Building Permit Review and Approval

Staff will contact you or your agent:

• When your application is approved
• If your application is incomplete or requires additional information

If additional information is required, staff will provide you with a list of items that you must address before approving your Building Permit.

Alternative Solution Submission

An Alternative Solution submission must reference a building permit application currently under review or issued building permit.

An application/proposal for an alternative solution requires:

• Application fee as per the Building By-law.
• Completed OBC Review & Administration Application Form(PDF, 176.88 KB).
• Three (3) copies of a written submission addressed to the Chief Building Official containing:
  • project address;
  • building permit application number or the original (issued) building permit number;
  • description of the situation requiring the alternative solution;
  • summary of the OBC requirements (acceptable solutions), quoting the applicable sentences or clauses under Division B;
  • summary of the objectives and functional statements associated with the OBC requirements (acceptable solutions);
  • reasons why the OBC requirements (acceptable solutions) cannot be complied with;
  • details of the alternative solution and how the alternative solution will achieve the level of performance given the associated objectives and functional statements; and
  • concluding statement by the design professional that, in their opinion, the proposed alternative solution will achieve the same level of performance.
• Three (3) copies of supporting documentation to substantiate the alternative solution proposal including drawings, testing data, results, and reports.

Note: Submission is to be prepared by a professional engineer, an architect, or qualified designer - depending on the type of building and scope of work.

After Building Permit Approval

Read the permit documents thoroughly before you start construction. All construction must be in accordance with the approved plans and documents issued with your permit.

Several inspections are required during construction to ensure that all work is done as per the approved plans.