Permit for timber truss repair in Edmonton

[charliealphabravo]

I am doing a proposal for reinforcement of a timber roof truss in an institutional building in Edmonton (built in 1949). It basically amounts to a fabricated steel bolt-on bracket as a proactive measure to prevent further splitting at a bolted joint. Could anyone with experience in the city share their experience as to whether a permit would be required or advised for these types of things? I spent the last half hour on the phone and the only human I was able to speak to said that, exact words, they hoped I might receive a call back from the Sustainable Development department in 10 BUSINESS DAYS?! (not shouting, just a bit exasperated)

Thanks in advance.

 

[dik]

Sorry for not noticing this... What are the truss members like? Heavy timber sections? Can you use 3/16" steel plate and 'glulam rivets'?

Dik

 

[BAretired]

A building permit should be required anywhere within the Province of Alberta as the proposed repair affects occupant safety in a major way. I would expect the City of Edmonton to insist on it.

BA

 

[shobroco]

It depends a lot on the extent of the work and the use of the building. While the letter of the code may require a permit for any work at all, in many cases it is neither helpful nor actually wanted by the municipality. They are not going to be competent to review your work, and they have plenty of other things to do. I'm in Ontario, but both of our codes are based on the National Building Code and are essentially the same, and I have had plenty of experiences where building officials have said just do the repairs. That said, for an institutional building, I'd say figure on a permit for sure.