Commercial Building Permits

• residential and commercial construction, including new building construction.
• demolition, repair, relocation, changes or addition to an existing building or structure.
• changes to, or construction of, buildings such as garages, decks, swimming pools (including above-ground pools and hot tubs), and mobile homes.
• structural changes to existing buildings.
• change of occupancy or use of an existing building.
• outbuildings larger than 10m².
• decks over 200mm (8 inches) above grade, and roof enclosures over existing or new decks.
• basement development in existing buildings.

• fences, driveways and sidewalks.
• cosmetic repairs such as painting, and minor repairs of interior or exterior finishes.
• replacement of roofing on a one to four unit dwelling unless the decking is replaced.
• replacement siding on a one to four unit dwelling, as long as the replacement is with similar construction.
• laying carpet.
• replacing doors and windows in existing openings in a dwelling, as long as the replacement is with similar construction.

In order to apply for a commercial building permit, an applicant:

1) Is required to obtain the services of a designer who is familiar with the requirements of the National Building Code of Canada, with respect to the proposed project. The designer must meet the qualifications as set out in the Uniform Building and Accessibility Standards Act, and in many cases your project will require a professional designer.

For more information on the requirements for professional designers and design seals, please see Requirement for a Design Professional.

2) Must complete the appropriate application form(s) and information sheets. Not all of the information sheets will apply to your specific project; please see below or check with Building Standards on what may or may not be required.

3) Please visit the Commercial Drawing Requirements heading below, when preparing drawings for a commercial building permit application.

The most commonly used forms are the documents below. For a comprehensive list of our commercial information sheets please visit our Forms and Brochures page.

Commercial Building Permit Application
Required for all applications - general information about the project and application information.

Building Code Analysis Sheet
Required for new buildings, building additions and changes of occupancy. Typically, this is a professional architect or engineer except on smaller projects where other designers are permitted.

Commitment for Field Review
Required for all applications involving structural work falling under Part 4 of the National Building Code of Canada 2010 - to be filled out by the professional engineer responsible, at the time of the permit application.

Assurance of Field Review and Compliance
Required for all applications involving structural work falling under Part 4 of the National Building Code of Canada 2010 - to be filled out by the professional engineer responsible, upon completion of construction and prior to the final inspection.

Submission

Submit the required application form(s) and information sheets, and all appropriate supporting materials to Building Standards, 222-3rd Avenue North, Saskatoon, SK S7K 0J5.

Payment

Payment of building permit fees can be made when the permit is approved and picked up.  We accept cash, cheque, Interac, MasterCard, Visa or American Express. Please note, payment cannot be processed over the phone.

Once an application is received, it is given an application number and circulated for review to the following:

• Planning & Development (Zoning Review)
• Saskatoon Light & Power
• Transportation Division and Construction & Design Division
• Fire Department
• Saskatoon Health Region
• Building Standards (Building Code Review)

Not all applications are required to be reviewed by all areas listed above. Circulation is determined on a case-by-case basis. If specific approval is required from any of these areas, please inform the permit application supervisor at the time the application is made.

All drawings are to be prepared to professional drafting standards. Please see drawing requirements for more information.

Plans must be to scale and have dimensions. Pencil drawings or drawings on graph paper will not be accepted. Drawings marked “preliminary only” or “not for construction” will not be accepted.

Two complete sets of drawings are required to be submitted with every application for building permit. Not every project will require all of the plans listed below, however it is required that all pertinent information be on the drawings received for review. The scale of the plans will be dependent on the size of the project.

In general, all drawings submitted for a building that is designed within the scope of Part 3 of the National Building Code are required to bear the seal and signature of a design professional licensed to practice in the province of Saskatchewan.

Processing time for your application may be delayed if required information is missing from plans, the plans are inaccurate or incomplete.

One- and Two-Unit Dwellings, Townhouses

Apartments (New Construction Only) — for those that fall under Part 9 of the National Building Code (NBC)

All Other Construction Not Noted Above

Note: minimum building permit fee: $100; re-inspection fee: $100