Factory-Constructed Buildings

The Building By-law applies the same requirements to site-built and factory-constructed buildings. However, it can often be difficult to determine whether a factory-constructed building complies with the By-law once it has been delivered to the construction site because many of the wall, roof and floor assemblies are closed in and so their components cannot be inspected. CSA A277, “Procedure for Factory Certification of Buildings,” was developed to address this problem with regard to residential, commercial and industrial buildings. This standard describes a procedure whereby an independent certification agency can review the quality control procedures of a factory and make periodic unannounced inspections of its products. The standard is not a building code, only a procedure for certifying compliance of factory-constructed components with a building code or other standard. If a factory-constructed building bears the label of an accredited certification agency indicating that compliance with the National Building Code has been certified using the CSA A277 procedure, the accepting authority will have some assurance that the concealed components do not require re-inspection on site.