience of frost penetration in the area.

From the January 2.5 % design temperature listed in SB-1.

From a geotechnical engineer's report, required for every footing.

From the SB-1 entry for the nearest listed location.

An exterior ramp to the side door of a detached house rises 560 mm over a horizontal length of 5.0 m with no intermediate landing. It is not part of a barrier-free path of travel. Does the slope comply?

No; it is steeper than 1 in 10 and needs 5.6 m.

Yes; the 1 in 8 limit applies, and it is 1 in 8.9.

Yes; only barrier-free ramps have a slope limit.

No; any ramp steeper than 1 in 12 is prohibited.

A detached house is to be built on a lot of placed fill, so its footing sizes must be designed under Section 4.2. Under that Section, what must the subsurface investigation show before the house may be placed on the fill?

Fill fit to carry the house, no harmful movement of house or services, and explosive gas controlled.

Coarse clean granular fill with no more than 10 % passing a 4 mm sieve, placed and compacted in lifts.

An allowable bearing pressure of at least 75 kPa, with no surcharge acting on the fill at any point.

Fill that has stood in place long enough to finish settling under its own weight before construction.

An interior masonry chimney in a house passes up through a wood floor. What clearances must the combustible floor framing and the combustible subflooring keep from the chimney?

Framing at least 50 mm; subflooring at least 12 mm.

Framing and subflooring both at least 12 mm.

Framing and subflooring both at least 50 mm.

Framing at least 150 mm; subflooring at least 50 mm.

The top-storey ceiling of a detached house will carry loose-fill insulation directly on the gypsum board. The joists are at 400 mm o.c., and the ceiling will be painted. The drawings call for 9.5 mm board fixed perpendicular to the joists. What has to change?

The thickness: board that carries the loose fill has to be at least 12.7 mm.

Nothing: 9.5 mm board fixed perpendicular is allowed on ceiling supports at 400 mm.

The orientation: 9.5 mm board on a ceiling has to run parallel to the joists.

The spacing: 9.5 mm ceiling board needs supports at no more than 300 mm.

In a bungalow, a forced-air supply trunk duct runs through the vented attic. Under Div. B 9.33.6.7., what insulation and joint sealing must that duct have?

RSI 2.1 insulation, with joints sealed to SMACNA Class A.

RSI 0.5 insulation, with joints sealed to SMACNA Class A.

RSI 2.1 insulation, with joints sealed to SMACNA Class C.

RSI 0.5 insulation, with joints sealed to SMACNA Class C.

A small office building's staff change room has three showers, one built as the barrier-free shower. At inspection, its vertical grab bar on the side wall is 1 000 mm long and its lower end sits 700 mm above the finished floor. What is the correct finding?

Not compliant; the lower end belongs 600 mm to 650 mm above the floor.

Compliant; the lower end may sit anywhere from 600 mm to 900 mm high.

Not compliant; the lower end belongs 750 mm to 870 mm above the floor.

Compliant; only the bar's 1 000 mm length is set, not its height.

Free BCIN Exam Practice Questions (2024 OBC)

Ten practice questions for the Ontario Building Code (BCIN) exams House 2024 and Small Buildings 2024, each with four options and one correct answer. Both exams are set by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) and delivered by Humber Polytechnic: 70 multiple-choice questions in three hours, open book, with a pass mark of 70 per cent. These are original questions written by TicketPrep from the 2024 Building Code and MMAH's published syllabi; none of them comes from an exam. They are free to use, print and share, and there is nothing to sign up for on this page.

01How to use these

The questions come from the TicketPrep BCIN Part 9 bank, one bank written for both exams and grouped into seven study units of our own, from Unit A (compliance and administration) to Unit G (the Part 2 and Part 3 provisions that reach small buildings). The ten are spread across all seven units, each on a different one of our sub-topics. MMAH publishes the section lists each exam covers but no topic weights, so the units and the spread are ours. Zero of the ten are calculations, and one is on the Small Buildings syllabus only; every question is labelled with the exam or exams it belongs to. Answer each one before opening the explanation. Every explanation covers all four options, because knowing why a wrong answer is wrong is most of the skill.

Pace. Each exam allows 180 minutes for 70 questions, about 2 minutes 34 seconds a question. Try these at that pace, with your Code open.
Books. Both exams are open book: Humber's candidate rules allow the 2024 Building Code Compendium (Volumes 1 and 2), MMAH's Code and Construction Guide for Housing and a non-programmable calculator. The questions cite the Article they rest on, so you can practise finding it.
Print. The printed version shows the questions and the answer key without the explanations, so it works as a handout. The explanations are on the web page. Download PDF
Mark. The pass mark is 70 per cent of the whole paper, with no minimum per topic, so score yourself on all ten together, then note which units cost you marks.

