Here are some terms you may come across when using CityReporter™.
Abatement Order: An order issued by the governing body to cease, remove, correct or otherwise take action as required to become compliant with a By-law thus ending the state of violation.
Activity: The type of work performed on a road, highway, structure, or site, e.g. bridge cleaning, compact ice removal, dam construction, etc.
Applicant: The authorized agent of the property owner applying for a building permit.
Application: A building permit that has been applied for but has not yet been approved.
Asset: Any equipment, structure, or other physical item of value tracked in the Asset Tracker module.
Asset Audit: A date/time-stamped record of an examination of the asset’s condition.
Asset Class: A grouping of assets with similar characteristics.
Asset Category: A type of asset, e.g. playground swing, fire hydrant, water main, etc. In CityReporter, a category has one audit form associated with it.
Area: A geographical region where a park, sportfield, facility, building, road, etc. is located.
Attachment: A document or other type of file associated with a permit, location, or work order.
Base Fees: Permit fees that are not related to construction value. There are several different base fee types in CityReporter:
- Fixed – a flat fee
- Per Unit – fee is multiplied by the number of units
- Application Fee – applies to a permit with the status Application
- Discount – subtracts a percentage of the total fees
- Refund – subtracts a fixed amount
- Payment – subtracts a payment made by the client
- Deposit – adds an amount collected as a deposit
- Deposit Refunded – subtracts an amount returned to the client
Building Type: A permit can be for a Standard or Complex building. Standard permits have different forms from Complex permits.
By-Law: An enforceable regulation or required standard which has been enacted into law by the local governing body, typically a City, Township, County, or Regional District.
By-Law Act: The official documents outlining all of the local bylaws, terms, conditions, fees, fines, penalties and procedures for enforcement which have been passed into law.
By-Law Enforcement Officer: An individual who is empowered by the local governing body to monitor, investigate, document, and enforce compliance for all matters related to the By-Laws in place within their jurisdiction. Often this may be a law enforcement or police officer acting under additional authority.
Capital Improvement: Changes made to a property that boost its value, increase useful life, or allow for a new use.
Category: Related building or plumbing inspections. You can also create custom categories of related inspections, e.g. Accessory Buildings.
Certification: A formal qualification issued to an employee by an authoritative body, e.g. Standard First Aid, CPR, etc.
Certification Group: A set of related certifications, e.g. Workplace First Aid.
Certification Type: The specific kind of certification, e.g. types of CPR certifications are Level A, Level B, Level C, and Level BLS.
Citation: Formal notice of a failure to comply with or correct a condition so as to comply with the requirements of an enforceable code. Sometimes referred to as a “Ticket”.
CityReporter Mobile: The mobile app component of the software that runs on your Android or Apple device.
CityReporter Web: The cloud-based component of the software, accessible through a web browser.
Classification: A designation for a road or highway that indicates the level of service the road contractor should provide.
Code: The procedures, standards and requirements as set out in the applicable laws or by-laws and enforced by the governing body.
Compliance: The need to correct, or discontinue the identified violation.
Compliant: To have corrected or discontinued the identified violation as required under the by-law.
Construction Value Fees: Permit fees based on the construction value of a permit. There are different types of construction value fees that apply to the value range defined in CityReporter:
- Fixed – charges a flat fee on the construction value that falls within the range
- e.g. A fee of $1000 that applies to the first $10,000 of construction value
- Per 1000 – charges a fixed amount per $1000 of construction value in the range
- e.g. A fee of $5 that applies for every $1000 of construction value between $10,000 and $500,000 (the full $5 amount is charged for any portion of $1000)
- Percentage – charges a percentage of the construction value within the range
- e.g. A fee of 2% that applies to the construction value between $500,000 and $1,000,000
Complex Building Type: Larger or more complex buildings such as hospitals, schools, and high-rise condos (regulated under Part 3 of the National Building Code of Canada). Permits with a complex building type are under the Complex tab on the Permits & Construction summary screen.
Contact: In the Permits & Construction module, a contractor or registered professional associated with a permit. In the Facilities and Fire modules, an owner or occupant of the building.
Employee: A person who is being tracked in the Workplace Safety or Time Tracker modules, but who doesn’t necessarily have user access to the software.
Event: A block of time booked in the Rental Scheduler for a specific date and time at one or more rental locations.
Fault: An issue, hazard, or code violation identified during inspection and needing attention.
