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Engineering is a licensed profession in every province. An engineer's seal and signature on a drawing or report mean a licensed professional takes responsibility for it, which is why municipalities often ask for engineered drawings before issuing a permit for structural work.
This page explains when you need a structural engineer, how the profession is regulated, what an assessment and a stamped drawing include, and how the work fits with permits and contractors.
When you need a structural engineer: load-bearing walls, beams, foundations, decks and rooftop loads
Call an engineer whenever a change affects what holds the house up, or when something suggests the structure is moving. The answer is often a fairly simple beam, post or reinforcement, but it has to be calculated for your house, not guessed.
- Removing a load-bearing wall or cutting a wide opening in one for an open-concept layout, which calls for a beam, posts and a continuous path for the load down to the foundation.
- Sagging, bouncy or cracked floors, or beams and joists that were cut, notched or overloaded in past renovations.
- Foundation cracks that are widening, walls that bow or lean, or plans to underpin and lower a basement.
- Additions, second storeys and new openings in exterior walls, including large patio doors and windows.
- Decks, balconies and porches, especially raised ones or those meant to carry a hot tub.
- Solar panels, a rooftop heat pump or other heavy equipment on an existing roof, adding weight on top of the snow load.
- Damage after a fire, a flood, a vehicle impact or a fallen tree.
Structural engineer, home inspector or foundation contractor: who assesses what
A home inspector flags symptoms, such as a crack, a deflecting beam or an out-of-level floor, and recommends further evaluation. A foundation contractor repairs cracks and waterproofs walls, and some offer assessments tied to their own solutions. A structural engineer, independent of the repair, diagnoses the cause and designs a fix any qualified contractor can price. For crack injection, waterproofing and repair methods, see the foundation repair and foundation crack pages; for movement, bowing walls or underpinning, bring the engineer in first.
Structural engineering services for homeowners: assessments, design drawings and site reviews
A structural engagement answers a specific question: can this wall come out, why is this floor sagging, is this crack a concern, can this roof carry panels. The narrower and clearer the question, the more useful the answer.
- Condition assessment: a site visit and a written report on a specific problem, with findings, likely causes, recommendations and the limits of what could be observed.
- Letter of opinion: a short signed letter on a narrow question, such as whether a roof can carry solar panels or whether a crack is structural.
- Design drawings: sealed drawings for a beam, a reinforcement, a deck, an addition's framing or a foundation repair, ready for a permit application.
- Site review: visits during construction, typically before new framing is covered, to confirm the work matches the drawings, followed by a letter for the permit file.
- Specialist input: a geotechnical engineer when the soil, the water table or a slope is in question.
What a stamped structural drawing shows: beam sizes, posts, connections and footings
In Ontario, the Professional Engineers Act requires every licence holder to have a seal issued by PEO, and sealing a drawing indicates it is final for its intended purpose and was prepared by, or under the supervision of, a licensed engineer who takes responsibility for it. In Quebec, the OIQ explains that engineers must authenticate the engineering documents they prepare or supervise, and that only preliminary documents, such as those issued for comment, are exempt. A good residential drawing is specific enough that the contractor has nothing left to guess.
- Member sizes and materials: the beam and its grade, or its engineered-wood or steel specification, and the posts that carry it.
- Connections: how the beam bears on the posts and the posts on footings, with hangers, bolts or welds specified.
- Footings: the size and depth of new or reinforced footings under concentrated loads.
- Temporary shoring: how the structure must be supported while the wall comes out.
- General notes: design loads, code references and conditions the contractor must confirm on site.
Structural work and building permits: from sealed drawings to final inspection
Structural work almost always needs a building permit, and the engineer's drawings are usually the heart of the application.
- Engineer's visit and drawings: assessment and design come first, before any demolition.
- Permit application: the drawings go to the municipality with the application, often alongside the designer's or architect's plans.
- Construction: the contractor installs shoring and builds exactly what's drawn; any change on site goes back to the engineer.
- Site review: the engineer checks key stages, such as the beam and its connections before the ceiling is closed.
- Municipal inspections: the building inspector checks the work at the stages the permit requires.
- Records: keep the sealed drawings, site review letters and permit closure together, since buyers and insurers may ask for them.
Structural engineer licensing: P.Eng. in Ontario and other provinces, the OIQ in Quebec
Engineering is regulated province by province. Engineers Canada explains that titles such as Professional Engineer or P.Eng., or any title including the word engineer, can only be used by people who are licensed, and that you must be licensed by the regulator of the province or territory where the title is used. There are 12 provincial and territorial regulators, including Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) and, in Quebec, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ).
Both publish directories. PEO's lets you search licence holders and firms holding a certificate of authorization, and the OIQ's lets anyone look up an engineer on its roll and check their status. A licence covers the profession as a whole, so also ask whether the engineer regularly handles residential structural work.
Structural Engineers: frequently asked questions
Do I need an engineer to remove a load-bearing wall?
In practice, yes. The beam, posts and footings that replace the wall must be sized for your house, and municipalities commonly ask for engineered or otherwise code-compliant drawings before issuing a permit. Never let anyone remove a load-bearing wall on a rule of thumb.
How can I tell whether a wall is load-bearing?
Clues include walls that run perpendicular to the floor joists, walls near the middle of the house and walls with another wall or a beam directly below, but only someone who can see the framing can confirm it. An engineer checks from the attic and basement and, if needed, through a small opening.
Can a structural engineer tell me whether a foundation crack is serious?
Yes, it's one of the most common residential requests. The engineer looks at the crack's pattern, width and direction, whether it's still moving and what's happening around it, then tells you whether it's cosmetic, a water problem or a sign of movement that needs structural repair.
Do I need an engineer before installing solar panels?
Often. Panels add weight and wind loads to a roof that already carries snow, and municipalities and installers frequently want an engineer's letter confirming the roof can carry them, especially on older framing.
Will the engineer check the contractor's work?
Only if site review is part of the mandate. Ask for at least one visit before new framing is covered, and a letter at the end confirming the work matches the drawings; it's useful for the permit file and when you sell.
Sources
- Use of professional title and designations — Engineers Canada
- Engineering regulators — Engineers Canada
- Directory of practitioners — Professional Engineers Ontario
- P.Eng. seal — Professional Engineers Ontario
- Directory of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec
- Signature and seal explained to the public — Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec
Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Reviewed by Zubair Afzal on September 10, 2026. How we write and check our guides