GUIDE TO THE LETTERS OF ASSURANCE IN THE BC BUILDING …

1 GUIDE TO THE LETTERS OF ASSURANCE IN THE BC BUILDING CODE 2018 AND VANCOUVER BUILDING BY-LAW 2019 VERSION : February 11, 2022 BUILDING & Safety Standards Branch Office of Housing and Construction Standards Province of British Columbia GUIDE TO LETTERS OF ASSURANCE VERSION 1 Table of Contents 1. Foreword 4 2. Purpose of the GUIDE 4 3. Defined Terms 5 Legend 5 4. Scope of LETTERS of ASSURANCE 6 BUILDING Code Requirements for Design and Field Review 6 What LETTERS of ASSURANCE Are 7 What LETTERS of ASSURANCE Are Not 10 Components That Are Not Regulated by the BUILDING Code or Plumbing Code 10 5. The Community Charter and Other Means of Achieving Accountability 11 6.

2 Roles and Responsibilities for LETTERS of ASSURANCE 11 Key Participants in Design and Field Review 11 Owner Responsibilities 16 Coordinating Registered Professional Responsibilities 17 When is a Coordinating Registered Professional Required 18 Registered Professional of Record and Supporting Registered Professional Responsibilities 19 Authority Having Jurisdiction Responsibilities 20 7. How to Complete and Submit LETTERS of ASSURANCE 21 8. Dealing with Changes in Registered Professionals of Record Before and After a BUILDING Permit is Issued 22 When There is a Change of a Registered Professional of Record Just Prior to a BUILDING Permit Application 25 When There is a Change of a Registered Professional of Record after the BUILDING Permit Application but Prior to Issuance of the BUILDING Permit 25 When an Additional Registered Professional Becomes Involved after Issuance of the BUILDING Permit 26 When There is a Change of Coordinating Registered Professional or Registered Professional of Record During Construction 26 Responsibilities of the Outgoing Coordinating Registered Professional or Registered

3 Professional of Record 26 Responsibilities of the Incoming Coordinating Registered Professional 27 GUIDE TO LETTERS OF ASSURANCE VERSION 2 Responsibility of the Incoming Registered Professional of Record 28 Change of Supporting Registered Professional During Construction 29 9. Design and Field Review Conducted by Different Registered Professionals of Record 30 10. Project Abandonment 31 11. Application of LETTERS of ASSURANCE to Part 5 Environmental Separation 32 12. Application of LETTERS of ASSURANCE to Part 6 Heating, Ventilating and Air-conditioning 33 NFPA 96 Ventilation Control and fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations 33 13. Application of LETTERS of ASSURANCE to Part 7 Plumbing Services 34 14.

4 Application of LETTERS of ASSURANCE to Part 9 Housing and Small Buildings 34 Factory-Built Roof Trusses 35 Beams 35 Alterations 36 15. Application of LETTERS of ASSURANCE to Part 10 Energy Efficiency 36 16. Application of LETTERS of ASSURANCE to Requirements for Existing Buildings 36 17. Application of LETTERS of ASSURANCE to Geotechnical Components 37 Terms Used in LETTERS of ASSURANCE for Geotechnical Components 38 18. Application of LETTERS of ASSURANCE to Landscape Design and Field Review and Development Permits and Conditions 39 19. Application of LETTERS of ASSURANCE to BUILDING Alterations and Tenant Improvements 40 20. Application of LETTERS of ASSURANCE to Phased (Staged) BUILDING Permits and Phased (Staged) Occupancies 41 Acceptable Use of LETTERS of ASSURANCE for Phased (Staged) BUILDING Permits 41 Acceptable Use of LETTERS of ASSURANCE for Phased (Staged) Occupancies 42 Unacceptable Use of LETTERS of ASSURANCE for Phased (Staged) Occupancies 43 Delayed Completion of Landscaping and Other Development Permit Conditions 43 21.

