How many permits are there, Exactly?
Navigating the permit world can be a daunting endeavor if you’ve never had to go through the process before. And let’s face it, a home-owner’s learning curve of the application circus is quite steep and possibly discouraging at times. For an event that a layman may only need to experience once in their lifetime, sometimes it’s not worth the added gray hair and after-work work. Today’s blog is here to hopefully clear the mud about the two specific types of permits you will need if you decide to build or renovate your home: Development Permits and Building Permits.
The reason why there’s two types of construction permits is because there are two regulatory bodies at play. Every parcel of land needs to follow the zoning bylaw dictated by your local jurisdiction, as well as the provincial building code for safety and construction standards. Without these two overseeing bodies, our homes wouldn’t be built safely and (for extreme context) you’d see adult massage parlours next door to daycares. Not ideal. Therefore, we have two application processes to go through: development permits for zoning bylaw review, and building permits for building code review.
The Development Permit application will cover the general size, height, and location of a structure on the land, as well as the USE of a proposed space or building. Again, we don’t necessarily want erotic massages next to daycares, so we need to ensure that a business use fits the parcel of land at hand. Your Development Officer will take a look at these key criteria, decide if your square peg fits in the square hole, determine if neighbours need to be informed of the proposed application, and make a decision on those variables. The Officer uses their own discretion when determining if a development permit will be approved or not, as it’s based on multiple deciding factors and also whether your project requires any relaxation to the rules. Asking for a bylaw relaxation can make an application higher risk, and ultimately could face a refusal if you are not able to accommodate the Officer’s requests. Sometimes it’s best to be aware of the risk before submitting an application, which helps if you’ve hired a professional to do the due diligence ahead of time.
The Building Permit application is a little more black and white, where as your project will either meet the building code or it won’t. There are ways to request alternatives to the building code if for some reason your project cannot meet the minimum requirements, but ultimately you need to provide proof that your alternative suggestion is equal or better than the minimum standards set out in the code. Ultimately, it’s typically best to ensure that your project meets the codes in order to have an approved building permit. Having a building code in place ensures that our homes and offices are built to the highest standard of safety and efficiency. Alberta has adopted and enforced the National Energy Code for Buildings (NECB) since 2015, which is part of the building permit application review process ensuring that proposed structures will increase energy efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions while reducing demand on Alberta’s energy resources. Your assigned Safety Code Officer will review the construction details of your application, ensure that you have engaged any professional(s) involvement when necessary (ie: engineer or architect), and your designs meet the energy efficiency standards in the NECB.
Knowing whether you need both a Development Permit and a Building Permit is another question altogether, and our previous post here can help determine when a permit can be triggered. Out of good practice, it’s always best to inquire with your local authority to find out when you’ll need a permit and which ones. Because, after all, these applications aren’t here to money grab or complicate your life (even though that seems like the obvious trigger), they are implemented to keep our homes and families safe which is always a welcomed thought in our books.
