Before a building can be occupied, it must meet minimum health and life safety requirements under the Safety Codes Act and applicable bylaws.

As of February 1, 2026, the City of Lethbridge issues a Certificate of Occupancy for applicable projects. This replaces the traditional occupancy permit for those project types.

A Certificate of Occupancy is the official document issued by the City confirming that a building:

• Has been provided the required compliance monitoring as required by the Safety Codes Act
• Has passed all required inspections
• Is approved for its intended use

The Certificate of Occupancy is the final authorization for occupancy.

A Certificate of Occupancy is issued for:

• New residential dwellings (single-family and multi-family)
• New commercial and industrial buildings
• Commercial change of occupancy projects
• A change of occupancy classification under the National Building Code - Alberta Edition
• Other projects on a case-by-case basis

You must receive approval before occupying any building or space when:

• Construction is complete
• A tenant improvement project is finished
• The building's occupancy classification changes under the National Building Code

A change of use means the conversion of land, a building, or an individual tenant space (such as a bay or unit) from one permitted or approved use to another, as defined in the Land Use Bylaw 6300. This may require a development permit to ensure the proposed use complies with zoning regulations, parking requirements, and other applicable standards.

A change of use may require applicable building permits, even if no construction is proposed.

Permit Services Reports (PSRs) will continue to be issued as required by legislation.

PSRs confirm that:

• Individual permits have passed final inspection
• Permits are officially closed

• Occupancy is not permitted until approval is granted by a Building Safety Codes Officer
• A penalty of $500 may be issued for occupying a building prior to approval under Bylaw 6110, Schedule A, Section C, 1.1
• This applies to both residential and commercial

• Land Use Bylaw 6300
• Safety Codes Permit Bylaw 6110