Is a floor coating part of a change of use permit in Ottawa?

A floor coating on its own does not trigger a change of use permit. The Building Code Act s.10(1) requires a permit when a change of use would result in an increase in hazard, and the permit is tied to the change of use itself, not to the floor finish that happens to accompany it. If you are re-coating an existing floor in a space that stays the same use, the floor coating is not what drives the permit requirement.

Where it gets more complicated is when the floor job is part of a broader project. If a space is converting from, say, retail to a restaurant kitchen, or from storage to a food preparation area, that may be a change of use that increases hazard, which under the Building Code Act s.10 needs a permit before the use changes; talk to the City first. In that situation, the floor coating is caught up in the permit process because of the project it belongs to, not because of the coating itself.

A few other permit triggers are worth checking even when the use stays the same. Ottawa.ca lists "New flooring" and "Painting and decorating" among projects that do not require a building permit, but the page does not say clearly whether that list applies to commercial buildings, so confirm with the City for a commercial space. If the re-floor includes adding a floor drain or a trench drain, that is a plumbing alteration and needs a permit. If it involves structural slab repair, that may need one too. A designated heritage building or a building in a Heritage District Overlay is not covered by the standard exemptions.

If the floor is in a food premises, Ottawa Public Health asks to be notified when you plan to establish, build, change or significantly renovate a food premises. Whether re-coating an existing kitchen floor counts as a significant renovation is not something we found answered on the OPH site, so ask OPH before booking the work.

After the work is done, keep the written contract, the product data sheets and safety data sheets for every coating applied, any written warranty the contractor provides, and photographs of the slab condition before prep began and the finished surface after the job is complete.