Planning Division – Inspections, Development, and Community Planning
Please note: This site's main content has been combined with the new SNBSC main website, snbsc.ca under Planning & Building Services. All content previously available here can be found there, with the exception of the Inspector's Notebook.
This site will now serve as the blog, or Inspectors Notebook only.
A change in the recently adopted 2020 National Building Code puts a emphasis on preventing small children from falling out of residential windows. The code change affects openable windows of residential occupancy.
For that reason, a building permit is required to change residential windows if the windows are
- Openable
- Have a sill that is more than 1.8m (6’) from the ground, and
- Have a sill that is less than than 90 cm (36”) from the interior floor.
IF all of the above are true, then the window must have what is called a Window Opening Control Device designed to limit the window opening to 10cm (4”) space.
This can mean a slider with piece of plastic inlay that limits a the opening to no more than 4”, or a similar device. (or, alternately, a guard.)
Because of these requirements, building permits are required for replacing affected residential windows.
| Residential | Non-residential | |
| Expanding width on load-bearing wall. | Yes | Yes |
| Replacing bedroom window.* | Yes | n/a |
| Replacing non-openable window. | No | No |
| Replacing window less than 1.8m (6’) from ground | No | No |
| Replacing window with a sill height more than 90 cm (36”) from the floor | No | No |
| Window is openable; > 1.8m above ground, sill height <90 cm from inside floor | Yes | Yes |
(*) Not required if none of the other requirements are met AND the bedroom is served by an existing egress window or door to a patio/the outdoors.
The Province has released an extensive list of both wall assemblies and for Heat Recovery Ventilators to assist builders and designers in calculating their energy efficiency points for section 9.36 of the 2020 National Building Code.
Other useful documents:
9.36 Submittal Document - Prescriptive
9.36 Submittal Document - Performance
Effective April 1, 2025, new construction work must conform to the 2020 editions of the National Building Code, National Fire Code and National Energy Code.
While there are many changes throughout, the following are some of the key changes that will affect the majority of contractors.
Single family homes and small buildings (<300m2 footprint) will have to meet more stringent energy requirements. For homes, this will generally mean adding an inch of foam on the exterior walls and using high-efficiency windows. For others, and for some homes, a professional energy-modelling result is required, along with a post-construction blower door test.
What this means for you:
Submissions must indicate how the proposed building will conform to the Tier 2 requirements of section 9.32 of the National Building Code – either
On the construction site, our office will ensure contractors run vapour barrier (air barrier) behind the studs of interior walls to allow a future vapour barrier connection (and the same at the sealing), the requirement seal vapour barrier at the junction of baseplates, the requirement to seal electrical wire penetration at electrical boots, and the like. This is all existing code. (Feel free to download the handout at right: just click on the image)
Energy efficiency requirements, medium, large and complex buildings
All buildings subject to the National Energy Code will require modelling to document how the proposed structure will meet Tier 2 of the 2020 NECB.
What this means for you:
Applications for buildings subject to the NECB must, in addition to the plans crafted by the registered design professional, include energy modelling documents. Sufficient information must be provided to verify the accuracy of the modelling.
On the construction site, our office will ensure contractors run vapour barrier behind the studs of interior walls to allow a future vapour barrier connection (and the same at the sealing), the requirement seal vapour barrier at the junction of baseplates, the requirement to seal electrical wire penetration at electrical boots, and the like. Some of this was existing, some was only vaguely implied: the NECB has added extra language to clearly indicate this is now required.
For ages, there’s been a code requirement for protecting small children from falling through windows at height in apartment buildings and duplexes. In NBC 2020, this requirement now applies to single-family homes as well.
Windows that are more than 1.8m (6’) above finished grade must be one of the following
What this means for you:
A building permit application for residential construction will require details on the windows to be used in a project, and will require elevations showing the height of windows from the finished floor in all residential situations.
Further, all work involving the replacement of windows in a residential setting will require a building permit.
Contractors, builders and designers are strongly encouraged to download current versions of the Code, available from the NRC website.
It’s also recommended that field workers be familiar with the Illustrated Guide to Part 9, also available from the NRC website.
Illustrated User's Guide – NBC 2020: Part 9 of Division B, Housing and Small Buildings
Our inspectors are challenged to ensure compliance with more than 1,000 pages of Code, and literally thousands of standards. That's a lot.
Yet there's a persistent myth out there that Codes change regularly ... and that's not quite accurate. In fact, some of the issues that arise on a regular basis are infringements of Codes that have been in place for decades.
Folks might remember the "top 10 infractions" of 2022 (https://snbsc-planning.com/top-10-code-infractions-of-2022/). Here's when the relevant codes came into effect:
1: Improperly installed/missing Carbon Monoxide alarms: 2005
2: Columns not anchored: 1970
3: Improper window installation: 2000/2005 depending on the issue(s)
4: Emergency lighting requirements: 1975
5: Improper lintel construction (spaced, jacks not running to underside): 1970
6: Insulation for plumbing in exterior walls: 2010
7: Wood screws not permitted in structural connections: 1970
8: Incorrect beam splicing: 1975 or 1980 depending on the issue.
