With the Province of Ontario’s announcement that all construction is permitted to resume, the Town of Pelham’s Department of Community Planning and Development can resume issuance of new building permits. This means an increase in construction around Town will be visible. Construction is an important component of the local economy in Niagara and Pelham Staff are proud to support our local economy during these difficult times.

Previously, construction was allowed to continue only on sites that complied with Provincial regulations and where building permits  had been issued. All construction sites are required to meet the Provincial government’s regulations regarding maintaining safe work sites during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inspections for issued building permits are available, and the Town asks that sites are available for inspection with few workers present, adhering to physical distancing guidelines. If an inspector does not feel the site adheres to the safe work site regulations set forth by the Province, they have the right to inspect at another time.

Building permit applications will still be processed up to and including permit issuance.

With Town Hall currently closed, building permit applications and plans are accepted digitally. This offering improves the Town’s level of customer service. Reviews and changes to applications will be returned digitally by staff. Hard copy processing is still an option for small projects by making arrangements with Building Staff.

When booking a building inspection, the onus is on the applicant to consider the following questions:

1. Does anyone currently in the building, or who resides/works in the building have a fever and/or new onset of cough or difficulty breathing?
2. Has anyone currently in the building or who resides/works in the building travelled outside of Canada in the 14 days before the onset of the aforementioned symptoms?
3. Has anyone currently in the dwelling, or who resides/works in the dwelling had close contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus)?
4. Has anyone currently in the building, or who resides/works in the building had contact with a person with acute respiratory illness, or the aforementioned symptoms or has travelled outside of Canada within 14 days before their illness/symptoms onset?

The Community Planning and Development department is ready to assist you with any questions you may have. You can view a list of contacts for the department at http://www.pelham.ca/contact

For more information about what the Town of Pelham is doing in response to COVID-19, visit: www.pelham.ca/covid19