R.M. of Cote No. 271
Informational Newsletter
Spring 2024
On January 1, 2022 The Construction Codes Act (CCAct) and associated regulations came into force replacing The Uniform Building and Accessibility Standards Act (UBAS Act). This resulted in modernization of administration, enforcement and penalty provisions for building owners, industry, local authorities, building officials and other code users.
All municipalities (local authorities) had to adopt a building bylaw by December 31, 2023 if they did not have a current building bylaw. The R.M. of Cote No. 271 adopted Bylaw No. 4/2023, a Bylaw Respecting Buildings on December 13, 2023 with resolution #308-23. After that, two true certified copies of the bylaw were submitted to the Ministry of Government Relations, Building and Technical Standards Branch for review. The review on Bylaw No. 4/2023 was completed and came into force on January 22, 2024.
Effective January 1, 2022, constructions standards apply to all residential occupancies. The R.M. will be required to apply the construction standards to all residential occupancies on farms including farm homes.
Also effective on January 1, 2022 carbon monoxide and smoke alarm devices are required to be installed in any building which contains sleep accommodations, regardless of the date the building was constructed. This was mentioned in the R.M.’s 2022 Ratepayer Information sheet that were sent with the tax notices that year.
The purpose of the CCAct is to provide a legal framework to ensure the safe design, construction, addition, erection, placement, alteration, repair, renovation, demolition, relocation, removal, use of occupancy or change of occupancy of buildings in Saskatchewan.
It is the duty of every local authority to, at all times, to be responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Act, the regulations and any associated codes, standards, interpretations and orders within the local authority. It is the duty of every owner of a building in Saskatchewan to ensure that the building is in accordance with the construction standards set out in the CCAct.
Types of buildings that require permits:
Construction of new homes
Major renovations on existing homes (additions, basements, porches)
RTM or other residential buildings being moved onto a property
Commercial buildings
The construction standards do not apply to farm buildings. A farm building is described in the Act as follows:
Does not contain a residential occupancy;
Located on land used for an agricultural operation as defined in The Agricultural Operations Act;
Is used for the following purposes:
Housing of livestock;
The production, storage or processing of primary agricultural and horticultural crops or feeds;
The housing, storage or maintenance of equipment or machinery associated with an agricultural operation
A building application is recommended but a permit is not required.
Farm buildings are no longer exempt if there will be any type of living/sleeping quarters.
If a farm building is built and it is not specified that living quarters are built, the building official may be sent out at the municipal office’s request.
The R.M. of Cote has a Zoning Bylaw, No. 5/2020 and an Official Community Plan Bylaw
No. 4/2020 that were both adopted by resolutions on December 9, 2020 and approved by the Ministry of Government Relations on September 13, 2021. The purpose of Bylaw No. 4/2020, Official Community Plan (OCP) is to provide a comprehensive policy framework to guide the physical, environmental, economic, social and cultural development of the R.M.
The purpose of Bylaw No. 5/2020 Zoning Bylaw is to regulate and to control the use of land in the R.M. in accordance with the OCP. The intent of this Bylaw is to provide for the amenity of the area within the R.M. and for the health, safety, and general welfare of the inhabitants:
To minimize land use conflicts;
To establish minimum standards to maintain the amenity of the R.M.;
To ensure development is consistent with the physical limitations of the land;
To restrict development that places undue demand on the R.M. for services; and
To provide for land-use development that is consistent with the goals and objectives of the R.M.
If an individual wishes to do development, a development application permit will need to be completed.
Chris Letendre with B&B Enforcement Services (Building and Bylaw Enforcement) from Carrot River, SK has been appointed by Council for the following positions in 2024:
Building Official, Resolution #321-23
Assistant Development Officer, Resolution #322-23
B&B Enforcement Services has been appointed as the municipal bylaw officer, resolution #323-23. Mr. Letendre’s building official license number is BOL438.
B&B Enforcement Services has a fee schedule for 2024. The building official inspection fees are based on different variables. Know your plan before applying for a permit to keep cost to a minimum and know your materials/estimated expenses (value of construction). Your build will eventually be assessed by SAMA (Sask. Assessment Management Agency), so if you have your expenses calculated there may be less surprises. Section 6, Permit Issuance in Bylaw No. 4/2023 is a great resource for all applicants to review. The bylaw is available at the office and will be posted soon on the website.
No person shall commence with a development or a building construction without the appropriate forms completed, submitted and approved. Forms are available at the office and will soon be on the website. Submissions of forms should be done well in advance of development/construction so that the forms can be thoroughly reviewed. Ensuring an application is complete and includes both buildings and site drawings will help ensure a quicker approval timeframe.
At the time of this mailing, an in-office building permit administration fee has not been determined. This process is new to all of us and Mr. Letendre assured there is a learning curve. With patience and co-operation we will all move forward.
