Commercial Building Inspections

The new National Building Code - Alberta Edition is effective December 1, 2019.

See the New Codes Timeline or download a copy of the new code.

Building inspections for commercial, industrial and multi-unit residential buildings.

Includes new buildings and tenant improvements.

For building permit application requirements see:

Signed C-schedules must be submitted a minimum 2 business days prior to requesting a final inspection.

All trade permit inspections must be completed prior to requesting a final building inspection.

Important Information

Pending request volumes, inspections may not occur on the date requested.
Due to the “spot check” and “point in time” nature of inspections, safety codes officers will not review all work in all areas.
A limited number of inspections are included in the value of a permit. See Which Inspections Do I Need? for more information.

Service Overview

Fees

Base inspection costs are included in permit fees. See Additional Fees for more information on costs for additional inspections.

Fee Type	Fee
Minimum Fee	$158
Applied to the construction value⁽¹⁾ up to $1,000,000	$10.57 per $1,000 of construction value
Applied to the portion of the construction value exceeding $1,000,000	$9.49 per $1,000 of construction value

⁽¹⁾Construction value is defined as the total cost of materials and services. Construction value does not include: landscaping, parking lots, sidewalks, furnishings, appliances, interior window coverings, temporary service connections, insurance or bonding, interim financing, permit fees, professional consulting fees, GST.

Note: The Safety code fee is 4% of the permit cost with a minimum of $4.50 and a maximum of $560.

For more information see the 2021 Building Permit and Safety Codes Fees, effective January 1, 2021.

Additional Fees

Permit Cancellation

Requests to cancel a permit once a permit has been issued are charged a $110 fee. Refunds must be greater than $10 to be processed.

Additional Inspection Fee

Fee	Safety Codes Fee⁽¹⁾	Total
$264	$10.16	$274.16

The additional inspection fee is applied in each scenario:

(1) Deficiencies

Address not located on site, building, or suite as per City bylaws. For more information, see Commercial Construction Address Sign Standards.
Immediate building access not provided
Site is not safe to access
Project not ready for inspection
Incorrect type of inspection requested
A previously identified deficiency has not been corrected

(2) Repeated Inspections Due to Failures

The value of a permit includes 2 attempts to pass for a single type of inspection. The additional fee is charged for third inspection, and every subsequent inspection.

(3) Additional Inspections

The value of a permit includes a limited number of inspections. Additional inspections requested by contractors are charged the additional fee.

(4) Failure to Cancel an Inspection Prior to Deadline

Requests to cancel an inspection must be provided before noon on the business day prior to the inspection date.
If a request for cancellation is not provided prior to the deadline, the additional fee will be charged.

For more information see the 2021 Building Permit and Safety Codes Fees, effective January 1, 2021.

Timelines

Interim Inspections

Inspections are typically scheduled on the following business day.
Pending request volumes, inspections may not occur on the date requested.

Final Inspections

Inspections booked before noon are typically conducted the following business day.
Inspections involving Fire Rescue Service are conducted at 10am and 1pm daily.

To minimize delays for final inspections ensure:

All associated trade permit inspections completed
C-schedules are correct and submitted a minimum 2 business days prior to the desired inspection date. See C-Schedules Checklist for more information.

Inspections

Many inspections fail or are delayed due to preventable causes such as:

C-schedules are incorrect or incomplete

Combustible materials located on construction site during final inspection

Construction work still ongoing and could potentially cause harm to other people.

Use the checklists to ensure your inspections have the best chance of success.

Request Your Inspection

The following items must be completed prior to requesting an inspection.

The following information is required to request an inspection:

12-digit permit number (example: 123456789-001) or correct site address

Site contact name and phone number

Instructions for entry (lockbox code, directions to correct building, etc.)

Example: “Meet site contact at trailer on the north-east corner of the site.”

Type of inspection requested

Specifics of the area to be inspected

For example: “Inspection requested for floors 1-3 including all common areas and parkade.”

Note: Pending request volumes, inspections may not occur on the date requested.

Request Online
To request by telephone, call 311 or 780-442-5311 if calling outside Edmonton.

Commercial Building Inspections

Important Information

Service Overview

Inspections

Request Your Inspection

Frequently Asked Questions

For More Information

Edmonton Service Centre