02The questions

Direct response · Unit A Compliance, administration and general requirements · House and Small Buildings

A designer setting footing depths for a new house looks in SB-1 for the depth of frost penetration at the site. Where does the Building Code say that depth is to come from?
1. From local experience of frost penetration in the area.
2. From the January 2.5 % design temperature listed in SB-1.
3. From a geotechnical engineer's report, required for every footing.
4. From the SB-1 entry for the nearest listed location.
Show the answer

A. Correct. Div. B 1.1.3.2. bases the depth of frost penetration on local experience, unlike the climatic values that Div. B 1.1.3.1. takes from SB-1.

Why not the others

B. The January 2.5 % value is the outside winter design temperature under Div. B 1.1.3.1.(2); it is not a frost depth. Div. B 1.1.3.2. bases the depth of frost penetration on local experience.

C. The Code does not call for an engineer's report to fix frost depth for every footing. Div. B 1.1.3.2. bases the depth on local experience.

D. SB-1 supplies the climatic and seismic values the Code calls for, but Div. B 1.1.3.2. does not send the designer there for frost depth: it is set from local experience.

Source: 2024 Ontario Building Code, our Unit A: Compliance, administration and general requirements; Div. B 1.1.3.2.(1); Div. B 1.1.3.1.(1)
Direct response · Unit B Fire protection, fire safety and sound · House and Small Buildings

A fire alarm system is being installed in a Part 9 apartment building. With the bedroom and suite doors closed, what minimum sound pressure level must the alarm signal reach inside each bedroom?
1. 65 dBA
2. 75 dBA
3. 100 dBA
4. 110 dBA
Show the answer

B. Correct. Div. B 9.10.18.3.(1) sends Part 9 fire alarm installations to Subsection 3.2.4., and Div. B 3.2.4.18.(5) requires at least 75 dBA in a sleeping room of a residential building, measured with any doors between the device and the room closed.

Why not the others

A. 65 dBA is the general minimum within a floor area in Div. B 3.2.4.18. (together with 10 dBA above ambient); sleeping rooms in residential buildings carry the higher 75 dBA minimum of Div. B 3.2.4.18.(5).

C. 100 dBA is a ceiling, not a floor: Div. B 3.2.4.18. allows more than 100 dBA from a device only if the level 2 000 mm above the floor stays at or below 100 dBA. The bedroom minimum is 75 dBA.

D. 110 dBA is the upper limit measured 3 m from a device in normally occupied spaces (Div. B 3.2.4.18.); the requirement for a bedroom is a minimum of 75 dBA with the doors closed.

Source: 2024 Ontario Building Code, our Unit B: Fire protection, fire safety and sound; Div. B 9.10.18.3.(1) and 3.2.4.18.(5)
Direct response · Unit B Fire protection, fire safety and sound · House and Small Buildings

In a Part 9 building, a floor that needs a 45 min fire-resistance rating is to be built as heavy timber construction, using solid-sawn planks laid flat and tongued and grooved. What minimum plank thickness does heavy timber construction call for?
1. 19 mm
2. 28 mm
3. 38 mm
4. 64 mm
Show the answer

D. Correct. Div. B 9.10.6.2. credits heavy timber with 45 min when it is built to Div. B 3.1.4.7., and that Article requires floor planks (glued-laminated or solid sawn) to be at least 64 mm thick when splined or tongued and grooved, or 38 mm wide by 89 mm deep when set on edge.

Why not the others

A. 19 mm is the minimum for the tongued and grooved flooring laid crosswise or diagonally over the planks (Div. B 3.1.4.7.), not for the structural plank, which must be at least 64 mm.

B. 28 mm is the minimum for phenolic-bonded panel roof decks in heavy timber construction (Div. B 3.1.4.7.); floor planks laid flat must be at least 64 mm.

C. 38 mm is the minimum for splined or tongued and grooved roof planks in heavy timber construction (Div. B 3.1.4.7.); floor planks laid flat must be at least 64 mm.

