Alberta Elevator Code 2027: Two Editions in One Step

By Mr. Sumeet Katariya, ElevatorPlus · Published [DATE] · Last updated [DATE] · ~8 min read · Compliance reviewed by Mr. Sumeet Katariya

In short: Alberta announced the 2022 elevator code, then cancelled it in September 2025 and stayed on the 2019 edition. It now plans to move directly to the 2025 edition. This is written for contractors planning work across that transition. It covers what was cancelled and why, what "two editions at once" actually means, and why the date is less firm than it looks.

Key takeaways

• Alberta cancelled the 2022 edition outright. The September 2025 notice states that ASME A17.1:2022/CSA B44:22 "will not come into force in Alberta" and that the 2019 edition "will remain in force until further notice."
• The reason was retroactive door lock monitoring. Winter 2025 engagement raised concerns about requirements that could apply to existing devices, and the province chose to forego the edition rather than resolve them piecemeal.
• Because the 2022 edition was skipped, its changes have not gone away. Alberta's own April 2026 notice says that if the 2025 edition is adopted as anticipated, "all new requirements introduced in the 2022 and 2025 editions would become enforceable at the same time."
• The 1 February 2027 date is scheduled, not declared. No Ministerial Order adopting the 2025 edition exists yet, and this is a province that has already cancelled one scheduled adoption.
• British Columbia is further behind than Alberta ever was, still on the 2016 edition, and a BC catch-up would be a two-edition jump of its own.

What this guide covers: what Alberta actually adopted and when · what was cancelled and why · the two-editions-at-once problem · how Ontario and BC compare · what to do between now and 2027 · FAQs.

Where Alberta actually sits today

ASME A17.1-2019/CSA B44:19, declared in force on 1 December 2022. Before that, Alberta ran the 2013 edition from 1 March 2016 through to 30 November 2022. There is no 2022 edition anywhere in that timeline, and that absence is deliberate.

The adoption sits under the Safety Codes Act through the Elevating Devices Codes Regulation, with in-service inspection carried out by AEDARSA as the province's delegated authority.

What was cancelled, and why it matters more than a skipped version number

Alberta announced the 2022 edition twice before withdrawing it. A September 2024 notice set an effective date of 1 October 2025. Then on 2 September 2025, a further notice reversed it:

"ASME A17.1:2022/CSA B44:22 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators will not come into force in Alberta. ASME A17.1-2019/CSA B44:19 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators will remain in force until further notice."

The stated reasoning is worth reading carefully, because it tells you what the province is nervous about:

"During winter 2025 engagements, stakeholders shared many key concerns relating to requirements that may apply to existing devices that need resolution… After careful consideration, Municipal Affairs has determined that the most effective course of action is to forego adoption of the 2022 edition and proceed with preparations for the next code cycle."

The cancellation was given legal effect by Ministerial Order TCS:006/25, issued 28 July 2025.

The phrase to notice is "requirements that may apply to existing devices." A new edition that only governs new installations is an inconvenience. One that reaches backwards into an installed base is a capital expenditure conversation with every building owner on your portfolio. Retroactive door lock monitoring was the specific concern raised.

The two-editions-at-once problem

This is the part most contractors have not yet worked through.

Skipping the 2022 edition did not delete its content. Those requirements sit inside the 2025 edition, which was published on 30 January 2026 as the 24th edition of the code. Alberta's April 2026 notice says so plainly:

"Alberta currently enforces ASME A17.1-2019 / CSA B44-19 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators. Alberta did not adopt the 2022 edition and plans to transition directly to the 2025 edition. Therefore, if the 2025 edition is adopted as anticipated on February 1, 2027, all new requirements introduced in the 2022 and 2025 editions would become enforceable at the same time."

So a contractor in Alberta is not preparing for one code change. They are preparing for two, arriving on the same day, having had no intermediate cycle to absorb the first.

A province that adopted the 2022 edition on schedule had roughly two years to work through its changes before the next edition arrived. Alberta will have none.

👉 Building a transition checklist across your Alberta portfolio? Our free service checklist and report templates are a reasonable starting structure.

The date is softer than the first notice suggested

The February 2026 notice reads as settled: the 2025 edition "was published on January 30, 2026, and is scheduled to come into force on February 1, 2027."

Two months later the language moved. The April 2026 notice, the most recent Alberta elevating-devices notice at the time of writing, says "if the 2025 edition is adopted as anticipated on February 1, 2027."

That conditional matters. No Ministerial Order adopting the 2025 edition has been issued. Until one is, the date is a plan rather than a legal fact, and this is a province that has already cancelled one scheduled adoption over exactly the kind of concern that could arise again.

