The Building Code actually sets deadlines for building departments. For a house it is 10 business days. So why do so many people wait months?
Because the clock does not start until the application is complete, and a lot of applications are not. Here are the real review times, when the clock starts, and how to keep the HVAC paperwork from being the thing holding you up.
10 business days
15 business days
20 business days
30 business days
These periods run once the application is complete. The clock starts the day after the building department deems it complete. If they ask for more documents first, the clock waits.
An application missing documents is not complete. Missing HVAC paperwork is one of the most common reasons a file never starts moving.
No heat loss, no ventilation summary (RMVDS), no Schedule 1. Incomplete files do not start the clock.
A heat loss done at the wrong temperature for your town comes back with comments. See design temperature.
The energy form, the heat loss and the drawings all show different numbers.
Every week a comment sits unanswered is a week added to your permit.
A design signed by someone without the right qualification. See how to check a BCIN.
Revising the design while the examiner is reviewing it resets the conversation.
Your building department publishes one. Match it item by item. See the HVAC checklist.
Heat loss, HVAC design, ventilation summary, energy form and Schedule 1 in one go.
Respond to every item, completely, in one resubmission.
The same insulation, windows and equipment on every document.
We deliver the HVAC part of your permit as one package: CSA F280 heat loss, duct or radiant design, the ventilation summary, and Schedule 1, signed by a BCIN designer. If the examiner comments, we answer.
Waiting on a permit? If HVAC comments are holding you up, send them to us. We fix and resubmit fast.
Get Free Quote →Once the application is complete, the Building Code sets a review period of 10 business days for a house. Small buildings get 15, large buildings 20, and complex buildings 30.
The day after the application is deemed complete. An application missing documents is not complete, so the clock does not start. Missing HVAC paperwork is one of the most common reasons.
Your building department publishes a checklist. For a new house the HVAC side usually includes the CSA F280 heat loss, the HVAC design, the ventilation summary (RMVDS), the energy form and Schedule 1. See the HVAC permit checklist.
You get a list of items to fix. Answer every one, resubmit, and the review continues. The faster and more complete the answer, the faster you get your permit. See permit rejected.
Usually because the application was not complete, or because comments went back and forth. Busy departments also differ in how they count. Ask your examiner where your file stands and what they are waiting for.
Yes: submit a complete package the first time. That is the single biggest thing you control.
Send your drawings. We deliver the heat loss, HVAC design, ventilation summary and Schedule 1 together so the HVAC side does not stall your permit.