Boiler plant operating permit fee consultation

One simple fee, tailored to plant class

The proposed fee structure is based on the five different plant classifications, with first class plants being the highest fee, to match the effort necessary to register the plant. The fees also take into account the fourth and fifth class plants that normally belong to smaller businesses that may be disproportionately disadvantaged by higher fees.

What fees go toward

The fees go toward direct costs for administering plant operating permits, such as employee time reviewing the plant operating permit applications, and safety officer and plant registration specialist site verification visits. The fees also support indirect costs, such as building the online services necessary for plant registration. The fees will be subject to any general fee increases. A 2% general increase to all fees is scheduled for January 1, 2020.

When these fees need to be paid

We are proposing these fees to be introduced as of October 2, 2019. If you have already registered your plant by this date, you will not need to pay an initial fee for your plant operating permit, and you will not need to pay a renewal fee until 2020. Operating permit renewal fees are paid annually.

Previous consultations

In 2016, we consulted on introducing plant registration as a new service, in which we indicated that we did not anticipate fees for this service. As we began identifying which sites required an operating permit as a plant, and building the necessary processes and infrastructure, it became apparent that fees would be necessary to recover costs associated with building the plant operating permit program. Technical Safety BC is a not-for-profit, cost-recoverable organization that does not receive any government funding.