What notice do I give before starting a new foundation in Oromocto?

Starting a New Foundation in Oromocto: What Notice You Need

Before any machine touches the ground, Regulation 2021-2 under the Building Code Administration Act requires the owner or their agent to give the Town of Oromocto written notice of the start date and the names of the constructors, engineers, designers and any inspection or testing agencies. That notice goes in before construction begins, not on the day the excavator arrives.

You will also need a building permit from the Town of Oromocto's Planning and Compliance office before work starts. Ask that office whether a development permit is also required for your lot, and confirm exactly how to book the footing and foundation inspection, because Regulation 2021-2 requires at least one inspection on completion of the footings and foundations before any backfilling begins. Backfill cannot go against a new foundation until that inspection is done and cleared through the local building department.

On the locate side, Info-Excavation, reached through Click Before You Dig, requires three working days' notice before digging; that request is valid until the end date written on it. NB Power runs its own separate underground locate service and asks for at least five business days' notice; that locate is valid for 60 days from the date on the locate form and covers only NB Power-owned underground power lines. Any private lines, such as wiring run to a garage or outbuilding by a past owner, are yours to find and mark. Ask the contractor to show you both locate tickets before the machine moves. If your lot is within 30 metres of a watercourse or wetland, measured horizontally from the top of the bank, you need a Watercourse and Wetland Alteration permit from the province before any digging, clearing or machine work begins.

WorkSafeNB's General Regulation 91-191 binds the excavation contractor as the employer. A trench 1.2 m (about 4 ft) or deeper that workers enter must be shored, sloped or benched, or cut in solid rock, and shoring must be engineer-certified. Excavated material must be kept at least 1.2 m from the edge. We found no provincial excavation-contractor licence, so ask the contractor for a WorkSafeNB clearance certificate confirming they are in good standing with their workers' compensation account. Under the Construction Remedies Act, you must retain a holdback of 10% of the contract price for 60 days after the certificate of substantial performance is signed or the declaration is made.

Once the bids are in, check whether each one spells out how rock is priced if the machine hits it, where the spoil is trucked and who pays the haul distance, when backfill happens relative to the inspection, and what clean-up and surface restoration is included, because those four items are where quotes that look equal on the headline number can end up far apart in the final invoice.

Local excavation contractors listed in the New Brunswick Construction Network directory can receive your project details through the request form on this page.