Resource · Canada · checked October 16, 2026

The CEC for electrical estimators: editions, provincial amendments and takeoffs

The Canadian Electrical Code, Part I (CSA C22.1) is the installation code every province and territory builds its electrical rules on. CSA Group updates it every three years, the current 26th edition was published in 2024, and each province decides when to enforce a new edition and what to amend. For an estimator, that means the province and the permit date decide which rules a takeoff is priced to.

Facts on this page come from CSA Group, Technical Safety BC, the Government of Alberta, the Electrical Safety Authority and the Régie du bâtiment du Québec, checked on October 16, 2026 and listed under Sources. This is a planning summary, not code advice: the code text and your authority having jurisdiction decide.

Key takeaways

CSA Group updates the CEC every three years. The 26th edition, CSA C22.1:24, supersedes the editions published in 2021, 2018 and 2015.
BC has enforced the 2024 edition since March 4, 2025 and Alberta since April 1, 2025. In Ontario, the 29th Ontario Electrical Safety Code took effect on May 1, 2025.
Quebec's Code de construction, chapitre V – Électricité, moved to the 2021 edition on March 26, 2026, with a six-month transition period.
In BC and Alberta, the date the permit was issued decides which edition the work follows.
Provincial amendments change takeoff lines. Ontario, for example, requires a 14-50R range receptacle in every single dwelling and in every dwelling unit of an apartment or similar building.

On this page: What the CEC is · Edition cycle · 2024 changes · Provinces · Takeoffs · How VOLTA follows it · Voltage drop and conduit fill · FAQ · Sources

What the CEC is, and who writes it

The Canadian Electrical Code, Part I, Safety Standard for Electrical Installations sets requirements for installing and maintaining electrical systems and equipment, to protect people and property. Volunteer experts write it through a consensus process, and the CSA Technical Committee on the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I reviews and approves each revision. CSA Group says all provinces and territories in Canada reference CSA C22.1 as the basis for their own electrical safety acts and regulations, and that each one chooses which edition it references.¹

That makes it the electrical code Canada's inspectors work from, but never on its own: a province adopts an edition by regulation, often with amendments, and the provincial version is the one a job is inspected to. CSA Group sells the code book through its online store, and in Ontario the provincial edition is sold as the Ontario Electrical Safety Code.

The edition cycle: a new CEC every three years

The 26th edition, CSA C22.1:24, was published in 2024 and supersedes the editions published in 2021, 2018 and 2015. Its preface says the Committee on the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I approved it at meetings in June 2023.²

Publication is not adoption. A province enforces a new edition only from the date its own rules set, so different provinces can be on different editions at the same time. On October 16, 2026, BC, Alberta and Ontario were working from the Canadian Electrical Code 2024 edition, while Quebec's construction code had moved to the 2021 edition in March 2026.

What the 2024 edition changed that shows up in an estimate

CSA Group's summary of the 26th edition lists these changes, among others:²

Section 2: means to reduce arcing fault clearing time must be provided and documented for overcurrent devices rated 1200 A or more. On a large service, that is equipment and paperwork to price.
Section 6: the permission to use a bare neutral in consumer's service raceways is removed, so a service neutral in a raceway can no longer be bare.
Section 66: extension cords that may be plugged into portable generators or portable power distribution equipment need ground fault circuit interrupter protection, which belongs in the temporary power line.
Section 68: pools, tubs and spas get substantial revisions and new requirements, including where the disconnecting means goes.

How provinces adopt the CEC, with amendments

CEC BC: the 2024 edition since March 4, 2025

Technical Safety BC's information bulletin of June 11, 2024 announced the adoption of the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I, 26th edition (CSA C22.1-24) as the BC Electrical Code, effective March 4, 2025. The transition rules are specific:³

Work under an installation permit issued before March 4, 2025 generally follows the 2021 (25th) edition until it is complete, even if it finishes later.
That work may follow the 2024 edition instead if it finishes after March 4, 2025 and the licensed electrical contractor declares the 2024 edition on the permit application.
Mixing sections between editions is not permitted, and permits issued after March 4, 2025 must follow the 2024 edition.
Contractors working with local governments that run their own electrical permits should check those governments' transition policies.

BC permit fees are in what an electrical permit costs in BC, and licensing is in how to get an electrical contractor licence in BC.

Alberta: the 2024 edition since April 1, 2025

The Government of Alberta lists CSA C22.1-24, the Canadian Electrical Code (26th edition), as declared in force on April 1, 2025; the 25th edition was in force from February 1, 2022 to March 31, 2025.⁴ Municipal Affairs' notice on the new code says permits issued before April 1, 2025 under the 2021 edition are considered in compliance with the Safety Codes Act, permits issued on or after that date must conform to the 2024 edition, and installations already in progress generally do not have to be updated unless the authority having jurisdiction finds an unsafe condition.⁵ Alberta also publishes interpretations, bulletins and province-wide variances as electrical STANDATA, which are worth reading before you price to a rule.⁶

Ontario: the 29th edition, in effect since May 1, 2025

The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) announced on November 15, 2024 that the 29th edition of the Ontario Electrical Safety Code (OESC) comes into effect on May 1, 2025, and published the Ontario-specific amendments it contains. ESA listed the book at $243 in print and $217 as a PDF, sold through CSA Group.⁷ Three of the amendments show how a province changes a takeoff:⁸

Rule 26-744 4): a receptacle of CSA configuration 14-50R is installed at a suitable location in every single dwelling and in every dwelling unit of an apartment or similar multi-dwelling building, to supply an electric range. The exceptions are in Subrule 14).
Rule 8-202 3): the calculated load for a service or feeder supplying two or more dwelling units follows the Ontario method set out in the amended rule, and that calculation sets the service size you price.
Rule 2-004: a contractor files a notification with the Electrical Safety Authority of any work on an electrical installation, so the notification belongs on the estimate as its own line.

