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    What should a standard soil report include in CA?

    So, the geotechnical engineer just assumed what the design of the building is? If they need the design of the building to complete their analysis, logic dictates they ask for it. I've reviewed a few hundred soils reports for houses. In my experience, they typically indicate that the soils are...
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    Body camera policy?

    I had them when I worked on the municipal side. Inspectors could use them when they felt it was advantageous. Normally, this was only when they were dealing with a particularly aggressive individual.
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    Fire Separation between Group F2 and C

    Typically 45 minutes required in Canada. There are some situations where it can be reduced to 20 though.
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    Fire Separation between Group F2 and C

    RLGA is spot on. Some people still choose to wrap door openings with fire rated gypsum. Talk to your AHJ and they can give an indication of what they will/will not accept.
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    Reasons Why Building Permit Application Packages are Rejected by Permit Technicians

    Back when I was on the municipal side, this is very much what I saw as well. We even had a checklist of required documents on every single class of permit. People still didn't submit everything and had the nerve to complain about permit approval delays.
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    Fire Separation between Group F2 and C

    See: 3.2.3.15. wall exposing adjoining roof 3.2.3. spatial separation (applies to adjacent buildings AND two different fire compartments in the same building)
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    I may be wrong on flanking!

    From a requirement standpoint, I feel it is important to delineate which assemblies are separating assemblies and which are adjoining construction (commonly called flanking assemblies) to ensure requirements are being properly applied. Separating assemblies provide a direct separation between...
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    Use of code not yet adopted by state

    Exactly. Just a bunch of single user washrooms that share a bunch of sinks in the adjoining room. I often find people's aversion to gender neutral facilities is that they envision the standard ones we have seen in the past, with just a new sign on the door. The only thing kind of gross about...
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    Use of code not yet adopted by state

    We see it regularly in our province. One thing we try to make clear is that if you want to use a more recent code, you must use all the code. You can't cherry pick between versions.
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    Spatial Separation

    CAN4-S106M is just the old name for CAN/ULC-S106. It is only referenced by Part 3 though. In an objective based code, I think you would have a hard time not accepting the argument that a properly rated window does not contribute towards the aggregate area of glazed openings. Remember...
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    Spatial Separation

    Yes, they work from a fire perspective, but getting compliance with energy code could be more challenging. Fire shutters might be easier (but ugly). Another option would be for an alternative solution for sprinkler protection of the opening. This is a relatively common solution that a fire...
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    Who "owns" a permit?

    This might be semantics, but normally the issuing agency "owns" the permit. The owner and contractor are simply benefiting from a permit being issued. Any party can request that a permit be cancelled. It would be up to the issuing agency to determine if the reasons for the permit to be cancelled...
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    Maximum Stair Tread Thickness

    Nothing that I can think of to prohibit this. My initial though was nosing, but it is not clear enough to prohibit this type of installation.
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    OSB instead of studs for non-supporting walls?

    You can also use 2x4 sideways to build the wall. Just food for thought if you haven't thought about that approach.
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    Code Adoption Planning

    We (my province) are looking to develop a code adoption roadmap that will indicate the planned adoption of construction codes in our province for the next 8-10 years. Our province has a history of providing little to no notice of code adoption, resulting in designers having to make major...
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    Agricultural No Building Permit Required

    For added context, this is from the National Farm Code of Canada that deals with smaller farm buildings (up to 600 square meters and three stories in size). It is a dated document, with the most recent version being from 1995. Currently it is only adopted by British Columbia and Nova Scotia...
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    Concrete Foundation Cracks.

    True enough. I was not considering cracking so severe that it is a structural defect.
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    Understanding the Differences: Building Codes, Zoning Laws, and Code Enforcement

    This is a weird semantics argument. On one side we have people saying this is what the department and emplyee title is. On the other side we have people saying that it is about what people do. When I worked for a municipality, we had a park by-law. Sometimes the summer students tasked with...
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    Concrete Foundation Cracks.

    My assumption is that we are discussing significant cracks. My perspective is obviously skewed to the Canadian point of view but keeping in mind that building officials in Canada do not benefit from statutory immunity, case law in Canada is much more evolved than the US. Where there are clear...
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    Why Contractors Avoid Pulling Building Permits: Uncovering the Truth

    Agreed. Most contractors I have worked with view the building permit regime as a quality assurance program for their clients and the cheapest insurance they have ever bought.
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    Shouldn't my architect know the building use codes and not need to call zoning?

    I'm really confused. Are you asking about the use under the building code or the zoning code?
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    Swinging door at top of landing with one extra step?

    It might be a good idea to move the door back so that you have the equivalent to a full stair tread on this side of the door.
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    How to pass building inspection?

    On the topic of providing code sections, the case law in Canada is that it is not required for simple inspections reports as these are not legal documents. However, when an order is issued, a code section must be included. The way our courts looked at this, an inspection report is an...
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    An Educational Insight into a Notable Building Code Enforcement Lawsuit

    At first glance, this would appear to be the hasty generalization logical fallacy. It exists when something happens a minimal number of times and we assume it will happen every time base on those outcomes, regardless of it not being a suitable sample size. I say appears because I don't know...
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    converting shipping containers to housing.

    If only we had a carbon sequestering building material that is relatively cheap and widely available...
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