Building Permits for Industry Professionals
Plan Examination
The City of Winnipeg Charter requires that all plans for construction be "inspected" for code compliance before a permit can be issued. The task of inspecting or examining the plans is the responsibility of the Plan Examination Branch.
The customers the Plan Examination Branch deals with vary from contractors, developers, architects, and professional engineers, to the general public. Applications for permits can range from new house construction, decks, garages, rec room development, to multi-storey apartments, office, arenas, stadiums, shopping malls, etc.
The plan examiners review the plans for all these types of buildings. Compliance to the appropriate building, electrical, plumbing/mechanical codes, standards and by-laws must be met before a permit is issued to commence construction. All this is for the protection and safety of the general public.
Applicants submit their plans to the Planning, Property and Development Department. These plans are then circulated to various city branches involved in the permit process. One of these branches is the Plan Examination Branch which consists of two components: housing and commercial.
With expertise in fire protection, structural, electrical and plumbing/mechanical, the plan examiners examine and check plans and specifications to ensure compliance to the requirements of the appropriate codes as regulated by the City of Winnipeg Building By-law. Plan examiners include professional engineers and engineering technologists.
It may be easier to understand the process that plans must go through in the review process by referring to the following Process Flow Diagrams:
Commercial Process:
Residential Process:
Trades Process:
As can be seen, reviewing plans is a difficult and complex process. Plan examiners must have ‘expert’ knowledge of codes and standards, know what to check for and know how to read plans. But the most important aspect in the review of plans is the ability to exercise sound judgment in the application of the codes and standards.
The Plan Examination Branch has developed numerous brochures to assist the professionals and the public in their efforts to obtain a permit. These brochures can be found in this web site or picked up from the office of the Zoning and Permits Branch, Unit 31 - 30 Fort Street.
Last update:
02/23/2009
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