Source: 2024 Ontario Building Code, our Unit B: Fire protection, fire safety and sound; Div. B 9.10.6.2.(1) and 3.1.4.7.
Scenario · Unit C Rooms, glazing, doors, stairs, guards and means of egress · House and Small Buildings

An exterior ramp to the side door of a detached house rises 560 mm over a horizontal length of 5.0 m with no intermediate landing. It is not part of a barrier-free path of travel. Does the slope comply?
1. No; it is steeper than 1 in 10 and needs 5.6 m.
2. Yes; the 1 in 8 limit applies, and it is 1 in 8.9.
3. Yes; only barrier-free ramps have a slope limit.
4. No; any ramp steeper than 1 in 12 is prohibited.
Show the answer

A. Correct. Div. B 9.8.5.4.(1)(a) limits exterior ramps to a slope of 1 in 10. This ramp rises 560 mm in 5 000 mm, about 1 in 8.9, which is steeper; at 1 in 10 the same rise needs 560 × 10 = 5 600 mm, or 5.6 m, of run.

Why not the others

B. 1 in 8 is the limit for ramps in other occupancies (Div. B 9.8.5.4.(1)(d)). An exterior ramp takes 1 in 10 under Clause (a), and 1 in 8.9 is too steep.

C. Div. B 9.8.5.4. limits the slope of every pedestrian ramp under Subsection 9.8.5; barrier-free ramps follow their own rules instead. This exterior ramp is held to the Clause (a) limit.

D. 1 in 12 is not a ban: Div. B 9.8.5.5. only caps the rise between landings at 1 500 mm when a ramp is steeper than 1 in 12. The governing limit for this exterior ramp is 1 in 10 (Div. B 9.8.5.4.).

Source: 2024 Ontario Building Code, our Unit C: Rooms, glazing, doors, stairs, guards and means of egress; Div. B 9.8.5.4.(1)(a) and (d); Div. B 9.8.5.5.(1)
Direct response · Unit D Structure, site, foundations and masonry · House only

A detached house is to be built on a lot of placed fill, so its footing sizes must be designed under Section 4.2. Under that Section, what must the subsurface investigation show before the house may be placed on the fill?
1. Coarse clean granular fill with no more than 10 % passing a 4 mm sieve, placed and compacted in lifts.
2. An allowable bearing pressure of at least 75 kPa, with no surcharge acting on the fill at any point.
3. Fill fit to carry the house, no harmful movement of house or services, and explosive gas controlled.
4. Fill that has stood in place long enough to finish settling under its own weight before construction.
Show the answer

C. Correct. Under Div. B 4.2.4.13. fill is acceptable only on the evidence of a subsurface investigation, and that evidence has three parts: the fill has, or can be given, the strength to carry the house; neither the house nor its service connections will suffer damaging movement; and any explosive gas in the fill is absent or controllable.

Why not the others

A. That grading is the Part 9 rule for the granular layer under a floor-on-ground (Div. B 9.16.2.1.(1)), not the Section 4.2 test for building on fill, which covers capacity, movement and explosive gas (Div. B 4.2.4.13.).

B. 75 kPa with no surcharge is the scope condition for the Part 9 prescriptive footings (Div. B 9.15.1.1.(1)); fill is taken out of those tables (Div. B 9.15.1.1.(3)), and Section 4.2 asks for the three findings on capacity, movement and gas (Div. B 4.2.4.13.).

D. Section 4.2 sets no waiting period; the investigation must show the fill can safely carry the building, that no harmful movement will occur, and that explosive gases are controlled or absent (Div. B 4.2.4.13.).

Source: 2024 Ontario Building Code, our Unit D: Structure, site, foundations and masonry; Div. B 4.2.4.13.; Div. B 9.15.1.1.(1), (3), 9.16.2.1.(1)
Direct response · Unit D Structure, site, foundations and masonry · House and Small Buildings

An interior masonry chimney in a house passes up through a wood floor. What clearances must the combustible floor framing and the combustible subflooring keep from the chimney?
1. Framing at least 50 mm; subflooring at least 12 mm.
2. Framing and subflooring both at least 12 mm.
3. Framing and subflooring both at least 50 mm.
4. Framing at least 150 mm; subflooring at least 50 mm.
Show the answer

A. Correct. Div. B 9.21.5.1.(1)(a) keeps combustible framing 50 mm from an interior masonry chimney, and Div. B 9.21.5.1.(3) lets combustible flooring, subflooring and ceiling finishes come to within 12 mm.

Why not the others

B. 12 mm is right for subflooring and is the framing clearance for an exterior chimney (Div. B 9.21.5.1.(1)(b)). Framing next to an interior chimney needs 50 mm (Div. B 9.21.5.1.(1)(a)).

