Do professional fees count toward the Ottawa permit valuation?

Yes, professional fees count. The City of Ottawa's fee schedule defines the permit valuation as "the total value of all materials, labour, overhead and professional fees." That means design fees, engineering fees and any other professional costs you pay for the project are included in the number you report to the City, and the permit fee is calculated on that total.

The formula is $12.75 per $1,000 of construction value, with a minimum of $117. So if your total valuation, including professional fees, comes to $10,000, the permit fee works out to $127.50. The City sets the valuation; treat any number you calculate as an estimate until the City confirms it.

A few things follow from this. If you hire a designer or engineer to size a beam before the permit application goes in, that fee adds to the valuation and therefore to the permit fee. If you take design responsibility yourself, as the Building Code allows an owner to do for a house they own, there may be no professional fee to add, but the rest of the valuation, materials, labour and overhead, still applies.

The application goes through My ServiceOttawa. The City says to book inspections 48 hours in advance. If you are unsure what to include in your valuation, ask Building Code Services directly before you submit.

When you have two written quotes in front of you, put the scope of work, who is responsible for design and who will apply for the permit, the materials specified, and what patching and clean-up are included side by side before you decide which one to sign.