A permit number, passed inspection and occupancy record answer different questions. Commercial due diligence should reconstruct what was proposed, what was approved, what was built, what was inspected, what may be occupied and what remains unresolved. The work must be matched to the municipality, property history, current premises and intended use.
This is general information, not legal, tax, environmental, engineering, accounting or investment advice. Obtain advice specific to the property and transaction.
1. Identify the premises and intended use
Start with the legal parcel, municipal address, building, suite, floor and areas included in the transaction or proposed occupancy. Record the existing operation and the purchaser's or tenant's intended use, hours, occupancy, equipment, storage, signage and proposed work.
A record for the correct street address may still concern another suite, phase or scope. Reconcile every permit and inspection to the exact premises and work being evaluated.
2. Separate planning approval from construction approval
A development permit generally addresses the use of land and the size, location or form of development. A building permit addresses construction reviewed under the applicable safety-code framework. Trade permits can separately address electrical, plumbing, gas, HVAC and other work.
One approval does not automatically satisfy the others. Confirm the approvals and conditions applicable to the actual work and use rather than relying on a generic statement that the property was 'permitted.'
3. Build the complete permit register
Create a register of development, building, electrical, plumbing, gas, HVAC, fire, signage, demolition and other material permits. Record permit number, scope, address or suite, application date, issue date, status, expiry, conditions and related plans.
Calgary publishes selected permit information through open data and paid property-research products. Edmonton publishes permit datasets and also provides a Search of Records process. Availability and retention limits mean no single search should be presented as a complete property history.
4. Distinguish application, issuance and completion
An application shows that approval was requested. An issued permit shows that the authority authorized the described work subject to its terms. Neither proves that construction matched the approved documents, mandatory inspections passed or the permit was closed.
Request current status, inspection history, deficiency or correction records, final approvals and any correspondence that explains an expired, cancelled, suspended or open permit.
5. Review inspections as dated evidence
Identify required inspection stages, completed inspections, failed or incomplete results, professional field-review documents and remaining work. Match each record to its permit and approved plan set.
A municipal inspection is not a general building-condition assessment and does not guarantee present condition, future performance or suitability for a new use. Keep municipal compliance evidence and purchaser physical diligence linked but distinct.
6. Confirm completion and occupancy records
Determine which completion, final inspection or occupancy records the municipality requires for the premises. Calgary explains that a Development Completion Permit and acceptable building final can both be required and that one does not replace the other. Edmonton states that occupancy follows successful completion of mandatory inspections and issues an Occupancy Permit.
Verify the exact record and conditions for the existing and proposed occupancy. A historic approval for another business or configuration may not authorize the intended operation.
7. Reconcile plans, constructed work and current condition
Compare available approved plans and permit descriptions to the current layout, exits, demising walls, washrooms, accessibility features, mechanical systems, electrical service, fire protection, mezzanines, exterior work, parking and site improvements.
Apparent differences should be investigated by the appropriate designer, code professional, engineer, contractor or municipal authority. A broker should not convert a visual difference into a code or legal conclusion.
8. Treat missing records as an unresolved fact
Calgary says commercial and multifamily property records are usually available from 1969 forward, while Edmonton states that it generally has no commercial building plans before 1977. Both warn that requested records may not exist or may not have been retained.
Record what was searched, who searched it, the date, identifiers used and the result. An absent file is not proof of approval, non-approval, construction date or code status; define the follow-up work required for the decision.
9. Connect unresolved permits to the transaction
Assign each open issue to seller response, further records, specialist review, municipal inquiry, corrective work, price, holdback, insurance, lender approval, a purchase or lease condition, or a change in intended use.
Counsel should control contractual notices, waivers, representations and closing obligations. Technical professionals and authorities control their opinions and approvals. The brokerage can coordinate information and commercial timing without giving legal or code advice.
10. Preserve the final permit evidence package
Retain the property and suite index, search record, permit register, plans reviewed, inspection and occupancy records, municipal correspondence, specialist findings, seller responses and transaction decisions. Mark records received after a condition was waived or satisfied.
This guide is educational and is not a municipal record search, code review, legal opinion, engineering report, occupancy authorization or assurance that a property may be used for a particular operation. Confirm current requirements with the municipality and qualified advisors.
Primary sources
Verify the current rules.
Government and regulator pages can change. These links were reviewed on August 26, 2026.
Alberta: Safety codes↗City of Calgary: Property Research↗City of Calgary: Development Completion Permit↗City of Calgary: Property-related products↗City of Edmonton: Search of Records↗City of Edmonton: Commercial inspections↗City of Edmonton: Building permits map↗City of Edmonton: Development permits map↗A real property decision?
Share the intended operation, required market, property type and timing. Commercially can identify active inventory and organize listing information while the municipality and qualified professionals determine approvals and code requirements.Who, how and why
Who: Commercially Research & Editorial.
How: Primary-source research and AI-assisted drafting were used to organize this guide around a practical commercial real estate decision. Source links, factual claims and material limitations were checked against Commercially's editorial standards on the review date.
Why: To help owners, buyers and tenants identify the records, questions and professional advice that belong in a real transaction work plan.
Editorial owner: Commercially Research & Editorial.
Commercial review: Slav Loban, Commercial Real Estate Division Leader.
Questions or corrections: hello@commercially.ca
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