9: Truss-to-top plate connection (three nails/hurricane ties): 1970
10: fence posts (4x4) used as columns: Not permitted since 1970
Here is a more complete (but hardly exhaustive) list of infractions and when the Codes to govern them came into play:
Effective Jan. 10, 2024, our building inspectors are requiring inspections before concrete is poured in a slab for any building with an occupancy (ie: anything other than a garage). This is to ensure the correct installation of insulation, vapour barrier, bond break, and radon pipe (if required.)
Of key note is the requirement for a bond break - this is a material that prevents adhesion of the slab to any frost wall, as required by Code.
Check out this downloadable guide for more: basement wall details (10-01-24)
One of the primary reasons for delays in obtaining a building permit come from clients submitting insufficient or incomplete plans.
Here’s what our inspectors will require – in general – for various projects. Note that scale drawings of all projects are required by provincial law.
Post spacings, footing details, post sizes (6x6 mandatory), beam construction details, joist details (size, span, spacing); drawing may be required for complex decks/structures.
Footing/frost wall details (or engineered slab plan), wall details, roof system details.
Floor plan mandatory, footing/foundation details, beam composition, joist (size, span, spacing), wall details (studs, sheathing, insulation, cladding), lintels, roof system (truss/rafter, insulation, sheathing, roofing material), and energy efficiency calculations.
Useful tools:
Floor plan graph (digital):
Basic construction-details (checklist)
Neat, scale/scalable drawing of all floors, footing/foundation details, beam composition, joist (size, span, spacing), wall details (studs, sheathing, insulation, cladding), lintels, roof system (truss/rafter, insulation, sheathing, roofing material), beam and post details (if applicable) egress window locations, soil gas pipe location, slab insulation (if applicable/required). If there are interior stairs, details on this are required to verify rise/run. Energy efficiency calculations are required.
Duplexes:
All of the above, plus fire separation details (referenced to Part 9 assemblies, ULC-tested assemblies, or Appendix D), with requirement for STC 50 between units.
Detailed plan of all floors in existing building required.
Digital scale drawings (i.e. phone-captured images of plans NOT accepted), details on all structural elements (walls/floors/footings/foundations/roofing, including truss plan), Code matrix required for all but simple renovations/additions/builds. All required fire separations must be referenced to Part 9 or ULC-tested assemblies, or be referenced to Appendix D. Note requirement for STC for residential suites adjacent to other occupancies. Ventilation details required. Calculations of spatial separation, and energy efficiency calculations (either part 9 or NECB as applicable).
Changes of occupancy and minor alterations may be permitted without a professional plan in some circumstances, otherwise professional designer and/or engineer required by law. Code matrix required. Fire separations must be referenced to ULC-rated assemblies or Appendix D. Ventilation details required. NECB report required.
It’s a busy time of year, and not surprisingly, people want to get started on projects as soon as possible.
But before you start your building permit application, make sure you have all the information needed for our staff to begin working on it.
Every project needs building plans of some nature. But there are also a host of other things that ought to be considered.
Septic approval/re-approval: needed for any new build with plumbing, any build that is adding bedrooms. (GNB application here).
Site plan: required for *every* application. Show us where your building is. We need to know the distance to the side and rear lot lines, as well as the front of the lot - that's the front property line. Do NOT submit measurements to the centre of the street or road.
Wetlands permit: Check to see if your project requires a Watercourse and Wetland Alteration Permit, affectionately called a "WAWA" in the industry. The permit costs $25.
Setback certificate: If you are building within 30 metres of any public road, you need to contact the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure for their approval. Application form (verify this is up-to-date) Application form here. This must be submitted to DOTI, we do NOT process setback certificates.
Civic number: Many new residences require evidence of having applied for a civic number. Call toll free at 1-888-353-4444 or e-mail (NB9-1-1@gnb.ca) for assistance.
Our office has noted an uptick in house plans purchased from various American companies that essentially mass-produce house plans.
Do be cautious: there are a number of issues that can arise as a result of either differences between U.S. codes and the National Building Code, or as a result of climactic differences. In many cases, plans designed to U.S. codes will be rejected outright.
Examples include:
New Brunswick does not require a professional designer to create house plans, but if you are seeking aid of a designer, make sure the designer is familiar with - and able to design to - Canadian codes.
With warmer weather upon us, people are starting to work on various building projects they've been dreaming about all winter. With the new rules in place requiring that accessory buildings (ie: garages) of more than 55 square metres (592 square feet) must meet Code, we're seeing a lot of building permit applications - as one might expect. Help avoid delays by make sure that all building permit applications include a suitably detailed scale drawing of the construction. Our building inspectors will need to know things like
Other things to think about: