Completion (total performance)
Also: Total performance, Final completion, Contract completion, Certificate of completion
Quick definition: The statutory milestone, after substantial performance, at which a construction contract is deemed complete because the remaining work or correction of known defects falls below a small threshold set by lien legislation.
Explanation
Beginner explanation
Substantial performance means the building is usable; completion means the contract is essentially finished. In Ontario the law says when that is, based on how little work is left.
Technical explanation
Under Ontario's Construction Act, a contract is deemed complete when the cost to finish the work or correct known defects is no more than the lesser of 1% of the contract price or $5,000 (the former Construction Lien Act used a $1,000 cap). Completion is one of the events that can start the 60-day lien preservation period, for example for work done after substantial performance, and it releases the finishing Holdback once that period expires without liens. The consultant typically issues a statement of completion with the final Deficiency list.
Practical example
After the deficiency list is worked down to a single $2,400 paint touch-up on a $3.2 million project, the consultant certifies completion; the finishing holdback is released after the lien period expires.
Why it matters
Completion triggers money and legal deadlines for everyone who worked after substantial performance.
Common confusion
Not the same as Substantial performance (usable, larger threshold) or Ready-for-Takeover (CCDC contractual milestone). US contracts use "final completion".
Standards and references
- How Long Do You Have to Preserve a Construction Lien?. Lerners LLP, 2025.Widely accepted professional interpretation
Supports: Ontario completion threshold: lesser of 1% of contract price or $5,000; completion among lien triggering events; 60-day preservation - OAA/OGCA Take-Over Procedures (Document No. 100). Ontario Association of Architects and Ontario General Contractors Association, 2019.Historical record
Supports: Former CLA completion threshold ($1,000 cap); statement of completion and final deficiency list; finishing holdback · Status: Written under the former Construction Lien Act (reissued January 2019); check figures against the current Construction Act.
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VDC Stack.io. (2026). Completion (total performance). In VDC Stack.io Knowledge Dictionary. Retrieved from https://vdcstack.io/dictionary/contract-completion/