Piping heat runs to the floor in basements

[slo-115]

Can anyone shed some light on when its necessary to drop heat runs to the floor in new construction? What if the basement is unfinished? What if the basement has infloor heat or a fireplace? It seems municipalities are all over the map on this?
Thanks

[Viperi]

from my experience it doesn't  have to run to the floor. all my houses ive done, the engineer spec'd it all as ceiling grills in basements

[Admin]

I agree.  This is from the Ontario Building Code,

6.2.4.4. Warm-Air Supply Outlets
(1) In a dwelling unit, a warm-air supply outlet shall be provided in each finished room that is located adjacent to unheated space, exterior air or exterior soil.
(2) Except as provided in Sentence (3), when a room described in Sentence (1) is located adjacent to exterior walls, such outlets shall be located so as to bathe at least one exterior wall or window with warm air, except in bathrooms, utility rooms or kitchens, where this may not be practical.
(3) Where the heating system is also designed to provide ventilation air, ceiling outlets or outlets located high on interior walls may be installed, provided the outlets are,
(a) designed for this purpose, and
(b) installed with diffusers.
(4) At least one warm-air supply outlet shall be provided for each 40 m² of floor surface area in unfinished basements serving dwelling units, located so as to provide adequate distribution of warm air throughout the basement.
(5) At least one warm-air supply outlet shall be provided for each 80 m2 of floor surface area in heated crawl spaces serving dwelling units, and it shall be located so as to provide adequate distribution of warm-air throughout the crawl space.
(6) Except for pipeless furnaces and floor furnaces, the capacity of warm-air supply outlets serving dwelling units shall be not less than the design heat loss from the area served and shall not exceed 3 kW per outlet.
(7) In basements and heated crawl spaces, the calculated heat gain from the supply ducts and plenum surfaces may be considered in calculating the design heat loss.
(8) The temperature of supply air at the warm-air supply outlets shall not exceed 70°C.
(9) Warm-air supply outlets located in finished areas shall be provided with diffusers and adjustable openings and shall not be located on a furnace plenum.
(10) Air duct systems serving storage garages shall not be interconnected with other parts of the building.

If the house was built on a slab I would definitely install low wall heat runs in the basement.  I think the more important issue is installing a return air in every bedroom.