At their meeting on June 16th, Council approved the proposed amendments to the City’s Construction Regulation Bylaw to implement the proposed actions to remove perceived barriers to the use of prefabricated construction in the City. Current challenges in the construction administration process were identified in the report and bylaw amendments and process standardizations were approved to better accommodate prefabricated methods and streamline approvals, ultimately aiming to enhance communication and certainty for the development community. 

Several key initial updates to the Construction Regulation Bylaw have been identified:  

1. Part 3 – Definitions:  

a. Add definitions for the four types of prefabricated construction. This will establish standardized terminology for permit applications and inspection requirements, ensuring clarity and consistency across projects utilizing different prefabrication methods.  

2. Part 8 – Permits:  

a. Modify Building Permit application submission requirements and align permit administration requirements with industry standards to provide certainty. Depending on the type of prefabrication used, the City will augment standard review requirements. For example, by leveraging factory certification (where available), staff can avoid detailed review of each component at plan check stage.  

b. Modify inspection requirements to permit the omission of inspection types that are able to be deemed redundant due to completion of the component prior to arrival on-site, factory certification, or enhanced reliance on qualified Registered Professional oversight. 

Proposed Process Standardization 

The City's existing phased permitting process allows developers to commence certain on-site activities, such as excavation, before the full Building Permit is issued, a practice generally well-understood within the regional construction industry. While the City has, on occasion, facilitated the issuance of a "Prefabrication Building Permit" to enable this overlap, these instances have been handled on a case-by-case basis. To provide greater clarity and predictability, staff will formalize the option for a phased prefabrication building permit within the standard building permit process. 

Additional information can be found in the  full report by City staff.