What is this Service?

Building Permits and Inspections Services are governed under provincial legislation, with the goal to protect the public.

Specific objectives include:

• Ensuring buildings and structures are constructed, renovated or demolished in a safe and orderly manner.
• Undertaking reviews and inspections to verify whether new construction or renovation has incorporated the minimum building standards for health, life safety, accessibility, structural sufficiency, environmental integrity and energy efficiency.
• Issuing building permits and enforcing provincial building code legislation and applicable law.

Influencing Factors:

• Complexity:  Size and technical complexity of permit applications and construction work requiring varying amounts of review/inspection times e.g. Industrial, Institutional, Commercial and High Rise Residential applications, offer more unique circumstances to review and assess, while residential construction tends to require more inspections and attention.
• Geography:  Can lead to more travel time, fewer inspections per day resulting in higher costs per permit.  Some municipalities deliver services from more than one location which requires more resources and raises costs.
• Inspection Services: Nature of the inspection process varies by project, and by municipality.
• Legislative Changes: Administering new requirements of provincial Building Code Acts and the  Provincial Building Codes and other revisions or ‘new’ Acts and Regulations, adds to the process for review and inspection and increases operating costs, short term and long term (this does not take into consideration the regulatory regime in other provinces).
• Municipal Policy:  Permit requirements will vary between jurisdictions, i.e. phasing of permits (one for the foundation, one for plumbing, one for the structure, etc. versus one that covers all phases of construction).