City of Vancouver

How to get a building permit in Vancouver, BC

Where to apply, what Vancouver asks for, what it costs, and who issues electrical and gas permits — with links to the city's own forms.

Where to apply in Vancouver

Vancouver Permit Office (VPO) / online permit account — https://vpo.vancouver.ca (POSSE self-service system at https://plposweb.vancouver.ca). Apply/register at https://vancouver.ca/permits/apply. Most applications, payments, and inspection requests are handled 24/7 in the online permit account.

Official City of Vancouver permit page

Development & Building Services Centre, 515 West 10th Ave, Ground Floor, Vancouver BC V5Z 4A8. Phone 604-873-7611; inspection booking 604-873-7485.

Who issues electrical and gas permits

UNIQUE IN BC: The City of Vancouver runs its OWN electrical permit and inspection program (NOT Technical Safety BC) — Vancouver operates under the Vancouver Charter with its own Building By-law and Electrical By-law No. 5563. To pull an electrical permit you must be a licensed electrical contractor holding a valid City of Vancouver (or inter-municipal) business licence; limited owner/homeowner electrical permits are available for detached single-family homes. Vancouver ALSO runs its own plumbing and fire-sprinkler permit programs. GAS is the exception — gas permits are NOT a City of Vancouver program; gas installations are permitted/inspected by Technical Safety BC (provincial). So per-city: electrical = City of Vancouver; plumbing = City of Vancouver; sprinkler = City of Vancouver; gas = Technical Safety BC.

electrical: City of Vancouver; Sending this to Technical Safety BC instead won't get forwarded — it starts over. On a service upgrade that also pushes out your BC Hydro reconnect, usually the longest lead time on the whole job.
gas: City of Vancouver; Sending this to Technical Safety BC instead won't get forwarded — it starts over, and gas work can't be inspected or turned on until the right authority has issued the permit.

Step by step in Vancouver

1
Confirm zoning before anything else
Check the property's zone, setbacks, height and lot coverage, and whether it sits in a Development Permit Area. If it does, that approval has to come before the building permit — Vancouver won't issue until land use is settled.
2
Work out which permits you need
Structural work needs a building permit from City of Vancouver. Electrical and gas are separate and are issued by UNIQUE IN BC: The City of Vancouver runs its OWN electrical permit and inspection program (NOT Technical Safety BC) — Vancouver operates under the Vancouver Charter with its own Building By-law and Electrical By-law No. Plumbing is usually part of the building permit.
3
Prepare drawings and documents
City of Vancouver asks for: Online permit account required to submit, share documents, communicate with reviewers, pay, and request inspections; Site plan / plot plan; Floor plans (existing and proposed); Building elevations and sections; Energy compliance documentation / BC Energy Step Code (Vancouver has its own energy requirements in the Building By-law; required on larger projects, e.g. over ~$150K value); Structural drawings stamped/sealed by a professional engineer for load-bearing/complex work (Letters of Assurance); Geotechnical report where applicable (hillside/soils); Owner authorization if the applicant is not the registered owner; Home warranty insurance (BC Homeowner Protection) enrolment for new homes, or an owner-builder exemption.
4
Submit your application
Vancouver Permit Office (VPO) / online permit account — https://vpo.vancouver.ca (POSSE self-service system at https://plposweb.vancouver.ca). Apply/register at https://vancouver.ca/permits/apply. Most applications, payments, and inspection requests are handled 24/7 in the online permit account.
5
Pay the permit fee
Set by the annual Schedule of Fees for Development & Building Related Permits (2026 schedule PDF at vancouver.ca/files/cov/vancouver-development-building-permit-fees.pdf). Building permit fees are TIERED by project construction value (not a flat per-$1,000 rate) — a base fee per value tier plus an incremental rate per $1,000 of value above the tier threshold. Electrical, plumbing, gas-adjacent and sprinkler permits carry their own separate fee lines. Confirm the current schedule with Vancouver before you budget.
6
Plan review, then build to inspections
The building department reviews against the BC Building Code and zoning; answer any comments quickly. Once issued, post the permit on site and book inspections at each stage — footings, framing, rough-in, insulation, final. Don't cover work before it's inspected.

What Vancouver asks for

Online permit account required to submit, share documents, communicate with reviewers, pay, and request inspections
Site plan / plot plan
Floor plans (existing and proposed)
Building elevations and sections
Energy compliance documentation / BC Energy Step Code (Vancouver has its own energy requirements in the Building By-law; required on larger projects, e.g. over ~$150K value)
Structural drawings stamped/sealed by a professional engineer for load-bearing/complex work (Letters of Assurance)
Geotechnical report where applicable (hillside/soils)
Owner authorization if the applicant is not the registered owner
Home warranty insurance (BC Homeowner Protection) enrolment for new homes, or an owner-builder exemption

Permit fees in Vancouver

Set by the annual Schedule of Fees for Development & Building Related Permits (2026 schedule PDF at vancouver.ca/files/cov/vancouver-development-building-permit-fees.pdf). Building permit fees are TIERED by project construction value (not a flat per-$1,000 rate) — a base fee per value tier plus an incremental rate per $1,000 of value above the tier threshold. Electrical, plumbing, gas-adjacent and sprinkler permits carry their own separate fee lines.

Fees change and vary by project — confirm the current schedule with City of Vancouver.

Vancouver permit forms

Open a form here and fill it in without leaving the page.

Pick a form to open it here.

Worth knowing about Vancouver

Vancouver is legally distinct from the rest of BC: BC Codes do NOT apply — the Vancouver Building By-law governs, and the City runs its own electrical, plumbing and sprinkler inspection programs (a major difference from Surrey/Burnaby/Richmond where those are shared with the province). A development permit is frequently required BEFORE the building permit for change-of-use, new builds, and heritage/character areas. Development & Building Services Centre: 515 West 10th Avenue, Ground Floor, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4A8.

Vancouver permit questions

Where do I submit a building permit application in Vancouver?

Who issues electrical and gas permits in Vancouver?

How much does a building permit cost in Vancouver?

What do I need to apply for a building permit in Vancouver?

City of Vancouver asks for: Online permit account required to submit, share documents, communicate with reviewers, pay, and request inspections; Site plan / plot plan; Floor plans (existing and proposed); Building elevations and sections; Energy compliance documentation / BC Energy Step Code (Vancouver has its own energy requirements in the Building By-law; required on larger projects, e.g. over ~$150K value); Structural drawings stamped/sealed by a professional engineer for load-bearing/complex work (Letters of Assurance); Geotechnical report where applicable (hillside/soils); Owner authorization if the applicant is not the registered owner; Home warranty insurance (BC Homeowner Protection) enrolment for new homes, or an owner-builder exemption.

Anything else to know about permits in Vancouver?

Sources

General information only, not legal or code advice. Requirements vary by project and change over time — always confirm what applies to your job with City of Vancouver before you build.

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