Update to Alberta Building Code

New Codes to Clarify P.Tech. Inclusion

26, May, 2015

Changes to the Alberta Building Code and the Alberta Fire Code came into force as of May 1, 2015. As with previous code updates, there are significant changes that affect many sectors and professions. One of the updates includes a clarification of the definition and responsibilities of Professional Technologists (P.Tech.).

Questions have been raised on the role of P.Tech.’s in the Alberta Building Code and Alberta Fire Code since the first P.Tech. received their stamp and began working in the Alberta marketplace. Some refuse to accept the P.Tech. stamp, while others simply require a brief education and explanation on the changes in the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act. While the education of employers and local authorities will continue, the refusal of the P.Tech. stamp is no longer possible under the Alberta Building Code.

Professional Technologists are captured in the revised definition of ‘Registered engineering professional’ as:

Registered engineering professional means an individual who is authorized to engage in the practice of engineering under the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act and its Regulations.

Professional Technologists are also captured in the revised definition of ‘Registered professional’ which now states:

Registered professional means an individual who qualifies as a
(a) registered architectural professional, or
(b) registered engineering professional.

One of the primary purposes for this change was to place licensing categories with the professional associations, rather than within the Alberta Building Code and Fire Code. The revised wording was approved through a collegial process with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, the Alberta Association of Architects and Municipal Affairs.

Click here to view a notice on the new Alberta Building, Fire and Energy Codes, explaining the transition period from May 1, 2015 to November 1, 2015.