Deck and shed permit rules in 14 BC cities, side by side

By Mark Dupuis · Last reviewed: October 5, 2026

Built from each municipality’s building bylaw, permit FAQ or bulletin, linked in every cell · Independent site — not a municipality or the Province

There is no province-wide rule for when a deck or a garden shed needs a building permit in British Columbia. Each city, district and regional district writes its own test into its building bylaw, and the numbers don’t match: 8 m² or 10 m² for sheds, 0.6 m or 2 ft (with different measuring rules) for decks, and in a few cities no exemption at all. This page lines the tests up for the 14 places we cover in detail. Where the official pages don’t settle a question, the cell says “verify with the city” instead of guessing.

On this page

1. The comparison table
2. How to read the table
3. BC Building Code vs your city’s bylaws
4. Common gotchas
5. Next steps

The comparison table

Scroll sideways on a phone. Small grey links under each cell are the official sources.

Building something bigger than a shed? See garage, workshop and backyard building permits in BC, which covers size triggers, height limits and published fees in 11 cities.

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.

How to read the table

Permit means the official page says the work needs a building permit, with no exemption a typical homeowner deck or shed would fit. Depends means the city sets a test, and the cell gives it: a height above grade for decks, a floor area for sheds, plus conditions such as “not attached” or “no plumbing”. You have to meet every condition to be exempt. Verify with the city means we couldn’t find a clear published rule, or two official pages disagree. Richmond is the example: its building approvals FAQ says decks under 600 mm need no permit, while its InfoCentre says every deck structure does.

The setbacks column covers sheds, because that’s where people get caught. An exempt shed still has to meet zoning. The fee column tells you where the fee is set. Most cities charge by construction value, so a small deck or shed usually lands near the minimum fee. Victoria’s Development Fee Waiver Bylaw No. 26-020, s.4, sets its building permit fees (Bylaw 17-113 Schedule A items a–f) to $0 for complete applications received after January 29, 2026, up to and on the bylaw’s repeal date 12 months after adoption (s.3 and s.5; the City gives January 29, 2027). Verified on 2026-10-05 (Bylaw 26-020, PDF).

BC Building Code vs your city’s bylaws

Three layers of rules apply to a deck or shed, and it helps to keep them apart:

• The BC Building Code sets the technical standard: footings, spans, guards, stairs, fire separation. It applies whether or not you need a permit. An exempt deck still has to be built to Code.
• The municipal building bylaw decides which work needs a building permit and inspections. That’s where the 10 m² or 600 mm exemptions in this table live.
• The zoning bylaw decides where a structure can go: setbacks, height, lot coverage and, for fences, maximum heights. Zoning applies even when no building permit is needed. Development permit areas (hazard lands, streamside areas) can add another layer.

Electrical work is separate again. A shed with a new circuit or a deck with lighting needs an electrical permit from Technical Safety BC, except in Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey and Victoria, which issue their own.

Common gotchas

• Where the height is measured. The CVRD measures from existing grade to the top of the walking surface. Nanaimo looks at the height within 4 ft of the deck’s edge. Building up fill to get under the limit doesn’t work.
• Attached means permit. The low-deck exemptions in the CVRD, Nanaimo, Kamloops and Abbotsford only cover decks that aren’t attached to the house. A ledger board turns a “patio” into an addition.
• Exits and entrances. The CVRD exemption excludes decks used as a means of egress, and Nanaimo’s excludes the principal entrance.
• Adding a roof later. Covering a deck needs a permit in Duncan and Nanaimo, and Kamloops’ exemption only covers decks with no walls or roof. Plan the roof in the first application.
• Power, plumbing and equipment in the shed. Kamloops only exempts small sheds with no electrical or plumbing. The CVRD’s exemption ends if there is plumbing or sleeping space, and Richmond’s ends if there is operating mechanical equipment.
• The exemption can depend on siting. Surrey’s shed exemption only applies 1.5 m from property lines and 3.0 m from other buildings. Duncan’s requires the shed to be within the zoning setbacks.
• 10 m² is about 107.6 sq ft, and Duncan’s 8 m² is about 86 sq ft. A common 10 × 10 ft kit shed (about 9.3 m²) fits under 10 m² but not under Duncan’s 8 m², so check which measure your city uses.
• City or regional district? A Duncan mailing address can be in the CVRD, which has different rules. Confirm who issues permits for your parcel with the BC Permit Finder.

Next steps

If your project needs a permit, the deck building permit how-to covers drawings, inspections and the common fail points, and how to submit building permit drawings in BC covers packaging. Each city’s guide has fees, timelines and contacts: Duncan, Cowichan Valley, Victoria, Saanich, Langford, Nanaimo, Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond, Kelowna, Kamloops, Coquitlam and Abbotsford.

Building a deck start to finish? Our step-by-step deck build guides cover the jurisdiction check, forms, drawings, code sections, each inspection and a materials list: Duncan (BC Building Code 2024), Nanaimo (BC Building Code 2024), Victoria (BC Building Code 2024) and Vancouver (Vancouver Building By-law 2025).

Printable inspection checklists: deck · shed · fence. Each has tick boxes by stage (before you book, footings, framing, final), tied to BC Building Code 2024 Part 9, with a Vancouver VBBL note.

Deck layout sketch: the free deck plan sketch maker draws a watermarked, to-scale planning sketch and shows each city’s published sheet-size, scale and drawing list (Duncan, North Cowichan, CVRD, Nanaimo, Saanich, Victoria, Vancouver). It’s for planning, not for submitting.

Materials budget: once you know the rules for your city, the deck, shed and fence materials cost calculator gives a quantity takeoff and a cost estimate from dated BC retailer prices.

Independent information only. This table is a planning aid, not legal, engineering or building-code advice. Rules change, so confirm with the building department for your address before you build.