One practical note if you are checking the source yourself. The catalogue listing on the Alberta open government portal misstates the date as 2 February 2026. The notice PDF says 1 February 2027. Cite the PDF, not the catalogue page.

How the three big provinces compare

British Columbia is the quiet outlier. It is a full cycle behind Ontario and Alberta and two editions behind the current published code. A 2023 industry consultation on newer editions did not result in an adoption. If BC does catch up, it faces the same compressed-transition problem Alberta has, only larger.

And none of the three adopts the code cleanly. Ontario does not adopt Sections 5.3, 5.4, 5.7 through 5.9, or 8.11. British Columbia leaves out those plus 7.7 through 7.11. Both impose their own maintenance interval caps that the base code does not contain. "Ontario follows A17.1-2019" is a sentence that will get you corrected by anyone who works there. The accurate phrasing is "adopts, with provincial variations."

What to do between now and 2027

The useful work is not reading the 2025 edition cover to cover. It is knowing which of your units would be touched if requirements reach backwards.

That means an accurate picture of what you actually maintain: install dates, controller types, door equipment, what has already been altered and under which edition. Contractors who can answer that in an afternoon will scope the transition as a commercial conversation. Contractors who cannot will find out unit by unit, on site, in the weeks after the change lands.

It also means watching for the Ministerial Order rather than the announcement. The announcement has already been wrong once.

Frequently asked questions

Which elevator code edition is in force in Alberta?

ASME A17.1-2019/CSA B44:19, declared in force on 1 December 2022. Alberta did not adopt the 2022 edition.

Why did Alberta cancel the 2022 edition?

Stakeholder concerns raised during winter 2025 engagements about requirements that may apply to existing devices, with retroactive door lock monitoring the specific issue. Municipal Affairs chose to forego the edition and prepare for the next cycle instead.

When does the 2025 edition take effect in Alberta?

It is anticipated on 1 February 2027, but no Ministerial Order adopting it has been issued. Alberta's own April 2026 notice uses conditional language, so treat the date as scheduled rather than declared.

What does it mean that two editions arrive at once?

Because the 2022 edition was skipped, its new requirements were never enforced in Alberta. They remain in the 2025 edition. If that edition is adopted, requirements from both editions become enforceable on the same day.

Which edition does British Columbia use?

ASME A17.1-2016/CSA B44-16, adopted in the Elevating Devices Safety Regulation and in force for new installations and alterations since 30 April 2020. BC is two editions behind the current published code.

Is Ontario on the same edition as Alberta?

Yes, both are on the 2019 edition, but the adoption dates and the provincial variations differ. Ontario's Section 8.6 maintenance requirements took effect on 1 January 2023.

Do the provinces adopt the code without changes?

No. Ontario does not adopt Sections 5.3, 5.4, 5.7 through 5.9 or 8.11. British Columbia leaves out those plus 7.7 through 7.11. Both add their own maintenance interval caps. Write "adopts, with provincial variations."

Where should I check the current position?

The Alberta open government portal publishes elevating-devices notices as PDFs. Read the PDF rather than the catalogue summary, which has misstated a date at least once.

The bottom line

Alberta made a defensible decision. Rather than push through an edition that worried the industry, it waited. The cost of that decision arrives in February 2027, when two editions of change land in a single step with no intermediate cycle to absorb the first.

The contractors who handle it well will be the ones who already know, unit by unit, what they maintain and under which edition it was installed or altered. That is not a code question. It is a records question, and it is answerable now.

👉 See what a per-unit code and alteration history looks like across a province. Book a demo →

Related reading

• Elevator service software built for Canadian contractors
• The Maintenance Control Program: What A17.1 §8.6 Actually Requires On Site
• Five Regulators, One Code: Who Actually Licenses Elevator Work in Canada
• Elevator Service Software Canada 2026: CSA B44 and Provincial Compliance

About the author. Mr. Sumeet Katariya is the founder of ElevatorPlus, the Elevator Business Operating System used by 200+ elevator companies across 20+ countries. Compliance reviewed by Mr. Sumeet Katariya.

Sources: Alberta, Elevator codes and standards · Notice: Elevating Devices Code Adoption Update, September 2025 (PDF) · Notice: New ASME A17.1-2025/CSA B44:25 Safety Code, February 2026 (PDF) · Ministerial Order TCS:006/25 (PDF) · TSSA Elevating Devices Code Adoption Document Amendment 295/22 (PDF) · Elevating Devices Safety Regulation, B.C. Reg. 101/2004 · AEDARSA, Codes and standards

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