In BC, a new detached garage needs a building permit. A small backyard workshop or storage building may not, depending on its floor area and on which city you live in. The cutoff is usually 10 m², but Duncan uses 8 m² and Burnaby and Langford publish no size exemption. This guide sets out each city’s trigger, its height cap and its fee, using only what the city itself publishes.
The Province’s Building Permit Hub names a new detached garage as an example of new construction that needs a permit [1]. Beyond that, each local government sets its own small-building exemption in its building bylaw. Three questions decide it:
Carports. No city in this guide publishes a separate carport exemption. Langford’s accessory building checklist covers garages and carports together [21], and Port Coquitlam lists carports alongside garages as work that needs a permit [26]. Assume a carport is treated like any other accessory building of the same size.
Even an exempt building has to meet zoning. Surrey’s exemption applies only when the building sits 1.5 m from lot lines and 3.0 m from other buildings [3]. Saanich’s applies only if the building “complies with zoning requirements and does not create a hazard” [11]. Vancouver warns that a work-without-permit penalty is typically double the original fee, and that homeowners pay it even if a contractor said no permit was needed [5].
Each cell links to its source. “Not published” means we couldn’t find the figure on the city’s own permit page or bylaw. It doesn’t mean there is no limit. Your zone still sets one.
| City | When a garage or accessory building needs a permit | Maximum height (accessory building) | Fee (where published) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surrey | Permit for every new residential garage [2]. Small accessory buildings up to 10 m² are exempt only if 1.5 m from lot lines and 3.0 m from other buildings [3]. | not published on the permit page; set by zone | $64 for the first $1,000 of value, then a sliding rate per $1,000 [4] |
| Vancouver | Building or altering a garage or shed needs a permit [5]. The Building By-law has a 10 m² carve-out for small buildings, but zoning still applies [6]. | not published; set by zone | Value-based schedule; no flat figure not published |
| Victoria | 10 m² or more [7]. | 3.5 m; max 37 m² floor area; rear yard only [8] | $100 + 1.4% of value; waived for complete applications under Bylaw 26-020 [9][10] |
| Saanich | Over 10 m² (107 sq ft) [11]. | not published on the permit page; set by zone | Value-based schedule [12] |
| Nanaimo | Over 10 m² (107.64 sq ft), including detached garages and workshops [13]. | not published on the permit page | Use the City’s calculator [14] |
| Kelowna | Footprint over 10 m². An attached garage is an addition [15][16]. | Set by zone [16]; number not published | Building Bylaw 7245 schedule; flat figure not published |
| Burnaby | Permit for a detached garage (treated as a new building); attached garage is an addition. No small-building exemption published [17]. | not published | Current fee schedule [18]; flat figure not published |
| Abbotsford | Larger than 10 m² (107.6 sq ft) [19]. | 4.5 m (coach house 7.5 m), per the 2021 FAQ [19] | Use the City’s estimator [20] |
| Langford | No size exemption published; Langford has a garage and carport checklist [21]. | 4.5 m or 60% of the house height, whichever is greater (larger lots may go higher) [22] | not published as a flat figure |
| Duncan | Larger than 8 m² [23]. | not published | $8 per $1,000 of value ($50 min) up to $100,000, plus plan review [24] |
| North Cowichan | Kits and pre-built structures larger than 10 m² (107 sq ft) [25]. | not published on the permit page; see Zoning Bylaw 2950 | Not published on the permit page |
| Port Coquitlam | Over 100 sq ft (about 9.3 m²), or any hazard [26]. | not published on the permit page; set by zone | Value-based [26] |
For the shed-sized end of the range, see our deck and shed permit rules in 14 BC cities.
Building rules decide whether you need a permit. Zoning decides where the building can go and how big it can be. Few cities print accessory building numbers on their permit pages. These do:
North Cowichan’s page tells you how to check this yourself. Find your zone on the municipal map, check development permit areas and the ALR, then read the zoning bylaw for setbacks, coverage and height [25].
Wiring a garage or running gas to a shop heater is a separate permit from the building permit. In most of BC it comes from Technical Safety BC. Ten local governments issue their own instead. In this guide that means Vancouver and Burnaby (electrical and gas), Surrey and Victoria (electrical only) and Kelowna (gas only) [27]. Homeowners can apply for some electrical permits themselves [28]. Kelowna and North Cowichan both name provincial electrical permits as separate from the building permit [16][25].
A garage built for storage can’t simply be lived in later. Victoria’s Schedule F bars using an accessory building as a dwelling and limits plumbing to one draining fixture unless the zone allows a dwelling [8]. The Province lists converting a garage, carport or shed into living space as a renovation that needs a permit [1]. Kelowna’s garage bulletin excludes carriage houses, which have their own package [16]. Nanaimo sends carriage houses to a separate page [13]. For suite rules and drawings, read second suite drawings and permits in BC and secondary suite permits in BC.
Published checklists line up closely:
Surrey says a Registered Professional may need to seal the drawings [2]. Langford asks for Schedule B Letters of Assurance where applicable [21]. For a plain wood-frame garage, a building designer usually draws the plans. To vet one, check the BCABD directory, and check an engineer in the EGBC directory [29][30]. Our guide to who draws permit plans in Nanaimo and how to submit permit drawings in BC cover this step.
Published fee figures are in the table. Victoria’s normal rate is $100 plus 1.4% of value [9], and its Development Fee Waiver Bylaw sets fees to $0 for complete applications in the waiver period [10]. Duncan charges $8 per $1,000 of value, with a $50 minimum [24]. Surrey charges $64 for the first $1,000 [4]. The other cities use calculators or schedules [12][14][20]. We don’t publish build-cost ranges. For inspection prep, see the shed inspection checklist. For decks, see the deck inspection checklist and deck permits. For fences, see the fence inspection checklist. The materials calculator covers costs, and the permit fee estimator covers fees.
Hiring a contractor for the job? See renovation quote and final bill disputes in BC, which covers contract rules, deposits, the 10% lien holdback, and the CRT and small claims limits.
Yes. The Province lists a new detached garage as construction that needs a building permit, and every city in this guide requires one.
In most of the cities here, under 10 square metres (about 107 sq ft). Duncan’s limit is 8 square metres and Port Coquitlam’s is 100 sq ft. Burnaby and Langford publish no size exemption. Zoning still applies to exempt buildings.
None of these cities publishes a separate carport exemption. Langford’s garage checklist covers carports, and Port Coquitlam lists carports as permit work. Treat it like an accessory building.
No. Kelowna and Burnaby treat an attached garage as an addition to the house, so house addition rules apply.
It depends on the zone. Victoria allows 3.5 m. Abbotsford’s 2021 FAQ says 4.5 m. In Langford, the limit is 4.5 m or 60% of the house height, whichever is greater. Other cities don’t publish the number on their permit pages.
Yes, if you add wiring. Technical Safety BC issues it in most areas. Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey and Victoria issue their own electrical permits, and Kelowna issues its own gas permits.
Only with a permit. Converting a garage into living space is permit work, and some cities, like Victoria, bar living in an accessory building unless the zone allows it.
Usually a building designer or the owner. Some cities ask for a Registered Professional’s seal or Schedule B letters where structure requires them.
All pages checked November 4, 2026.
Related: Surrey · Vancouver · Victoria · Saanich · Nanaimo · Kelowna · Burnaby · Abbotsford · Langford · Duncan building permit guides
Independent information only, not legal or engineering advice. Confirm with your building department before you build.