Permit Regulation and Guidelines

Alberta’s new Permit Regulation comes into force on April 1, 2008.  This regulation establishes permit requirements in the following disciplines:

  • Building
  • Electrical
  • Fire (Petroleum Tanks only)
  • Gas
  • Plumbing
  • Private Sewage Disposal Systems

Alberta’s safety codes system relies on a system of partnerships to provide permit services to Albertans. These partnerships can provide services in a number of scenarios:

  • An accredited municipality providing services directly to Albertans;
  • An accredited municipality contracting with inspection agencies to provide services;
  • An accredited regional services commission providing services directly to Albertans;
  • An accredited regional services commission contracting with inspection agencies to provide services; and/or
  • The Government of Alberta contracting with authorized accredited agencies to provide services in non-accredited areas of the province.

The Permit Regulation applies to ALL the scenarios listed above as well as to combinations of these scenarios. The Permit Regulation does not apply to accredited corporations. You can view or print a copy of the Permit Regulation here:

Alberta Municipal Affairs has developed a guidelines handbook to assist accredited municipalities and all agencies that are contracted to issue permits on an accredited municipality’s or the Government of Alberta’s behalf to provide consistent permitting services to Albertans. The handbook explains the principles of the Permit Regulation, provides some interpretation of the content, and offers some guidance on procedural matters. The handbook can be downloaded below.
Note: These files are in Adobe format, you can download a free copy of the  Adobe Reader here.

The handbook will be updated with new explanatory material and best practices based on feedback from users. These updates will be issued every three or six months depending on the volume of feedback received. A feedback form can be found at the end of the handbook, or can be downloaded from this page. General comments about the guide can be e-mailed to the Safety Services Branch of Municipal Affairs at safety.services@gov.ab.ca.