C. 50 mm is right for the framing, but Div. B 9.21.5.1.(3) sets 12 mm for flooring, subflooring and ceiling finishes.

D. 150 mm is the clearance between a cleanout opening and combustible material (Div. B 9.21.5.1.(2)). Framing needs 50 mm from an interior chimney and subflooring 12 mm (Div. B 9.21.5.1.(1)(a), (3)).

Source: 2024 Ontario Building Code, our Unit D: Structure, site, foundations and masonry; Div. B 9.21.5.1.(1)(a), (b), (2), (3); Note A-9.21.5.1.(1)
Direct response · Unit E Wood-frame construction, building envelope and finishes · House and Small Buildings

A roofer is buying nails to fasten asphalt shingles on a new house. What minimum head diameter does the Building Code set for nails used with asphalt roofing?
1. 4.8 mm
2. 9.5 mm
3. 11 mm
4. 25 mm
Show the answer

B. Correct. Nails for asphalt roofing need a head at least 9.5 mm across and a shank at least 2.95 mm thick (Div. B 9.26.2.3.(3)); they must also be corrosion-resistant and long enough to go through the roof sheathing or 12 mm into it (Div. B 9.26.2.3.(1) and (2)).

Why not the others

A. 4.8 mm is the minimum head for nails used with wood shingles or shakes (Div. B 9.26.2.3.(4)); asphalt roofing needs 9.5 mm.

C. 11 mm is the narrow staple crown that needs 6 staples per 1 m shingle (Div. B 9.26.2.4.(2) and Div. B 9.26.7.4.(2)); a nail head for asphalt roofing must be 9.5 mm or more.

D. 25 mm is the usual minimum crown of staples used with asphalt shingles (Div. B 9.26.2.4.(2)), not a nail head size; nails need a 9.5 mm head (Div. B 9.26.2.3.(3)).

Source: 2024 Ontario Building Code, our Unit E: Wood-frame construction, building envelope and finishes; Div. B 9.26.2.3.(1) to (4), Div. B 9.26.2.4.(2), Div. B 9.26.7.4.(2)
Direct response · Unit E Wood-frame construction, building envelope and finishes · House and Small Buildings

The top-storey ceiling of a detached house will carry loose-fill insulation directly on the gypsum board. The joists are at 400 mm o.c., and the ceiling will be painted. The drawings call for 9.5 mm board fixed perpendicular to the joists. What has to change?
1. Nothing: 9.5 mm board fixed perpendicular is allowed on ceiling supports at 400 mm.
2. The thickness: board that carries the loose fill has to be at least 12.7 mm.
3. The orientation: 9.5 mm board on a ceiling has to run parallel to the joists.
4. The spacing: 9.5 mm ceiling board needs supports at no more than 300 mm.
Show the answer

B. Correct. Div. B 9.29.5.4.(1) sets 12.7 mm as the thinnest gypsum board allowed to carry insulation. That governs even though Div. B Table 9.29.5.3. would accept 9.5 mm board perpendicular at 400 mm on a painted ceiling.

Why not the others

A. The spacing table (Div. B Table 9.29.5.3.) alone would accept it, but Div. B 9.29.5.4.(1) adds a minimum of 12.7 mm for any gypsum board that carries insulation.

C. Div. B Table 9.29.5.3. gives 9.5 mm board run parallel no support spacing at all; in any case the board carrying the insulation has to be 12.7 mm or thicker (Div. B 9.29.5.4.(1)).

D. No 300 mm support spacing applies to this board; the problem is thickness. Board that supports insulation has to be at least 12.7 mm (Div. B 9.29.5.4.(1)).

Source: 2024 Ontario Building Code, our Unit E: Wood-frame construction, building envelope and finishes; Div. B 9.29.5.4.(1), 9.29.5.3.(1) and Table 9.29.5.3.
Direct response · Unit F Building services, energy and water efficiency · Small Buildings only

In a bungalow, a forced-air supply trunk duct runs through the vented attic. Under Div. B 9.33.6.7., what insulation and joint sealing must that duct have?
1. RSI 0.5 insulation, with joints sealed to SMACNA Class A.
2. RSI 2.1 insulation, with joints sealed to SMACNA Class C.
3. RSI 2.1 insulation, with joints sealed to SMACNA Class A.
4. RSI 0.5 insulation, with joints sealed to SMACNA Class C.
Show the answer

C. Correct. A vented attic is both unheated and unconditioned, so the duct needs insulation of RSI 2.1 or more (Div. B 9.33.6.7.(8)) and every joint sealed to SMACNA's Class A level (Sentence (9)).

