Design & documentation · Nationwide
Building Code and Use Assessment
A change in how a building is used can affect much more than the floor plan. True North coordinates an early review of the proposed operation, existing records and technical questions that shape the design and approval path.
For owners, project teams and delivery partners nationwide. The written scope identifies True North’s work, the responsible professionals and any separately contracted construction.
Request a project reviewWhat the scope can include
Select the work and handoff your project needs. The agreement identifies the included deliverables and responsibilities.
Establish the review basis
Document the intended activities, occupant characteristics, existing building information and the applicable review framework with the responsible professionals. Identify the need for existing-building, change-of-use, alteration or new-construction analysis.
Connect life safety and building function
Coordinate occupancy, occupant load, exits, fire separation, accessibility and building-system implications. Resolve conflicts between the business description and the actual equipment, storage or activities proposed.
Turn findings into next actions
Separate confirmed information from items requiring investigation or authority interpretation. Assign technical decisions, drawing changes and supporting documents before the project relies on an unresolved assumption.
Prepare for the assignment
You can start with incomplete records. Tell us what is available and what still needs to be established.
Information to bring
The actual business or residential use, plans, area and occupancy records, proposed equipment and alterations, prior approvals and any notices or review comments.
The agreed handoff
A documented code/use basis and issue register identifying the professional analyses, site information and approval decisions needed for the agreed next stage.
Decisions, fees and timing
Scope and dependencies determine the proposal. No universal price or approval date is assumed.
Confirm the basis and responsibility
Review the available records, intended endpoint and authority to use the information. Assign missing inputs, technical decisions and the parties who can authorize changes.
Coordinate and review the work
Prepare the included documents from agreed inputs, resolve interfaces with responsible specialists and track revisions. Record external decisions and conditions separately from work prepared for review.
Account for project-specific dependencies
Changes in occupancy, missing records, concealed conditions, specialist analyses and interpretation or review by the relevant authority.
Deliver the defined milestone
Provide the controlling documents and remaining-action record. Identify what is accepted, what still requires a decision and what belongs to a separately contracted next stage.
Before you begin
Common questions
Is a use assessment a permit?
No. It helps establish a design and application basis. Permit issuance and occupancy authorization remain separate decisions by the applicable authorities.
Can a small change still affect other systems?
Yes. Describe the actual activity and equipment, even when the physical work looks limited. The responsible reviewers determine which connected systems and approvals need attention.
Your next step
A project in mind?
Let’s give it direction.
Start with what you know. We’ll help define the path ahead.