Enforcement

State of Safety 2025

Our Enforcement Approach

As a regulator, we apply a fair, progressive, and proportionate approach to enforcement. Our actions are focused on reducing public risk and preventing the operation of unqualified individuals or businesses, as well as unpermitted equipment and systems. We maintain records of duty holders’ activities to identify and address repeated non-compliance when necessary.

Our primary objective is to protect public safety and strengthen confidence in the safety system by supporting duty holders in achieving compliance. This approach is consistent with our mandate to oversee public safety associated with regulated technical systems and equipment.

Learn more about our approach to enforcement.

201

Compliance and Enforcement Investigations Conducted

45

Compliance Orders Issued

1

Contractor Licence Suspended in 2025

Enforcement for Compliance and Safety

In British Columbia, anyone who advertises, performs, or authorizes regulated work must comply with the legal requirements set out in the Safety Standards Act and associated regulations. When non-compliances are identified, we first work with duty holders to help them understand their obligations and support timely correction. If issues persist or the level of risk increases, Technical Safety BC applies additional enforcement measures, which may include compliance orders, discipline orders, monetary penalties (up to $100,000), and the suspension or cancellation of a contractor’s licence. In 2025, we conducted 201 compliance and enforcement investigations, resulting in 45 compliance orders and 25 warning notices. We also issued five discipline orders, attached terms and conditions to three contractors’ licenses and one Field Safety Representative (FSR) certificate, and suspended one contractor’s licence.

In 2025, one monetary penalty was imposed in the amount of $30,500. The penalty related to unauthorized gas work carried out by a contractor operating with an expired licence and without required permits. Although the contractor eventually returned to compliance, this occurred only after multiple warnings over several months. Due to the prolonged non‑compliance and failure to pay the penalty, Technical Safety BC enforced the penalty through the Courts. Under the Court Order Enforcement Act, unpaid penalties may be enforced through the seizure of assets and the registration of interests against property.

Learn more about the types of enforcement actions we take and what they mean for businesses and contractors.

Compliance and Enforcement by Year (2021 - 2025)

Compliance and Enforcement by Technology in 2025

Note: Enforcement activity has changed since 2021 as a result of improvements to how compliance risks are identified and managed, including a shift from permit‑level to licence‑level oversight. In 2025, about 74 percent of cases escalated to enforcement were closed without formal action, reflecting that the majority of duty holders came into compliance with their legal requirements. Overall, these changes have improved compliance outcomes through monitoring, communication, and targeted intervention.

Enforcement Actions Added to Find a Licensed Contractor Tool

A key component of building confidence in the safety system is ensuring the public has access to important information about the licensed contractor they are choosing to hire. This includes details about the contractor’s compliance with legal requirements.

In 2025, we made improvements to our Find a Licensed Contractor in BC lookup tool. The number of enforcement actions taken against Gas, BPVR, and Electrical licensed contractors is now publicly posted on our website and can be found when searching for contractors in the tool. This increased transparency enables British Columbians to make more informed decisions when hiring a licensed contractor.

Shared Accountability and Compliance Oversight

In 2025, we strengthened our oversight by shifting from permit‑level responses to a risk‑based, licence‑level approach in support of our Shared Accountability and Grey Market strategies. When patterns of non-compliance are identified, we may require duty holders to develop and implement plans demonstrating how they will return to and maintain compliance. We also expanded notifications to homeowners and businesses affected by unresolved safety hazards, unlicensed work, or unpermitted installations, helping them understand the associated risks, potential insurance impacts, and when a licensed contractor may be needed to complete corrective work.

As part of this enhanced oversight, we introduced monitoring tools that can be used when elevated risk, repeated non‑compliance, or persistent non-compliance is identified. Tailored monitoring plans remain in place until the duty holder demonstrates full compliance. This approach supports early identification of escalating risks and timely intervention, while reinforcing public trust in the safety system.

Regulatory Audit and Compliance Plan Requirements

One notable case involved a licensed contractor connected to an incident where work had been carried out without the required licence or permits. A regulatory audit identified widespread, recurring non‑compliances across the contractor’s operations, including regulated work performed by unqualified individuals and without the required permits.

The contractor was required to bring all affected sites into full compliance. This included obtaining permits for more than 50 sites, inspecting work performed at each location, correcting deficiencies, and submitting declarations and photographic evidence confirming compliance. The contractor was cooperative throughout the process, and this was taken into account when determining the enforcement actions applied.

To protect the public and hold the contractor accountable, discipline orders were issued. These orders prohibited the contractor from taking on new work or pulling permits until all non‑compliant work was resolved, required full implementation of their compliance plan within set timelines, and restricted the FSR from being named on any other licence until conditions were met. The FSR was also required to complete additional professional development and re‑examination to maintain certification.

Monitoring, Audit, and Escalated Enforcement

Another case demonstrates the value of licence-level monitoring in identifying an escalating risk. The situation began with a site‑specific compliance order addressing outstanding code violations. Once monitoring tools were introduced, the contractor’s performance was assessed at the licence level, allowing for a broader view of their compliance history.

Monitoring identified ongoing concerns and triggered a full‑scope regulatory audit, which confirmed widespread and recurrent non‑compliance across permitting, code requirements, and duties to cooperate. Enforcement escalated accordingly. A Discipline Order was issued, which applied terms and conditions to the contractor’s licence, prohibited new work, required the development and implementation of a compliance plan, and prevented the company, its directors, and affiliated entities from applying for a new licence while conditions remained in place.

When the contractor failed to meet these requirements and non‑compliance continued to escalate, their licence was revoked in early 2026, preventing them from operating as a licensed contractor in BC. Following the revocation, we will notify impacted clients of the contractor of any outstanding code violations, associated safety risks, and — where required — the need to hire a licensed contractor to remediate unsafe or non‑compliant work.