Why not the others

A. RSI 0.5 is the value for ventilation exhaust ducts in unheated space (Div. B 9.32.3.11.(3)). A heating supply duct there needs RSI 2.1 (Div. B 9.33.6.7.(8)).

B. The insulation is right, but Class C is the seal level for a supply duct in conditioned space (Div. B 9.33.6.7.(10)). In an attic the joints are sealed to Class A (Sentence (9)).

D. Both parts are wrong: a supply duct in an unheated attic needs RSI 2.1 (Div. B 9.33.6.7.(8)) and Class A sealing (Sentence (9)); RSI 0.5 belongs to exhaust ducts and Class C to conditioned space.

Source: 2024 Ontario Building Code, our Unit F: Building services, energy and water efficiency; Div. B 9.33.6.7.(8), (9) and (10); Div. B 9.32.3.11.(3)
Scenario · Unit G Part 2 and Part 3 provisions for small buildings · House and Small Buildings

A small office building's staff change room has three showers, one built as the barrier-free shower. At inspection, its vertical grab bar on the side wall is 1 000 mm long and its lower end sits 700 mm above the finished floor. What is the correct finding?
1. Compliant; the lower end may sit anywhere from 600 mm to 900 mm high.
2. Not compliant; the lower end belongs 750 mm to 870 mm above the floor.
3. Not compliant; the lower end belongs 600 mm to 650 mm above the floor.
4. Compliant; only the bar's 1 000 mm length is set, not its height.
Show the answer

C. Correct. Div. B 3.8.3.13.(2)(g) calls for two grab bars in a barrier-free shower; the vertical one on the side wall is 1 000 mm long with its lower end 600 mm to 650 mm above the floor. At 700 mm this bar is too high.

Why not the others

A. No 600 mm to 900 mm band appears in Div. B 3.8.3.13.(2)(g); the vertical bar's lower end is held to 600 mm to 650 mm above the floor.

B. 750 mm to 870 mm is the mounting band for the horizontal leg of the L-shaped bar on the wall opposite the entrance (Div. B 3.8.3.13.(2)(g)); the vertical bar's lower end belongs at 600 mm to 650 mm.

D. Div. B 3.8.3.13.(2)(g) fixes the vertical bar's position as well as its length: lower end 600 mm to 650 mm above the floor, so a 700 mm lower end fails.

Source: 2024 Ontario Building Code, our Unit G: Part 2 and Part 3 provisions for small buildings; Div. B 3.8.3.13.(2)(g)

03Answer key

Question	Answer	Our unit	Exam
Q1	A	Unit A Compliance, administration and general requirements	House and Small Buildings
Q2	B	Unit B Fire protection, fire safety and sound	House and Small Buildings
Q3	D	Unit B Fire protection, fire safety and sound	House and Small Buildings
Q4	A	Unit C Rooms, glazing, doors, stairs, guards and means of egress	House and Small Buildings
Q5	C	Unit D Structure, site, foundations and masonry	House only
Q6	A	Unit D Structure, site, foundations and masonry	House and Small Buildings
Q7	B	Unit E Wood-frame construction, building envelope and finishes	House and Small Buildings
Q8	B	Unit E Wood-frame construction, building envelope and finishes	House and Small Buildings
Q9	C	Unit F Building services, energy and water efficiency	Small Buildings only
Q10	C	Unit G Part 2 and Part 3 provisions for small buildings	House and Small Buildings

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04More free questions

For the exams themselves, the BCIN exam guide covers the format, the pass mark, what you may bring, booking, fees and how the two exams nest, and the BCIN exam practice test page has five more sample questions and describes the full TicketPrep bank. Each of our seven units also has ten free questions of its own: Unit A, Unit B, Unit C, Unit D, Unit E, Unit F, Unit G. Writing a legal exam as well? The free BCIN Legal/Process questions cover General Legal/Process 2024 and Designer Legal/Process 2024.

How these questions are written and checked: how our questions are made. Found a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it. TicketPrep is an independent study site; it is not affiliated with MMAH, Humber Polytechnic or the National Research Council of Canada. Nothing here is taken from an exam, and no Building Code text, table or definition is reproduced: the questions cite Article numbers and explain each requirement in their own words.