Understanding the City approval process prior to purchasing a property or proceeding with a detailed design is important. Required upgrades can be very extensive and costly, so recognizing these risks early in the planning process is extremely important to ensure a successful transition.
Residential business license: Sometimes the easiest way to accommodate a business in your home is by ensuring the type of business is permitted under our home-based business license requirements. If you are not planning to live at the residence or if your business intends to operate outside the allowable license parameters, a conversion to a commercial business will be required to operate your business in that home.
Zoning Bylaw Considerations: The house must be located in a zone that allows for commercial development. We advise that you contact the City to determine if the commercial use would be allowable in a location. However, you may search the zone of the property here and find the requirements for each zone within the Zoning Bylaw.
Building Code Considerations: A house originally constructed for residential use was not built to meet the additional measures required for a commercial building. Therefore, a building review by a knowledgeable designer and contractor is very important to the success of the conversion.
How we can help make this easier
Pre-approved housing design solutions
To help make conversion projects more affordable, the City of Regina has invested in research and analysis to develop approved code-compliant alternatives that owners and designers can use when converting an existing house to a commercial business. The alternatives provided will be suitable for most, but not all, projects and are intended to identify and remove common barriers. Where the parameters of this advisory do not apply to your business operations, a site-specific alternative solution from a design professional may be an option.
Financial Incentives
Depending on the specific details of your project, the City may have incentives available. Please visit our Heritage and Revitalization incentive pages to find out more.
Pre-Application Meeting
Pre-application meetings provide the opportunity for designers and owners of an upcoming commercial project to meet with the City of Regina to discuss questions specific to that project.
To Apply
1. Complete and submit forms and documents listed below. Your application may be circulated to a variety of departments for review, depending on the complexity. The application must be signed by the legal property owner as well as the applicant.
Required:
Required as needed:
2. Submit your application through our new online eBuild software or in person at City Hall. The City will review your application to ensure it meets all building, heritage, zoning, landscaping, engineering, environmental, disposal, assessment, open space and utility regulations and/or bylaws.
Apply Online
3. If applicable, contact Technical Safety Authority of Saskatchewan (TSASK) for inspections and permits for gas or electrical work.
PLEASE NOTE: Building permit application forms must be filled out in full; incomplete applications will not be accepted.
- Legal land owner information must match what’s listed on land title. The individual signing for the legal land owner must be on title or must be authorized to sign on the legal land owner’s behalf via an authorization letter from the legal land owner.
- If a company is listed on title as the legal land owner, the individual signing on behalf of the owner must print their name and position associated with the company and must have signing authority.
- If someone is designated to sign on behalf of the owner, this authorization can be provided via an authorization letter from the legal land owner (individual giving authority must list name, position, and have signing authority).
Permit Fee
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Commercial Construction / Alteration / Renovation / Repair (construction value) |
$8 / $1,000 value, $100 minimum |
Permit Timeline
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We aim to process commercial permits within 20 business days. |
The review time of a Commercial Building Permit Application is approximately 20 days from the date a complete application is submitted. Review times increase depending on project type, required circulation and construction season. Apply early and review the information package and supporting documents prior to submission.
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Stage 1: Development Review |
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Reviewed on all applications: Review may be required:
to ensure compliance with various transportation, water (potable, storm, and waste), environmental and geotechnical technical standards. (Comments sent from technicalreview@regina.ca) |
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Stage 2: Building Standards Review |
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Reviewed on all applications:
Comments sent from three separate reviewers:
to ensure compliance with National Fire Code and NFPA standards. Information on building permit requirements for fire alarm systems |
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Stage 3: Saskatchewan Ministry of Health Review (if required) |
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Review May Be Required:
to ensure compliance with health regulations. (Comments sent from Saskatchewan Ministry of Health) The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health can be reached directly at 306-766-7755. |
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Stage 4: Application Approval |
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Reviewed on all applications:
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For more information, call Service Regina at 306-777-7000.
The City accepts, and encourages, plans to be submitted electronically. This will benefit both the customer and the reviewer as it helps speed up the process.
If Plans are submitted electronically, they must adhere to formatting standards and digital submission security requirements. This will enable the software to identify drawings and organize large projects more efficiently.
Formatting standards only apply to applications drawn in a computer program (CAD drafting program) such as those used by professional designers. Smaller jobs like decks and garages do not need to follow the formatting standards. They are not a requirement for typical homeowner projects where designers and computer drafting programs are not involved.
For any questions regarding the formatting standards, please call 306-777-7551.
