Source law

You can find a complete set of provincial rules in:

The rules

Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, laboratories must be accredited and licensed to test drinking water.

In Ontario, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks:

  • licenses drinking water testing laboratories
  • inspects laboratories to help ensure  they comply with laws and rules around drinking water testing

A drinking water testing licence authorizes a laboratory to perform specific drinking water tests using approved analytical techniques.

Accreditation

A laboratory must be accredited to perform specific tests under ISO/IEC 17025:2017 before they can apply for a drinking water testing licence. This is the international standard for technical competence and quality of laboratories.

The accreditation process includes:

  • assessing a laboratory
  • witnessing and reviewing test procedures
  • evaluating Quality Management System (QMS) and technical records
  • Proficiency Testing (PT)

There are 2 accreditation bodies recognized by the ministry to accredit drinking water testing laboratories.

To get accredited, you can apply to either organization:

Standards Council of Canada

Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation

As part of the accreditation process, an audit is conducted to review and evaluate a laboratory’s testing methods.

The audit report will be provided to the ministry as part of the licensing process  and must be shared with any person, if asked.

Once your facility is accredited to certain international standards, you can apply for a licence to test drinking water. The licence allows you to test drinking water for the parameters specified on your drinking water testing licence.

A licence can be granted for at least one of the following parameter "classes":

  • microbiological
  • organic chemical
  • radioanalytical
  • physical or other
  • inorganic chemical

Applying for a drinking water testing licence

An application for a drinking water testing licence must be submitted to the ministry. A drinking water testing licence will be issued to laboratories that meet the regulatory requirements.

For laboratories located in Ontario:

For laboratories located outside of Ontario:

A ministry inspector will conduct a pre-licence laboratory inspection before issuing a drinking water testing licence. This inspection includes the evaluation of the methods your laboratory uses to test drinking water to verify that they meet requirements.

Learn more about laboratory inspections.

Fees

Laboratories must submit an annual testing fee:

  • Licence fee + 1 licensed class = $1000
  • Each additional test class = $250

Details of payment will be provided upon invoicing.

General licence requirements

A drinking water testing licence is valid for 5 years.  The licence indicates which parameters and methods a laboratory is licensed for under a specific class. Drinking water can only be tested using specific approved methods.

There is an annual licensing fee which laboratories must pay to receive their drinking water testing wall certificate. 

Laboratories must publicly display the drinking water testing wall certificate at the laboratory so that clients know what classes a laboratory is licensed to perform. A copy of the laboratory's licence should also be available upon request.

Once a laboratory is licensed to test drinking water, they are required to upload test results to the ministry’s database and must have a policy and procedure in place for this regulatory requirement. Additional information will be provided to you as part of the licensing and approval process.

Licence renewals and amendments

A drinking water testing licence must be renewed every 5 years. Laboratories must use the Drinking Water Laboratory Testing Licence form to submit the application for a renewal licence to perform drinking water testing.

This form is also used to:

  • amend a licence to change or add new tests or testing parameters
  • remove a drinking water class or parameter
  • update the laboratory name or contact information
  • apply for a director’s direction — a director’s direction may be granted to conduct a test for a specific non-licensed parameter in the event of an emergency or other special circumstance
  • voluntarily withdraw their drinking water testing licence

Testing methods

The protocol for accepted test methods sets out testing methods that may be used for the conduct of tests of Ontario drinking water. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002, only licensed laboratories located in Ontario and eligible out-of-province laboratories may conduct tests on samples of drinking water.

More information is available on Drinking water testing requirements for laboratories.

Research and method development

To conduct research or develop a new drinking water test method, submit a proposal using the Notification Form for Drinking Water Testing Research and Method Development.Proposals may include:

  • scientific studies, including special audits or surveys to assess drinking water quality
  • developing drinking water testing methods
  • a pilot study or field study to assess equipment for use as part of a drinking water system

For questions regarding the application and licensing process, contact:

The ministy’s Laboratory Licensing and Compliance Program