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Building Code Permits - Presented by: Penella Zollner, City of Medicine Hat Building Safety Codes Officer

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Building Code Permits - Presented by: Penella Zollner, City of Medicine Hat Building Safety Codes Officer

Municipal Affairs

Professional Involvement

On May 27, 2026, Penella Zollner, City of Medicine hat Building Safety Codes Officer presented to the Medicine Hat Construction Association and provided valuable information about Professional Involvement. 


See the slide deck here 


The Safety Codes department covers: Building, HVAC, Plumbing, Gas, Private Sewage, Electricity.

Professional Involvement: An easy-to-understand guide to Professional Involvement is available on the City’s website

A registered professional is retained to take responsibility for the design and field reviews for their scope of work. Sometimes it is all the professionals, sometimes it is more limited.

Three Main criterial that determine professional Involvement.

  1. Occupancy/Use
  2. Number of Storey’s
  3. Building Area (footprint)

Exception: multi-family dwellings (based on number of dwellings)


Professional Involvement is not needed when:

  • Relocatable industrial camps
  • Farm buildings
  • Small interior renovations in existing buildings
  • Change of Occupancy or Use


The decision to accept minor projects without professional Involvement is at the discretion the Authority Having Jurisdiction so it is always advisable to contact the local AHJ early in the life of the project

Some components may require professional involvement:

  • Specific Components
  • Life-Safety Systems
  • Size, complexity, special safety concerns


Common errors and setbacks

  • Work that requires an engineer’s design that has not been engineered
  • As-built conditions at an inspection don’t match the stamped drawings
  • Schedules are missing information (stamps, signatures etc.)
  • Schedules are missing delegated work under the section for Schedule C-2
  • Change or termination or a professional during the project

o    Schedule C’s must be submitted by the same professionals that submitted Schedule A and B’s

  • Schedules not submitted prior to the final inspection



QUESTIONS:

What kind of turnover rate/time frame can be expected if someone submits an inquiry?

  • A day or 2 or on the spot because a lot of questions are quite easy to answer, but there are usually a lot of follow up questions so that they can understand the full scope of the project.

Do land use bylaws affect your work?

  • No, we are authorized under the Safety Codes Act under Alberta Municipal Affairs and the Safety Codes Council.
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