Victoria, Saanich, Langford, Duncan, Nanaimo and Courtenay each run their own building department. Rural addresses go to one of four regional districts, each with its own portal and rules.
In BC, building permits are issued by local governments, not the Province. The province has 161 municipalities and 27 regional districts. A municipality runs its own building department. Outside municipal boundaries, in rural electoral areas, the regional district is usually the permit authority, if it offers building inspection there at all. So the first question is always: which local government is your address in? Check your property tax notice, or type the address into our Permit Finder. Electrical and gas permits are separate and come from Technical Safety BC.
| Permit authority | Covers | Official page and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cities and districts (Victoria, Saanich, Langford, Duncan, North Cowichan, Nanaimo, Courtenay and others) | Land inside municipal boundaries | Each runs its own building department. See the city guides below. |
| Capital Regional District (CRD) | Electoral areas of Juan de Fuca, Salt Spring Island and the Southern Gulf Islands | CRD building inspections and permits. Phone 250.360.3230, permitquestion@crd.bc.ca. Offices in Victoria, Sooke (Juan de Fuca), Salt Spring and Pender Island. |
| Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) | CVRD electoral areas | CVRD: applying for a building permit. See our CVRD guide. |
| Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) | All RDN electoral areas | RDN: applying for a building permit. All applications are online through the RDN CityView portal. |
| Comox Valley Regional District | Three electoral areas, excluding Denman and Hornby Islands | Comox Valley RD: permits. Digital submission by secure link from building@comoxvalleyrd.ca. |
$150 + 1.3% fees, the 20% review fee, suites, decks and sheds.
Fee waiver details, process and contacts.
Fees, eApply and surety deposits.
Fees, steps, documents and inspections.
Jurisdiction check and the City fee sheet.
CVRD electoral areas, Bylaw 4433 and riparian setbacks.
Bylaw 7336 fees, revisions and the RDN boundary.
Bylaw 3114 fees, exemptions and online applications.
Project guides on the Island: Victoria deck, suite and development permit guides · Duncan deck and suite · Nanaimo deck and suite.
Apprenticeship, Red Seal and trade certification are run province-wide, so the same rules apply here as anywhere in BC. To find foundation programs and intakes at colleges near you, start with the BC trades seat finder. Then see how to register an apprenticeship, the Red Seal guide, BC trade salaries and apprentice funding.
Jobs that need a licence or certificate instead of an apprenticeship follow the same rules everywhere in BC. See the licensed and certified jobs index.
This page relies on the official pages below. Rules, fees and processes change, so check the authority before you apply or spend money.
Links checked November 1, 2026. Found an error or a broken link? Report it.