The Building Inspection department is responsible for the regulation of construction, alteration, and repair or demolition of buildings and structures within the Municipality of Shelburne, Town of Shelburne and Town of Lockeport. All Bylaws are enforced for the protection of residents and businesses.
You should always inquire with the Inspection Department before any type of construction or demolition begins. Any person planning to carry out any form of construction in the Municipality is governed by the provisions of the Building Code Act and the Municipality’s Building By-Law.
Building Application Form
Once the inspection department has received your “completed” application, every effort will be made to issue your permit within 5 business days.
Building_Demolition Application – Fillable
Renewal Form
To renew your building permit please print off the form below and drop it off or send it to the Building Department along with the $5.00 renewal fee.
Permit Renewal Form – Fillable
Assignment of Agent
An assignment of agent form is required when someone other than the legal property owner requires access to the information in a building or demolition permit. This form authorizes all information regarding a permit and/or inspections to be released to the agent listed on the form including, but not limited to, applying and signing for permits.
Assignment of Agent Form – Fillable
Development Permit
A Development Permit is required for the Town of Shelburne & Town of Lockeport. If you are planning to build within the Towns of Shelburne or Lockeport, you must first obtain the required Development Permit from the appropriate Town office. Approval to connect to Public Sewer is also required.
Development Permit Form – Fillable
Town of Shelburne
#168 Water Street
P.O. Box 670
Shelburne, NS
B0T 1W0
(902) 875-2991
Town of Lockeport
#26 North Street
P.O. Box 189
|Lockeport, NS
(902) 656-2216
Radon Awareness
Radon (Rn) is a naturally occurring, colourless and odourless gas that is radioactive and known to cause lung cancer. In fact, Rn is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and the leading cause of the disease among non-smokers (World Health Organization, 2009). Radon is generated naturally from the radioactive decay of uranium. Both elements are found in varying amounts in all the soils and rocks throughout the province (Goodwin et al., 2009, 2010a). Since Rn is a gas, it is easily transported in the natural environment and transfers readily into air and water. In the outdoor environment, Rn emanating from the earth is very quickly diluted in the air to very low (background) concentrations (Goodwin et al., 2010b) that are well below the level of 200 Bq/m3 that is deemed a health risk by Health Canada (Health Canada, 2008). Although a gas, Rn is very heavy, heavier than lead, in fact, and in the enclosed spaces of an indoor environment (homes and buildings) Rn can concentrate in low-lying areas like the basement or lowest levels of the home. Radon in indoor air can sometimes reach high enough levels to be a health risk and exceed the 200 Bq/m3 Health Canada guideline.
Health Canada has established a protocol for Rn testing of homes (Health Canada, 2008). The protocol states that a home exceeding the 200 Bq/m3 guideline, but below 600 Bq/m3, should be remediated to below the guideline level within two years. Homes with a Rn level greater than 600 Bq/m3 should be remediated to below the guideline within one year. There is an abundance of information available regarding Rn testing of homes and the remediation of homes that are found to exceed the Health Canada guideline. Readers may begin their search with the Nova Scotia Environment (https://novascotia.ca/nse/environmental-health/radon.asp) and Health Canada (https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-risks-safety/radiation/radon/resources.html ) websites.
The Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness recommends that all homeowners in the province test their homes for Rn. Many Rn studies carried out globally have shown conclusively that, although the percentage of homes exceeding established Rn guidelines can vary from area to area, there are no areas completely devoid of homes with high Rn. No matter where you live, the only way you will know for sure whether or not your home has high Rn is to complete a proper Rn test (Health Canada, 2008). Since there are regions where there are a higher percentage of Rn guideline exceedences, a map such as this showing the distribution of these regions is useful in determining priority areas for testing and for assisting with building code guidelines. https://fletcher.novascotia.ca/DNRViewer/?viewer=Radon