Who applies for the Ottawa deck permit, me or my builder?

We found nothing on ottawa.ca that says who must submit a deck permit application, so it is something you and your builder settle, and put in the contract.

The application goes through the My ServiceOttawa portal, and payment must accompany it. What the City requires in the package: a completed and signed digital permit application, a complete set of scaled and fully dimensioned drawings, and a Schedule 1 naming whoever is taking design responsibility. That last point is where the decision gets more complicated.

Schedule 1 must name a BCIN-registered designer, an architect, an engineer, or the homeowner under the homeowner design exemption. The City explains that the Building Code allows a homeowner to take design responsibility for drawings related to the construction or alteration of their own house. That exemption does not apply to estates, tenants or numbered companies, and it cannot be used where the building contains more than two dwelling units. If you use the exemption, you sign Schedule 1 yourself and take on responsibility for the drawings. If your builder arranges a BCIN designer or an engineer, that person signs instead. Neither path is required by the City; it depends on what you and your builder agree to.

A few practical points worth sorting out before you sign anything:

• Who prepares the drawings (a drafting firm, a designer or an engineer) and who pays for them. Published prices from three drafting and design firms run about $399 to $2,500 per set.
• Who submits the application and pays the permit fee. The City's fee is $12.75 per $1,000 of assessed project value, with a minimum of $117.
• Who books the three required inspections: Excavation and Foundations (before backfill on in-situ piers), Framing (at completion of structural framing and guards), and Final. The City asks for 48 hours' notice before each one.
• If the proposed decking is anything other than conventional lumber, the application also needs a material testing report (CCMC or BMEC).

If your builder says they will handle the permit, get that in writing and confirm it covers the drawings, the submission, the fee and booking all three inspections. If you plan to apply yourself, confirm with the City's Building Code Services that the homeowner exemption applies to your situation before you start the drawings.

The most useful thing to check in any quote is whether the price shown covers every line of work on site, including railings, stairs, removal of an existing deck, the foundation, and the drawings and permit, or whether any of those appear as separate items to be added later.