Have you ever heard the phrase :

“The City is holding up the permit”?

Well, I have… a few times.

There could be many reasons why a building permit takes a while to issue. Speaking from personal experience, many times this is because there are Building Code compliance issues with submitted drawings.

The fire protection and life safety requirements of the building code vary depending on the occupancy of the building, and the organization of the written document leaves the requirements seeming like somewhat of a riddle. Unfortunately, there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution as each building is unique. Because it is the role of the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) to regulate and confirm compliance with bylaws and codes, sometimes code requirements are flagged at building permit stage that had not previously been considered, leading to delays and sometimes even re-design.

Sometimes it takes many iterations (and AHJ reviews) to produce code compliant designs, which delays the permit review process for that project, as well as every other project in the queue. This isn’t an efficient use of anyone’s time or money.

“Why doesn’t the City just tell me how to fix the problem?”

Well, it’s not their job. The AHJ plays a role of enforcement, and it’s up to a design team to ensure they have sufficient knowledge to provide compliant drawings. In my opinion, an AHJ should make themselves available to comment on matters of interpretation during the design phase of a project, but should not be expected to aid in design solutions. Oftentimes they are actually prohibited from aiding in the layout of work through provincial legislation. And to be honest, wouldn’t you rather catch and resolve code issues before your design team has gone through the whole process to arrive at “100%: for BP” drawings?

“There has got to be another way!”

There is. Let’s talk about the BC Certified Professional Program, an alternative path to the conventional building permit that’s available in some municipalities.

What is the BC Certified Professional Program?

Per the EGBC website: “The Certified Professional (CP) Program is an alternative to the conventional Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) process for building permitting and monitoring of construction. As part of this alternative process the CP provides their professional assurance to the AHJ that they will take all appropriate steps to ascertain that the design will substantially comply and the construction of the project will substantially conform in all material respects with the fire and life safety, and accessibility aspects of the building code, other applicable safety enactments, and the related development permit.”

The CP program is an optional permit application stream, and does not replace the design professionals normally involved throughout building design and construction. The CP is a professional that works with the design team from day one to ensure that what is provided to the AHJ at permit application is in compliance with the building code and the CP Manual requirements.  This Building Code review replaces the review that is typically completed by the municipality at the permit review stage.  Because an accredited building code expert has been retained specifically to ensure this standard of compliance, CP projects require and are given less oversight by government staff than conventional projects.

Is there a Conflict of Interest?

Short answer, no.

Long answer (courtesy of EGBC): “The owner has an expectation that the CP is looking after the owner’s best interests. Since the CP is also acting on behalf of the AHJ in undertaking plan reviews and site reviews, the CP also has an obligation to the AHJ in respect to “Code Coordination” (refer to Section 4.2 of the CP Manual). Although there may be a perceived conflict of interest in these two roles of the CP, in actual fact there is no conflict. The CP is a registered professional architect or engineer and is bound by the bylaws and code of ethics of their professional association which mandates protection of the public as the primary responsibility of their members.”

Practising as a CP is a hard earned privilege. In order for the CP Program to operate successfully, the CP must demonstrate competence in code knowledge and must be familiar with procedures as outlined in the CP Manual. The certification is provided through EGBC and AIBC, runs only once a year, and is a rigorous and challenging course.

History of the Certified Professional Program

The program has been around for almost 40 years, and has evolved over time. Here is a brief history:

• 1978 – initiated by the City of Vancouver
• 1980 – first CP course offered and CP Committee established
• 1982 – CP Bylaw passed in Vancouver
• 1991 – CP program adopted as an alternative path to compliance in Surrey
• 2009 – administration of CP Program transferred from City of Vancouver to 2 professional associations AIBC (architects) & EGBC (engineers)
• Today – 128 active CPs and 5 BC jurisdictions using the CP Program as an option

Benefits to an Alternative Approach

Per EGBC “There are many reasons why an owner chooses to use this Alternate Permit Process. Usually the owner uses the CP permit process to expedite the building permit issuance. In some jurisdictions, the CP permit process may allow for staged permitting and staged construction, which can be attractive to fast-track projects. Staged permitting and staged construction is generally not available, except on a Certified Professional project”.

An alternative approach to compliance can improve relationships between stakeholder groups. When owners choose a person or firm to serve as CP on their project, they enter into a voluntary transaction for services that fit their needs. Additionally, having a code professional working along side an owner and design team throughout a project, greatly reduces the chances of surprises at building permit stage.

An alternative compliance model increases the amount of building code knowledge within the industry, as well as begins to create a more streamlined and efficient process through documented procedures and expectations, such as those laid out in the CP Manual.

Having the option for an alternative is also a benefit to municipalities who struggle with internal building code review resources. Building officials do not grow on trees, and often municipal departments are under-staffed for the number of building permits they receive.

What About Other Provinces?

Being that I have personally only worked in Saskatchewan and British Columbia, I do not (yet) have a great understanding of what is out there for alternative paths to a permit process in other provinces. What I do know is that many provinces have the same challenges, and raising awareness of what is out there could help development of programs, or potentially lead to a more standardized approach across the country.  If you are aware of additional information, reach out and I will update this post for future readers.

Saskatchewan – In 2015, the Province of Saskatchewan proposed the idea of an Alternative Compliance Model (ACM). The model had its challenges, and never ended up moving forward. The last I have heard is that a new model is being considered, however not many details have been released by the Province.

Alberta – There is a program called ‘Accredited Organizations’ through Safety Codes Council. I am not overly familiar with this program, but my understanding is that once an organization is accredited, they may use a Safety Codes Officer of their choice.

British Columbia – The Certified Professional Program has a provincial framework that can be adopted through a municipal bylaw. For any municipality who is interested in adopting this framework, I recommend reaching out to the CP Program Manager here (scroll down on page for ‘Contact’ section). There have recently been a few new municipalities who have joined the program, and found the process quite successful and more straightforward than initially anticipated.

More Information

EGBC – CP Program Website

Vancouver – CP Practice and Procedures Manual

Surrey – CP Practice and Procedures Manual

Abbotsford – CP Practice and Procedures Manual