Which permits your project needs, and who issues each one
Most homeowners think of a building permit as one document. A Metro Vancouver project usually needs several separate permissions, and they come from two different levels of government. The city issues the building permit and, where the zoning calls for one, a development permit. The province, through Technical Safety BC, issues the electrical and gas permits. Each has its own application, its own reviewer, and its own inspections, and missing one of them stops the work just as firmly as missing all of them.
Part of Building permits in Metro Vancouver. Figures re-verified 2026-09-23.
Key takeaways
- A building permit covers the structure. Electrical and gas work is permitted separately by the province.
- Richmond requires a permit for retaining walls over 1 metre and for pools larger than 15 square metres and deeper than 1 metre.
- One accessory building under 10 square metres is exempt from a building permit in Richmond.
- A development permit, where the zoning requires one, is reviewed before or alongside the building permit.
- Burnaby requires a development permit ahead of the building permit for some projects, effective 1 July 2026.
- Demolition is its own permit, and on older houses it carries its own conditions.
What a building permit covers
A building permit is the city's permission to build the structure you have drawn. It confirms two separate things: that the building satisfies the British Columbia Building Code, which is the provincial safety standard, and that it satisfies the local zoning bylaw, which controls what can be built on that lot. A design can pass one and fail the other. A house that is structurally sound but 30 centimetres too close to the side property line will not receive a permit until the drawings change.
The permit is tied to the drawings that were submitted, so the permit is permission to build that specific building. Changing the design after issue means going back to the reviewer, which is why locking the drawings before applying saves more time than any other single decision in the process.
The British Columbia Building Code is published by the province and adopted across the region, so the safety standard is shared. The zoning bylaw is written by each city, so two lots on either side of a municipal boundary can face different height limits, setbacks, and permitted uses.
The work that triggers a building permit
Cities publish their own lists, and they are close to each other. Richmond requires a building permit to construct a new building, to add to an existing building, and to alter, renovate, or repair an existing building or structure. Plumbing, gas, and electrical changes are included. So is tree removal, which surprises many owners, and so are two structures people rarely think of as buildings: swimming pools with a surface area over 15 square metres and a depth over 1 metre, and retaining walls taller than 1 metre.
Those two thresholds are worth remembering because they catch landscaping projects. A sloped North Shore or Burnaby lot often needs retaining to create a level yard, and a wall above the 1 metre mark moves the job from landscaping into permitted construction with engineering behind it.
Richmond also names the work that is exempt. One accessory building with a floor area under 10 square metres does not need a building permit, and neither do patios and decks less than 600 millimetres above the ground. Exemption from a permit is not exemption from the zoning bylaw, so a shed that needs no permit still has to sit where the bylaw allows it.
| Work | Permit needed |
|---|---|
| New building, addition, alteration, renovation, repair | Yes |
| Plumbing, gas, or electrical changes | Yes |
| Swimming pool over 15 sq m surface and over 1 m deep | Yes |
| Retaining wall over 1 m high | Yes |
| Tree removal or cutting | Yes |
| One accessory building under 10 sq m | No |
| Patio or deck under 600 mm above grade | No |
The development permit, and when it comes first
A development permit deals with how a building looks and sits on its lot rather than how it is built. Cities apply it in areas they have designated for design control, for environmental protection, or for hazard management such as steep slopes and floodplain. Where one applies, it is reviewed by planning staff rather than building staff, and it addresses form, exterior finish, landscaping, and site layout.
The order matters to your schedule. Burnaby changed its development approval process effective 1 July 2026 so that, for some projects, a development permit must be obtained before a building permit can be submitted or issued. A homeowner who budgets for one review and encounters two in sequence loses months that were never in the plan.
This is the clearest example of why a neighbouring city's experience is a poor guide to your own. The same fourplex drawing can face one review in one municipality and two consecutive reviews across the street.
Electrical and gas permits come from the province
Technical Safety BC, a provincial organisation, issues permits for electrical work, gas work, boilers and pressure vessels, elevating devices, and refrigeration. These are separate from the city building permit and they carry their own inspections. A project can hold a valid building permit and still be working without the electrical permit it needs.
In most cases a licensed contractor pulls the installation permit for their own trade and carries the responsibility for the work. Technical Safety BC also issues homeowner electrical and gas permits for owners doing the work on their own home, with their own qualifying conditions.
Venture Pacific carries the trade permits on its projects as part of managing the build, so the owner is not tracking several separate permissions across several organisations while the work runs.
