Do I need reinforcement in a bsmt slab

Hire a GOOD concrete man... and not the lowest bidder. They know what they need to do for a job that will last.

Yes you need slab and footing reinforcement and your local code people should tell you what you need. You did get a permit didn't you?

Any concrete work that I have done or will be doing in the future will have reinforcements inbedded. Steel is a structural skeletel backbone for concrete, a sheet of 4'x8' mesh typically cost $9 and having not to rip out another floor $$$$. Even though many basments do not have control joints or mesh, you can see the result 20 years later, many of those same floors cracked and shifted. Your home does move within thousands of and inch every day. I am decorative concrete contractor doing business in Kitchener, Ontario and I have done all my jobs with reinforcement, even for my concrete countertops.

The Art of Concrete
www.artofconcrete.ca
Concrete Countertops, Concrete driveways and patios