5 Application of LETTERS of ASSURANCE to Civil Works 44 Roadways, Sidewalks, fire Access Routes 44 Civil Plumbing Systems for On-Site Services 44 GUIDE TO LETTERS OF ASSURANCE VERSION 3 Off-Site Civil Works 45 22. Anchorage and Seismic Restraint 45 23. Alternative Solutions 46 What the BUILDING Code Requires 46 How do LETTERS of ASSURANCE Apply to Alternative Solutions? 47 24. Use of Professional Seal 47 Professional Seals Using AIBC or Engineers and Geoscientists BC Digital Certificates 47 Delegation of Signing Authority 48 25. References 49 GUIDE TO LETTERS OF ASSURANCE VERSION 4 1. Foreword This GUIDE to the LETTERS of ASSURANCE in the BC BUILDING Code 2018 (BCBC 2018 ) and Vancouver BUILDING By-law 2019 (VBBL 2019) is jointly endorsed by the Architectural Institute of BC (AIBC) and Engineers and Geoscientists BC and was developed with the cooperation and assistance of the BUILDING Officials Association of BC, the Union of BC Municipalities, the City of Vancouver and the BUILDING and Safety Standards Branch of the Province of British Columbia.

6 The LETTERS of ASSURANCE are only endorsed for use in accordance with the British Columbia BUILDING Code and the Vancouver BUILDING By-Law. Questions relating to this GUIDE should be addressed to the BUILDING and Safety Standards Branch or for projects located in the City of Vancouver, addressed to City of Vancouver Questions relating to professional practice of engineers or architects should be directed respectively to: Practice Advisor Professional Practice, Standards & Development Department Engineers and Geoscientists BC 200 4010 Regent Street Burnaby, BC V5C 6N2 Telephone: 604-430-8035 Email: Practice Advisor Architectural Institute of BC 100 440 Cambie Street Vancouver, BC V6B 2N5 Telephone: 604-683-8588 Email: 2.

7 Purpose of the GUIDE The purpose of this GUIDE to the LETTERS of ASSURANCE in the BC BUILDING Code 2018 and the Vancouver BUILDING By-law 2019 is to foster the appropriate and consistent use and application of LETTERS of ASSURANCE . It provides guidance on: the scope and intent of LETTERS of ASSURANCE ; roles and responsibilities of persons executing LETTERS of ASSURANCE ; and when and how LETTERS of ASSURANCE should be completed. This GUIDE provides guidance only on BCBC 2018 and VBBL 2019 requirements for LETTERS of ASSURANCE . It does not address scope of practice or other issues for which the regulatory bodies for registered professionals, the AIBC and Engineers and Geoscientists BC, are responsible.

8 Readers should be aware that there are additional requirements in the Architects Act and the Professional Governance Act and Engineers and Geoscientists BC bylaws that determine when GUIDE TO LETTERS OF ASSURANCE VERSION 5 and on what type of projects such registered professionals are required by law to provide services. Under the Professional Governance Act, firms practicing engineering are required to register with Engineers and Geoscientists BC and obtain a permit to practice number which must be applied once to all documents signed, sealed, and dated by an engineering registered professional. For more information, see the Firm Practice page of the Engineers and Geoscientists BC website.

9 3. Defined Terms The following defined terms are used throughout this document: LETTERS of ASSURANCE , otherwise known as Schedules A, B, C-A and C-B, are legal accountability documents under Subsection in Part 2 of Division C of the BUILDING Code. All italicized words in the LETTERS of ASSURANCE are defined terms in the BUILDING Code and have the same meaning set out in that regulation. BUILDING Code means the BC BUILDING Code 2018 (BCBC 2018 ) for projects in British Columbia that are located outside of the City of Vancouver, and the Vancouver BUILDING By-Law 2019 (VBBL 2019) for projects located within the City of Vancouver. Note there are some projects within British Columbia and within the City of Vancouver where the BCBC 2018 or VBBL 2019 do not apply.

10 Refer to Division A Sentence (2) for the exemptions. Plumbing Code means the BC Plumbing Code 2018 (BCPC 2018 ) which is Book II (Plumbing Systems) of the BC BUILDING Code 2018 (BCBC 2018 ) and applies to the design, construction, extension, alteration, renewal or repair of plumbing systems for projects in British Columbia that are located outside of the City of Vancouver, and the Vancouver Plumbing By-law 2019 (VPBL 2019) which is Book II (Plumbing Systems) of the Vancouver BUILDING By-Law 2019 (VBBL 2019) for projects located within the City of Vancouver. fire Code means the BC fire Code 2018 (BCFC 2018 ) for projects in British Columbia that are located outside of the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver fire By-law 2019 (VFBL 2019) for projects located within the City of Vancouver.