Digital Copies of Archived Records
Digital copies of archived records, such as plans, blueprints, diagrams and drawings, are available by request from City of Lethbridge Building Inspections.
Requesting Records
Plans, blueprints, diagrams, and drawings are copyrighted materials. The public is not permitted to photograph, trace, duplicate, or copy documents submitted to the City for permit applications. Building Inspections may provide these documents to certain customers only if the requirements outlined below are met.
The requestor must be one of the following:
- The applicant on file
- The registered property owner
- An agent or representative of the applicant or registered property owner
- The copyright owner
Building Inspections cannot release copyrighted material to any party other than those listed above and recommends contacting the copyright owner directly.
Record Format
Building Inspections has transitioned from paper-based to digital recordkeeping. Permit applications are now submitted and processed digitally. However, some older records may still exist only in the City’s physical archives and have not yet been digitized.
Requests for records from Building Inspections will be fulfilled through digital files, which requestors can print as needed.
Active Permits
Applicants can access approved plan sets for active permits through their account in the MyCity portal. The email link provided will remain active for 365 days from the date of issue. Customers are encouraged to download and save all documents before the link expires. There is no fee for retrieving documents through MyCity while the email link is active.
Please note: Property owners seeking copies of permit materials must contact the applicant directly.
Historic Permit Records
A registered property owner or their authorized agent/representative may be eligible to access copyrighted plans or materials associated with historical permits by submitting an information request for Digital Copies of Drawings or Archived Records.
To reproduce copyrighted plans or materials, the applicant must obtain written authorization from the copyright holder. This permission letter must be submitted to Building Inspections and must include all of the following:
- Be written on company letterhead or sent from a company email address
- Confirm that the individual or corporation signing the letter is the sole copyright holder
- Reference the relevant permit number, property address, and legal description
- Include the name, phone number, and email address of the person signing the letter
In some cases, the original agency that created the design may no longer be operating or able to grant authorization. If this is the case, a Corporate Registry Search is required to verify the status of the organization.
Applicants may either:
- Provide a copy of the Corporate Registry Search report when submitting the work order application, or
- Request that Planning & Design obtain the report on their behalf for a cost-recovery fee
The cost recovery fee will be added to the application in addition to the standard work order fee. If the original copyright holder is no longer a legally existing entity, the requested plans may be released to the applicant.
Preparation of Records and Fees
Requests for records are processed in the order they are received, alongside other permit applications. Digital records are typically prepared within two to three business days. However, requests requiring documents from the City Archives may take longer to process.
Once the records are ready, requestors will receive a link to a secure File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site. This email link will remain active for 30 days. Customers are advised to download and save all documents before the link expires.
Please note: Permit and plan requirements have changed over time, and Building Inspections cannot guarantee the completeness or content of historical records. Refunds will not be issued if the files provided do not contain the desired information.
| Record Format | Description | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation of existing digital documents | Records previously digitized | $50 |
| Plans obtained from City archives |
Oversized drawings and records prior to 2006 which must be procured and digitized Additional hour or part thereof |
$75 (1st hr) $50/hr |
Please note: Work order fees, in addition to the initial application fee, must be paid by the applicant before any work is initiated by Building Inspections. Payments can be made in person using the Point of Sale terminal, or online through the eCommerce portal.
Contact Us
City Hall
910 4 Avenue South
Lethbridge, AB T1J 0P6
Phone: 311
or 403-320-3111 (if outside of Lethbridge)