Quebec: chapter V on the 2021 edition since March 26, 2026

In Quebec, electrical installations follow the Code de construction, chapitre V – Électricité, which the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) administers. The RBQ says the chapter is built on the 25th edition of the Canadian Electrical Code with changes specific to Quebec, and that the update came into force on March 26, 2026.⁹ Its announcement of March 12, 2026 adds a six-month transition period for the Code de construction, and changes to the Code de sécurité that apply standards according to the year an installation was built.¹⁰ In 2026, then, a Quebec estimate is priced to a different base edition than one in Ontario or BC.

Other provinces and territories

Every other jurisdiction also references CSA C22.1 and picks its own edition and adoption date. Confirm the edition and any amendments with your provincial or territorial authority before you price to a rule.

How editions and amendments change a takeoff

The permit date picks the edition. In BC and Alberta, the date the permit is issued decides which edition applies, so a bid for a job permitted before the cutover can follow different rules from one permitted after it. Put the edition on the estimate.
Amendments add lines. Ontario's 14-50R range receptacle in every dwelling unit is a device line multiplied by the unit count on a multi-unit job.
Load calculations size the service. When a province sets its own calculated-load method, as Ontario does for two or more dwelling units, the service and feeder sizes you price follow that method.
New editions change materials. Under the 2024 edition, a service neutral in a raceway can no longer be bare, and extension cords that may be plugged into portable generators need GFCI protection.
Paperwork is a cost. Notifications, permits and inspections differ by province. Carry each on its own line with the issuing authority named.

How VOLTA assemblies follow the CEC

VOLTA's assemblies are written for Canadian work. Residential suites are priced in NMD90, commercial fit-outs in RW90 conductors pulled in EMT, and mechanical equipment is fed in TECK90. The wire report shows each line's formula with that day's inputs and lists the assumptions behind it, naming the source of each published figure and marking VOLTA's own allowances as such. Where it found no CEC equivalent, it says so: for the 150 mm of free conductor at each box, it cites NEC 300.14, notes that no CEC equivalent was found and treats the figure as industry practice in Canada.

The suggested quote terms include a Codes clause stating that the work is installed to the Canadian Electrical Code as adopted in the province and the requirements of the authority having jurisdiction. VOLTA does not pick the edition for you, so name the edition and the provincial amendments in the terms of each quote. The rest of what VOLTA does for Canadian contractors, from CAD pricing to GST/HST, is on the Canadian electrical estimating software hub.

Voltage drop and conduit fill: what VOLTA does not check

VOLTA prices conduit and cable as allowances from the device counts. It does not measure routes, so its wire report marks voltage drop "Not checked (routes are not measured)", and it does not size raceways for conduit fill. VOLTA has no voltage-drop or conduit-fill calculator, so both checks stay with you:

CEC voltage drop: Rule 8-102 limits voltage drop to 3% in a feeder or branch circuit and 5% from the supply side of the consumer's service to the point of utilization, as SkilledTradesBC's open training text sets it out.¹¹ Check long feeders and home runs with measured lengths before you settle conductor sizes.
CEC conduit fill: check each raceway size against the fill tables of the edition your province enforces before you price it, especially where several circuits share a run.

When either check pushes a conductor or raceway up a size, change that line in the estimate and the price follows.

Frequently asked

What is the Canadian Electrical Code?

The Canadian Electrical Code, Part I is CSA standard C22.1, the installation code that every province and territory references in its electrical safety rules. CSA Group updates it every three years, and the 26th edition was published in 2024.

What is the current edition of the CEC?

The 26th edition, CSA C22.1:24, published in 2024. BC has enforced it since March 4, 2025, Alberta since April 1, 2025, and Ontario through the 29th Ontario Electrical Safety Code since May 1, 2025. Quebec's construction code adopted the 2021 edition on March 26, 2026.

Does every province use the same CEC edition?

No. Each province and territory chooses the edition it references and when it takes effect, and many amend it: Ontario publishes Ontario-specific amendments, Quebec adds its own changes and Alberta issues province-wide variances as STANDATA.

What does the Canadian Electrical Code say about voltage drop?

Rule 8-102 limits voltage drop to 3% in a feeder or branch circuit and 5% from the supply side of the consumer's service to the point of utilization. VOLTA does not measure routes, so it reports voltage drop as not checked; run the check with measured lengths.

Does VOLTA check Canadian Electrical Code conduit fill?

No. VOLTA prices conduit and conductors as allowances from the device counts and does not size raceways, so check conduit fill against the tables of the edition your province enforces before you price a raceway size.

Where do you buy the CEC code book?

From CSA Group, which sells the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I through its online store. In Ontario the provincial edition is the Ontario Electrical Safety Code; when ESA announced the 29th edition, it listed it at $243 in print and $217 as a PDF.

Which electrical code applies in Quebec?

The Code de construction, chapitre V – Électricité, administered by the Régie du bâtiment du Québec. The RBQ says it is built on the 25th (2021) edition of the Canadian Electrical Code with changes specific to Quebec, in force since March 26, 2026 with a six-month transition period.

Sources

Each source was opened and checked on October 16, 2026.

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More for Canadian estimators: Canadian electrical estimating software · What the CEC changes and what estimating software should cost · How to estimate electrical work in Canada · Estimating glossary