Ontario Association of Property Standards Officers (OAPSO) Practice Exam

During an inspection, a PSO works to enforce property standards by identifying hazards, documenting findings, and advising on what needs to be done to bring the property into compliance. These steps are part of the inspector’s role in assessing conditions, recording what’s observed, and guiding building owners on remediation.

Changing or amending a by-law is not something the PSO does on-site. By-laws are established or amended through a municipal process involving council and proper approvals. The PSO can flag issues and recommend actions, but the authority to alter the rule itself lies outside the inspection duties.

So the action that isn’t typically performed during an inspection is changing the by-law. The other actions—identifying hazards, documenting findings, and advising remediation—are standard parts of the process.