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DavidCho1999

Canadian Building Code MCP Server

by DavidCho1999
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Python
Hybrid

Canadian Building Code MCP Server

PyPI version License: MIT

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables Claude to search and navigate Canadian building codes.

What It Does

Ask Claude questions like:

  • "Find fire separation requirements for garages in NBC"

  • "What are the stair width requirements in OBC?"

  • "Show me section 9.10.14 of the Building Code"

Claude will search 22,500+ indexed sections across 16 Canadian building codes and guides.

Supported Codes

Building Codes (13)

Code

Version

Sections

Description

NBC

2025

2,783

National Building Code

NFC

2025

1,044

National Fire Code

NPC

2025

413

National Plumbing Code

NECB

2025

475

National Energy Code for Buildings

OBC

2024

4,108

Ontario Building Code (Vol 1 & 2)

OFC

O. Reg. 213/07

1,906

Ontario Fire Code

BCBC

2024

2,584

British Columbia Building Code

ABC

2023

2,832

Alberta Building Code

QCC

2020

2,726

Quebec Construction Code

QECB

2020

384

Quebec Energy Code

QPC

2020

428

Quebec Plumbing Code

QSC

2020

1,063

Quebec Safety Code

User's Guides (3)

Guide

Version

Sections

Description

IUGP9

2020

1,096

Illustrated Guide - Part 9 Housing

UGP4

2020

495

User's Guide - NBC Structural Commentaries

UGNECB

2020

165

User's Guide - NECB

Installation

Option A: pip install (Recommended)

pip install building-code-mcp # With PDF text extraction support pip install building-code-mcp[pdf]

Option B: From GitHub

pip install git+https://github.com/DavidCho1999/Canada-AEC-Code-MCP.git

Option C: Clone and install

git clone https://github.com/DavidCho1999/Canada-AEC-Code-MCP.git cd Canada-AEC-Code-MCP pip install -e ".[pdf]"

Configure Claude Desktop

Find your Claude Desktop config file:

  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

  • Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Add this to the config file:

{ "mcpServers": { "building-code": { "command": "building-code-mcp" } } }

Restart Claude Desktop. You should see "building-code" in the MCP tools.

Usage Examples

Once installed, just ask Claude naturally:

"Search for egress requirements in NBC" "What does section 3.2.4.1 say in OBC?" "Find fire resistance ratings for walls" "Which building code applies in Toronto?" "List all available building codes"

Available Tools

Tool

Description

list_codes

List all available codes and section counts

search_code

Search by keywords (e.g., "fire separation")

get_section

Get specific section by ID (e.g., "9.10.14.1")

get_hierarchy

Get parent, children, siblings of a section

set_pdf_path

Connect your PDF for full text extraction (BYOD)

verify_section

Verify section exists and get formal citation

get_applicable_code

Get which codes apply to a Canadian location

How It Works

Mode A: Map Only (Default)

Returns section metadata: ID, title, page number, keywords. Works without any PDF files.

Mode B: BYOD (Bring Your Own Document)

Connect your legally obtained PDF to get full text:

"Connect my NBC PDF at C:/codes/NBC2025.pdf"

The server extracts text from the exact page and coordinates.

Running Tests

pip install pytest pytest tests/test_smoke.py -v

Troubleshooting

"MCP server not showing in Claude Desktop"

  1. Make sure Python is in your PATH

  2. Restart Claude Desktop completely

  3. Check logs: %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\ (Windows)

"No results found"

  • Try simpler search terms (e.g., "fire" instead of "fire separation requirements")

  • Check if the code exists: ask Claude "list available codes"

"PDF text extraction not working"

  • Ensure the PDF path is correct and file exists

  • The PDF version must match the map version (e.g., NBC 2025 map needs NBC 2025 PDF)

  • Install with PDF support: pip install building-code-mcp[pdf]

For Developers

Adding New Codes

  1. Convert PDF with Docling:

pip install docling python scripts/convert_with_docling.py path/to/code.pdf

  1. Generate map:

python scripts/generate_map_v2.py docling_output/code_name/

Project Structure

Canada-AEC-Code-MCP/ ├── maps/ # 16 code index files (JSON) ├── src/ │ └── mcp_server.py # MCP server ├── scripts/ # Pipeline scripts ├── tests/ # Smoke tests └── README.md

Disclaimer

This is a structural index for Canadian Building Codes. No copyrighted text is distributed. This is not an official NRC or government product.

Building codes are published by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and provincial authorities. Please obtain official copies through proper channels.

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please:

  1. Fork the repository

  2. Create a feature branch

  3. Run tests: pytest tests/test_smoke.py -v

  4. Submit a pull request

Changelog

v1.0.1 (2026-01-22)

  • PyPI package release (pip install building-code-mcp)

  • GitHub Actions auto-publish on tag

  • Added User's Guides (IUGP9, UGP4, UGNECB)

  • Bug fixes and improvements

  • Added smoke tests

v1.0.0 (2026-01-21)

  • Initial release with 13 Canadian building codes

  • 20,000+ indexed sections

  • BYOD mode for full text extraction

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file.

This server cannot be installed

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security - not tested
A
license - permissive license
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quality - not tested

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