Fees, Fines, or Penalties: Monies deemed to be owed due to a violation or failure to comply with an abatement order and applied as the procedures, amounts, and terms specified within the applicable by-laws.
Form (checklist): A series of questions used to record data for an inspection, work order, or audit.
Form Management: The area of the web software where you can create and customize forms (checklists).
External Portal: A publicly accessible web form for the public to report concerns and submit service requests. It integrates with the Work Orders module.
Identifier: A unique ID number, phone number, serial number, or license plate for identifying an asset.
Inspection Approval: If enabled, flagged inspection reports require an Approver or Administrator to review the report, make any necessary edits, and mark it approved. Once approved, the inspection report can no longer be edited.
Inspection Group: A set of related inspection forms, e.g. Playground Inspections, or a custom group that you define. Each group is represented by a tab on the summary screen.
Inspection Report: A date/time-stamped record of an inspection including notes and pictures, completed on the mobile app or on the web.
Inspection Type: Lets you define a set of inspections required for a permit, e.g. an inspection type Deck could require footing, framing, and final inspections.
Inspector: The user who completes an inspection or audit. Their name is automatically added to the inspection or audit record.
Internal Portal: A website that enables customer service staff to log in and generate public concern requests without needing full access to the CityReporter web software. It integrates with the Work Orders module.
Job: A form for recording data about a work order, e.g. job description, the location, hours worked, etc.
Landmark: A location along a road or highway identified by kilometre segment or GPS coordinates.
License: A type of permit typically allowing an ongoing action which requires initial proof of compliance, testing to ensure skills meet an acceptable standard, or a proven ability to perform satisfactorily.
Location: A park, sportfield, facility, building, or other site where an inspection, work order, or audit is located.
Outstanding Faults: Faults that have not been repaired yet.
Overdue Inspections: Inspections that haven’t been performed within the frequency interval set for a location, e.g. an inspection with an interval of 30 days will be overdue once 30 days have passed since the last inspection.
Owner: The registered owner of a property where the permit project is located.
Pending Inspections: Upcoming inspections that are scheduled with a next inspection date.
Permissions: Users can be assigned different roles which determine what software features they have permission to access.
Permit: An official document which provides the holder permission to possess, use, build, create, operate or occupy as specified within the agreed set of terms and conditions. Typically issued to a specific event, action, or purpose. Most commonly a “Permit to construct, renovate, or alter” a building.
Permit Portal: A website that enables a citizen to log in and submit a permit application. It integrates with the Permits & Construction module.
Permit Status: The current stage of the permit process, from Application to Finalized.
Permit Type: The specific kind of permit, e.g. Building, Plumbing, Demolition, etc.
Picture: A photo attached to an inspection, work order, or audit, or attached at the question level.
Prohibit: To disallow or ban an activity, behavior, or action.
Project: Allows you to group related permits for the same property together.
Ref #: A unique number identifying an application or permit.
Rental: A group of rooms or other locations that are frequently rented out together.
Required Inspections: Selected inspections that must be performed on a permit or location.
Required Tasks: Selected tasks that must be completed on a work order.
Road: A road or highway located in a specific area and with landmarks along its length.
Scheduler: In the Permits & Construction module, inspections can be booked in a calendar and assigned to an inspector. The Facilities module also has a calendar, where rental events can be booked and associated with locations.
Standard Building Type: Includes single family dwellings, duplexes, and some small commercial buildings (regulated under Part 9 of the National Building Code of Canada). Permits with a standard building type are under the Standard tab on the Permits & Construction summary screen.
Task: A specific kind of activity associated with a work order, e.g. mowing, fertilizing, weeding, etc. Each task consists of one form. A work order can have one task, multiple tasks, or none.
User: A person who can log in to the software with a unique username and password. Access to different software features depends on the user’s permissions.
Variance: An official approval provided by the governing or enforcing body of government enabling the holder to temporarily or permanently be excused from requirement to comply with one or more existing rules, regulations, standards, statutes or codes as listed and described within the Variance document.
Violation: An act, condition or behavior which is in contravention to local by-laws.
Work Order: Consists of a job and optional tasks that are usually assigned to a user.
Work Order Group: A type of work order related to a module, e.g. Roads & Highways, or a custom group that you define. Each work order group has one Job form associated with it and is represented by a tab on the summary screen.
Work Order Status: The current stage of the work order in its life cycle, from Requested to Completed.
