Colwood building permit fees

How much does a building permit cost?

Colwood, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-05

Short answer

A City of Colwood building permit costs $50 for work worth $1,000 or less. Above that it is $50 for the first $1,000, plus $12 per $1,000 for the next $99,000, $10 per $1,000 for the next $400,000 and $8 per $1,000 after that. The fee doubles if work starts before the permit.

Key facts

Lowest fee	$50, for a permit with a construction value of $1,000 or less.Building Bylaw No. 977 (consolidated to January 22, 2024), Appendix A, A.1(a); Building Fees, Schedule A of the Building Bylaw, Appendix A, A.1(a) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording For permits $1,000.00 or less in value $50.00 For permits $1,000.00 or less in value $50.00
How the fee is worked out	Based on construction value. Over $1,000: $50 for the first $1,000, plus $12 per $1,000 or part for the next $99,000, plus $10 per $1,000 or part for the next $400,000, plus $8 per $1,000 or part for the rest.Building Bylaw No. 977 (consolidated to January 22, 2024), Appendix A, A.1(b); Building Fees, Schedule A of the Building Bylaw, Appendix A, A.2 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording For permits in excess of $1,000.00, the fees shall be $50.00 for the first thousand, plus $12.00 per thousand or part for the next $99,000.00, plus $10.00 per thousand or part for the next $400,000.00, plus $8.00 per thousand, or part thereof, for the remainder. The value of construction means the total construction cost minus land, development cost charges, but includes all professional fees and taxes
Application or plan review fee	Non-refundable, paid when you apply, and included in the building permit fee: $100 for construction value of $200,000 or less; $1,000 above $200,000. Part 3 buildings over $1,000,000: 50% of the permit fee.Building Bylaw No. 977 (consolidated to January 22, 2024), Appendix A, A.1(e); Building Bylaw No. 977 (consolidated to January 22, 2024), Appendix A, A.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Application Fee, non-refundable, included in Building Permit Fee Permits with a construction value of $200,000 or less: $100.00 Permits with a construction value of more than $200,000 $1,000.00 Permits with construction value more than $1,000,000. = 50% of Permit Fee Application and review fees shall be paid at the time of Building Permit Application.
Other fees	Demolition or removal permit $250 plus deposits. Plumbing $17 per fixture. Swimming pool and fence $100. Re-inspection $50. Damage deposit for a house $1,000 to $5,000 maximum, by curb, sidewalk, boulevard, streetlights and street trees. Fee doubles if work starts before a permit.Building Fees, Schedule A of the Building Bylaw, Appendix A, A.3; Building Fees, Schedule A of the Building Bylaw, Appendix A, B.1(a); Building Fees, Schedule A of the Building Bylaw, Appendix A, A.1(i); Building Fees, Schedule A of the Building Bylaw, Appendix A, D.3; Building Fees, Schedule A of the Building Bylaw, Appendix A, A.5; Building Fees, Schedule A of the Building Bylaw, Appendix A, D.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording The fee for a permit to demolish or remove a building from a lot shall be $250.00 plus deposits and fees as required. For each fixture $17.00 Swimming Pool, Pool and Fence $100.00 the fee for such subsequent inspection shall be $50.00 Curb and boulevard or less $1,000.00 MAXIMUM DEPOSIT - $5,000. the fee payable as determined in the above scale of fees shall be doubled
How to pay	The application fee is paid when you apply; the City issues a fee slip after you submit. The permit is issued once required fees are paid. If the permit fee is not paid within six months of the application, the application is cancelled and the application fee is forfeited.Building Bylaw No. 977 (consolidated to January 22, 2024), Appendix A, A.1; Renovations and Additions, Application Requirements; Building Bylaw No. 977 (consolidated to January 22, 2024), s. 3.2.5; Building Permit Application Checklist, Application submission · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Application and review fees shall be paid at the time of Building Permit Application. When the permit is ready and the required fees have been paid, the permit will be issued where the permit fee has not been paid within six months after the date of the application, the application shall be cancelled and any application fee paid shall be forfeited Fee slip will be provided after application submitted
Bylaw	Building Bylaw No. 977, 2008, Appendix A (Scale of Fees), consolidated to January 22, 2024; also posted as 'Building Fees - Schedule A of the Building Bylaw'Building Fees, Schedule A of the Building Bylaw, Appendix A; Building Bylaw No. 977 (consolidated to January 22, 2024), Appendix A, A · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording BYLAW NO. 977 A. SCALE OF FEES - BUILDING PERMITS SCALE OF FEES – BUILDING PERMITS

How it works

The permit fee is based on the value of construction, which is the greater of the contract price or the Chief Building Inspector's value. For houses, Appendix A of Building Bylaw 977 sets values per square foot: for example $125 for finished floor area, $65 unfinished, $50 for an attached garage, $40 for a carport and $55 for a sundeck.

Fees

Value $1,000 or less: $50.
Over $1,000: $50 for the first $1,000, plus $12 per $1,000 (or part) for the next $99,000, plus $10 per $1,000 (or part) for the next $400,000, plus $8 per $1,000 (or part) for the rest.
Application fee, non-refundable, paid when you apply and included in the permit fee: $100 for construction value of $200,000 or less; $1,000 above $200,000. For Part 3 buildings over $1,000,000 it is 50% of the permit fee.
Permit extension: $50 (value up to $50,000) or $100. Revisions: $50 or $100.
Demolition or removal permit: $250 plus deposits.
Plumbing: $17 per fixture.
Swimming pool and fence: $100.
Re-inspection: $50.
Damage deposit for a house: $1,000 to $5,000 maximum, based on curb, sidewalk, boulevard, streetlights and street trees.

Good to know

The fee doubles if work starts before a permit is issued.
The City issues a fee slip after you submit your application. The permit is issued once required fees are paid.
The schedule also lists a 5% reduction when an engineer or architect certifies the application, and a 50% refund (not less than the application fee) if a permit is cancelled before work starts.
Development cost charges are separate. Ask Building Services at building@colwood.ca.
The documents we read do not say which payment methods the City accepts.

Official forms and pages

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Building permit fees in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

Building Fees, Schedule A of the Building Bylaw (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
Building Bylaw No. 977 (consolidated to January 22, 2024) (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
Renovations and Additions, City of Colwood (read 2026-11-05)
Building Permit Application Checklist (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)

Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. How answers are checked.