Opening a business in Edmonton and the fire inspection that follows

When the fire inspection happens

In Edmonton, the fire safety inspection for a new business takes place after the business licence is issued. The City's licensing page says the inspection does not have to be completed first. Edmonton Fire Rescue Services (EFRS) learns about your application once the licence fee has been paid and then contacts you to book a time.

Your licence categories decide if you get an inspection at all.

• For categories the City deems high risk, EFRS typically inspects within 10 business days after the licence is issued.
• For low-risk categories, EFRS decides whether an inspection is needed. If it is, the City says to expect it within about 30 business days after the licence is issued.

The City's category pages show, category by category, whether a high-risk fire safety inspection applies to you, so read the entry for your own business type before you plan an opening date around it.

None of this means you can ignore the checklist until the inspector calls. The checklist says items should be addressed "prior to an inspection or opening your business," and a fit-out that leaves an exit door blocked is out of compliance on day one whether or not anyone has visited yet.

What the City's checklist covers

EFRS publishes a Fire Safety Checklist for Businesses (the edition we read is from October 2025) so owners can assess their own space against the National Fire Code, Alberta Edition. The City addresses it to "the owner or the owner's agent." Edmonton's second document, the Building Owners Responsibilities booklet, explains the same requirements at more length. Both are linked at the end of this article.

Here is the checklist grouped by where you'd stand when you check it.

Some items depend on the business. A kitchen that produces grease-laden vapours adds its own list: approval of the cooking equipment by an HVAC inspector, hood and exhaust cleaning by a certified company at least every six months or as often as needed, a suppression system inspected every six months, posted manual-operation instructions and a Class K extinguisher where there are deep fryers. Compressed gas cylinders must be secured, kept out of exits and corridors, and kept at least 1 m from any exit. Flammable gases such as propane and acetylene belong outside the building.

The deficiencies EFRS says it finds most

The Building Owners Responsibilities booklet describes itself as covering the "most frequent deficiencies." Its list of common fire hazards identified by inspectors reads like a walk through an ordinary retail strip:

• exit door latches or hardware that don't work;
• materials blocking an exit or access aisle;
• extra or non-compliant locks on exit doors;
• storage inside an exit stairwell;
• combustibles piling up in elevator shafts, ventilation shafts, rooftops and service rooms;
• crawl spaces and ceiling spaces used for storage;
• dumpsters or sheds parked too close to the building;
• hot ashes or smoking materials disposed of improperly;
• electrical work, construction or renovation done without a permit or qualified people;
• extension cords used as permanent wiring.

Most of those can be spotted on a walk-through, and many cost little to fix. If you only have time for one pass before opening, do the exits and the storage.

The paper EFRS expects to see

The checklist asks that records be "present and available" for the initial verification and for the current and immediately preceding maintenance and inspections of extinguishers, the fire alarm, a sprinkler system, any special suppression system and any commercial cooking suppression system. A new tenant usually doesn't hold those records. The landlord does, or the previous tenant's contractors do, so ask for them before the lease is signed and again before the inspector books.

Keep more than the checklist's minimum. The fire code's records rule runs longer: later inspection and test records stay at the premises and aren't destroyed within five years, and initial verification and test reports stay for the life of the system (NFC(AE) 2023, Division C, 2.2.1.2). Our LIV portal explainer covers how annual reports reach the City.

A fire safety plan is the other document. The checklist says one is required for licensed beverage establishments and licensed restaurants, assembly occupancies with more than 30 people, buildings with a fire alarm, sprinkler, commercial cooking suppression or special suppression system, and buildings with storage, flammable liquids or hazardous processes, among others. Our fire safety plan guide covers contents and drills.

What the City charges

The City's Fire Rescue fee schedule has a section titled "New Business Licence Approval or Requested Inspections." It lists new business licence approval at $96.50 for low risk and $290 for high risk, both plus GST. A requested inspection is $184 plus GST. A second re-inspection is also listed at $184 plus GST, and occupancy load calculation or approval is $186.50 plus GST.

The licensing page adds that when your business needs a fire safety inspection, a separate fire inspection fee applies and EFRS collects it. It doesn't say which line on the schedule that is, so ask when EFRS calls. The listing of a second re-inspection fee does tell you that a failed item can cost another visit, so fix what you find before the first one.

Tenant or landlord

The City's checklist puts the compliance duty on the owner or the owner's agent. In practice a lease divides the work: the landlord usually controls base-building systems like the sprinkler riser, fire alarm panel and hydrants, and the tenant controls what's inside the unit. Who pays for an extinguisher service or a failed emergency light is a lease question, and your lawyer should settle it before opening day.

Buying or leasing an existing building? The City will also search its files for past orders and inspection history, covered in our guide to fire due diligence on a commercial property. Alarms that trigger because of your fit-out can cost you, too, so read about unwanted alarm fees before the drywall sander arrives.

To book a check, use the contact page or call 780.760.0806. For extinguishers, our types of fire extinguishers guide and extinguisher service page cover ratings, tags and monthly checks. The Alberta code's emergency lighting tests are explained in the emergency lighting article, and the emergency lighting and exit signs page shows what we service.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Apply for a Business Licence, City of Edmonton
• Business Licence Categories, City of Edmonton
• Fire Safety Checklist for Businesses (October 2025), Edmonton Fire Rescue Services
• Building Owners Responsibilities, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services
• Fire Rescue Services Fees and Permits, City of Edmonton
• National Fire Code 2023 Alberta Edition, Division C 2.2.1.2, National Research Council Canada