How to Get an OSCAM Permit in Edmonton

If your work touches a City of Edmonton road, sidewalk, boulevard or shared pathway, you will almost certainly need an On-Street Construction and Maintenance (OSCAM) permit before you start. This guide explains when the permit applies, what the City expects to see in your traffic plan, and how to avoid the delays that hold up most applications.

What is an OSCAM permit?

An OSCAM permit is the City of Edmonton's approval to temporarily use public road right-of-way for construction or maintenance. It covers roads, sidewalks, boulevards and shared pathways. The permit lets the City coordinate work across its road network, and it is tied to a traffic plan that shows how drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and transit users will get safely past your work zone.

Contractors, utilities, developers and property owners all apply for OSCAM permits. If you are hiring a contractor to do the work, confirm who is responsible for the application before the job is scheduled.

When do you need an OSCAM permit?

The City uses an OSCAM Decision Matrix and a Permit Reference Map to decide whether a job needs a permit. The main factors are:

• Excavation. Any excavation of a road, sidewalk or boulevard needs an OSCAM permit, anywhere in the city.
• Location and road class. Work on freeways, arterial roads and in the Core Area triggers a permit far more readily than work on a quiet residential street.
• Time of day. Work during peak hours (6:00 to 9:00 and 15:30 to 18:30, Monday to Friday, excluding holidays) is treated more strictly.
• Duration. The matrix separates mobile, very short, short and long-duration work. The longer the obstruction, the more likely a permit is required.

Even when your work does not need a permit, the City still requires the appropriate level of temporary traffic control at all times, set up to its Manual of Temporary Traffic Control. "No permit" never means "no traffic control."

Traffic Accommodation Plans, Requests and Strategies

Any closure of a traffic lane, bike lane, sidewalk or road needs a traffic plan submitted with the permit application. There are three routes:

• Traffic Accommodation Plan (TAP). Drawings of your proposed setup: signs, cones and barricades, lane configuration, and routes for pedestrians and cyclists. This is the most common route for contractors.
• Traffic Accommodation Request (TAR). A request for the City to develop the traffic accommodation for your project instead. Fees may apply for City design and review.
• Traffic Accommodation Strategy (TAS). A broader written strategy, typically for larger or more complex projects.

When a professional engineer is required

Under APEGA requirements, TAPs submitted through the OSCAM process for roads with a speed limit of 70 km/h or higher must be authenticated by a licensed professional engineer. Plan for this early. An unstamped plan on a 70 km/h road will not be approved.

Use the City's standard drawings

The City's 2023 Manual of Temporary Traffic Control includes standard drawings you can build from: Series A for complete and partial road closures, Series B for flagging and short-duration operations, and Series C for pedestrian and cyclist accommodation. Pedestrian and cyclist routes get close attention in review, so show them clearly on every plan.

How long does approval take?

The City lists a typical processing time of about six business days, but it has also noted that high application volumes are causing longer waits. Build extra time into your schedule, especially in the spring and summer construction season.

Timelines start once the City has a complete application. Missing details, revisions and date changes after submission all push approval back.

What does an OSCAM permit cost?

The City charges a daily OSCAM permit fee, plus separate fees when the City designs or reviews a traffic plan. Plan review fees scale with how complex the setup is, from a basic sidewalk or single-lane closure up to multi-lane and emergency closures on major roads. Check the City's current OSCAM fee structure before you quote the job.

Common reasons OSCAM applications get delayed

• A traffic plan without enough detail: no dimensions, sign spacing or taper lengths, or no pedestrian route shown.
• No engineer's stamp on a plan for a road posted at 70 km/h or higher.
• Closures that run through peak hours without a clear reason.
• Transit stops, bike lanes or business accesses affected by the work but not addressed in the plan.
• Dates or scope changing after the application is submitted.

Getting the permit is only half the job

Once the permit is issued, the permit holder is responsible for installing and maintaining the traffic control exactly as approved, for the full duration of the work. City detour technicians and inspectors check sites for compliance with permit conditions.

TrafficIQ handles both halves for Edmonton-area projects: preparing traffic accommodation plans, assisting with the OSCAM application, supplying signs, cones and barricades, and staffing the site with certified traffic control persons. See our Traffic Management and Flagging & Site Services pages, or request a quote with your location and dates.

Last reviewed September 2026. Permit rules and fees change, so confirm details with the City of Edmonton before you apply.
Sources: City of Edmonton, On-Street Construction & Maintenance Permit; City of Edmonton, Road Right-of-Way; OSCAM Permit Decision Matrix.