Demolition, and the permits around removing a building
Removing an existing house is its own permit with its own conditions, and those conditions have grown. Cities across the region attach requirements covering hazardous material surveys, salvage and recycling of materials, tree protection during the work, and sometimes a deposit that is returned when the site is left in the required condition.
On a pre-1940 house the demolition application can also pull in a heritage review before it is granted, which is a separate track again. That path is covered in the heritage guide rather than here.
The practical point for scheduling is that a demolition permit is rarely instant, and it often depends on the building permit for the replacement house being in hand or close to it. Cities do this to avoid empty lots sitting for years.
Frequently asked questions
Is a building permit the only permit I need to build a house in Metro Vancouver?
No. A Metro Vancouver house typically needs a city building permit plus separate provincial permits for electrical and gas work, which Technical Safety BC issues. Depending on the lot, it may also need a development permit from planning staff and a demolition permit to remove the existing house. Each has its own application and inspections. Holding the building permit alone does not make the other work lawful.
Who issues electrical and gas permits in British Columbia?
Technical Safety BC issues electrical and gas permits in British Columbia, along with permits for boilers and pressure vessels, elevating devices, and refrigeration. These are provincial permits and are separate from the building permit your city issues. Licensed contractors normally take out the installation permit for their own trade, and Technical Safety BC also offers homeowner electrical and gas permits with their own qualifying conditions.
Do I need a permit to build a retaining wall?
In Richmond a building permit is required for a retaining wall taller than 1 metre, and comparable thresholds apply across Metro Vancouver. This catches many landscaping projects on sloped lots, because creating a level yard on a hillside often needs a wall above that height. A wall at that size carries engineering requirements, so confirm the threshold with your own city before the work is designed.
Does a garden shed need a building permit?
In Richmond, one accessory building with a floor area under 10 square metres does not require a building permit. Other Metro Vancouver cities publish similar exemptions at their own sizes. Being exempt from the permit does not exempt the structure from the zoning bylaw, so a shed still has to respect setbacks, height limits, and lot coverage rules. Check both the permit threshold and the zoning.
What is the difference between a development permit and a building permit?
A development permit addresses how a building looks and sits on its lot: form, exterior finish, landscaping, and site layout. Planning staff review it. A building permit addresses how the building is constructed and whether it meets the British Columbia Building Code and the zoning bylaw. Building staff review that one. Where both apply, the development permit is often reviewed first, which lengthens the overall schedule.
Did Burnaby change when a development permit is required?
Yes. Effective 1 July 2026, the City of Burnaby updated its development approval process so that some projects must obtain a development permit before a building permit can be submitted or issued. Owners planning work in Burnaby should confirm which category their project falls into before setting a schedule, because two reviews in sequence take longer than the single review many homeowners budget for.
Does removing a tree need a permit?
In Richmond, tree removal or cutting requires a permit, and every Metro Vancouver municipality regulates tree removal in some form. Protected trees also carry a root protection zone that the building must stay clear of, which can change where a house can sit on its lot. Confirm tree status early, because a protected tree discovered late can force a redesign rather than a small adjustment.
Does a swimming pool need a building permit?
In Richmond a building permit is required for a swimming pool with a surface area over 15 square metres and a depth over 1 metre. Pools below both thresholds fall outside that requirement. Fencing and safety rules apply separately and are set by the city, so confirm those alongside the permit question rather than after the pool is installed.
Can I start site work before the building permit is issued?
Work that the permit covers cannot lawfully begin before the permit is issued, and cities can order it stopped and require it to be removed. Some preparatory activities, such as surveys and geotechnical test holes, sit outside the building permit, and tree work and demolition have their own permits that can sometimes be obtained earlier. Confirm the sequence with your city rather than assuming it.
Is a deck exempt from needing a building permit?
In Richmond, patios and decks less than 600 millimetres above the ground are exempt from a building permit. Above that height they need one, because a raised deck carries structural and guard requirements under the British Columbia Building Code. Other Metro Vancouver cities set their own trigger height, so confirm the figure for your municipality before building anything raised.
Go deeper in the Journal
Sources and references
Rate and regulation figures on this page were re-verified on 2026-09-23. Construction cost ranges come from Venture Pacific's own Metro Vancouver projects and are described as such wherever they appear.
- Building Approvals, frequently asked questionsCity of Richmond. Accessed 23 September 2026.
- General Building InformationCity of Burnaby. Accessed 23 September 2026.
- Permits, electrical and gasTechnical Safety BC. Accessed 23 September 2026.
- BC Codes, the British Columbia Building CodeProvince of British Columbia. Accessed 23 September 2026.
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