Tick-box checks for each deck inspection stage, tied to BC Building Code 2024 Part 9 and to the city inspection pages. Print it and take it to the site.
This checklist is a preparation aid, not a guarantee of passing inspection. Your inspector’s decision and the current code and bylaw govern.
Use this checklist the day before each deck inspection. It follows the stages BC building departments use for a house deck: before you book, footings and excavation (before any concrete), framing (before decking or skirting hides it), and final. Every line points to the article of the BC Building Code 2024 Part 9 it comes from, or to the city page that sets it (Province of BC, BC Building Code 2024). Article numbers were checked against the official BCBC 2024 PDF. In the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Building By-law 2025 (VBBL) applies instead of the BCBC. Its Part 9 numbering for these items matches, with the Vancouver differences noted below (City of Vancouver, VBBL).
Inspectors fail work that isn’t ready, and some cities charge for the return visit. Check these first, every time.
Book this after the holes are dug and forms are set, and before you pour. Duncan’s bylaw lists a forms inspection before concrete is poured. Vancouver’s guide lists footings and forms after formwork and before pouring. Victoria’s list has no separate deck-footing stage, so ask your inspector.
The framing inspection is where most deck failures are found. Nothing should cover the posts, beams, joists, hangers or ledger until it passes.
Book when the deck is substantially complete: decking, guards, stairs, handrails and grading done.
This checklist is a preparation aid, not a guarantee of passing inspection. Your inspector’s decision and the current code and bylaw govern.
| City | Deck stages it lists | How and when to book |
|---|---|---|
| Duncan | Forms before pouring, framing, final (Building Bylaw 3254 s.14.1). | At least 48 hours’ notice (s.14.3). The inspector doesn’t have to come at the time you request (s.14.4). Callback fee $50. Bylaw (council agenda PDF) · fees |
| Victoria | Foundation (written for drain tile and dampproofing, so ask about deck footings), framing, final, plus surveyor certificates if your permit requires them. | At least 24 hours’ notice. Book through MyCity, the online form, email, phone (250-361-0344) or in person, by 4 p.m. the day before. The inspector confirms between 8 and 10 a.m. request an inspection · permit package |
| Vancouver | Tree barrier (if required), footings and forms before pouring, framing, final. | Online (applicant or contractor account) or 3-1-1. Requests before 2 p.m. are inspected the next business day. Cancel by 2 p.m. on a business day to avoid a charge. inspections · stages guide |
Elsewhere in BC, check your own building department’s inspection list. Our deck and shed permit rules by city page links the official pages for 14 places.
Across the city documents behind this checklist, the same problems come up again and again:
Our step-by-step guides cover each one in detail: Duncan, Victoria and Vancouver, plus the general deck permit how-to for BC.
Related checklists: shed inspection checklist · fence checklist. Pricing materials? Try the deck, shed and fence materials cost calculator.
Still at the planning stage? The deck plan sketch maker draws a watermarked, to-scale sketch of your layout to take to the permit counter or a designer. Your approved drawings, not the sketch, are what the inspector checks against.
Most BC building departments inspect a permitted deck at three stages: footings or forms before concrete is poured, framing before decking or skirting covers it, and a final. Duncan’s Building Bylaw 3254 and Vancouver’s inspection stages guide list these stages. Victoria’s list has no separate deck-footing stage, so ask your inspector. Your permit may add others, such as a surveyor’s certificate or a tree barrier inspection.
Under BC Building Code 2024 Article 9.8.8.3., an exterior guard serving one dwelling must be at least 900 mm high where the walking surface is no more than 1,800 mm above finished ground, and 1,070 mm above that. Guards are required where the drop is more than 600 mm within 1.2 m (9.8.8.1.). Vancouver’s VBBL uses the same heights.
Yes. The framing inspection has to happen before decking, skirting or anything else hides the posts, beams, joists, hangers and ledger fasteners. Covering uninspected work can mean removing it.
No. This checklist is a preparation aid, not a guarantee of passing inspection. Your inspector’s decision and the current code and bylaw govern.
Duncan requires at least 48 hours’ notice and Victoria at least 24 hours (phone and email bookings by 4 p.m. the day before). In Vancouver, requests made before 2 p.m. are inspected the next business day. Other cities set their own rules.
Independent information only. This guide is a planning aid, not legal, engineering or building-code advice. Codes and bylaws change, and the building official for your address has the final say. Confirm every requirement before you design, apply or dig.
This guide relies on the official pages below. Rules, fees and processes change, so check the authority before you apply or spend money.
Links checked September 25, 2026. Found an error or a broken link? Report it.