Amendments to Fees under the Building Code Act

The City of Niagara Falls (City) retained Watson & Associates Economists Ltd. (Watson) to review and update its building permit fees.

The first objective of the building permit fee review was to develop an activity-based costing (A.B.C.) model to substantiate the total costs of service (i.e., administering and enforcing the Building Code. The total cost assessment (i.e., direct, indirect, and capital costs) was used to inform recommended fees to recover the total cost of service, provide for the sustainable delivery of service, and mitigate the potential funding burden on property taxes.

Moreover, the fee recommendations were developed about the statutory requirements, the City’s market competitiveness, and fiscal position. The Ontario Building Code Act governs fees related to the administration and enforcement activities under the authority of the Building Code.

This 2023 Building Permit Fees Review report summarizes the findings and recommendations related to the building permit fee services within the scope of the review. The report summarizes the legislative context for building permit fees, the building permit fee review, the methodology developed, the total cost findings, and fee recommendations of the building permit fee review.

The City of Niagara Falls will make available information setting out an estimate of the costs of providing the services, the amount of the fees, and the rationale for imposing the fees prior to the public meeting. Copies of the information will be made available at no cost upon request by contacting Building Services at 905-356-7521 ext. 4001 or by email at building@niagarafalls.ca.

Visit niagarafalls.ca/building for more information.

Update: October 6, 2023

Council Report BP-2023-58 Building Permit Fee Review was approved at the October 3, 2023 Council meeting. The proposed fee increases were approved. You can view the report here.

Thank you!