---
title: Courtenay building permit fees
question: "How much does a building permit cost?"
place: Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/courtenay
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Courtenay
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/courtenay/building-permit-fees/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/courtenay/building-permit-fees.json"
---

# Courtenay building permit fees

**Question:** How much does a building permit cost?

**Short answer:** A City of Courtenay building permit costs $150 plus 1% of the value of construction. A non-refundable application fee of $150, or 25% of the permit fee if that is higher, is credited to the permit fee when the permit is issued. Other charges may apply.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Courtenay, https://www.courtenay.ca)  
**Cost:** Building permit $150 + 1% of construction value. Demolition $150. Plumbing $75 + $10 per fixture (simple) or $125 + $15 (complex). Re-inspection $125 (the Inspections page says $100). Security deposit $3,000 for single or two-family dwellings.  
**Where:**
- Email: Building - Development Services, building@courtenay.ca
- Phone: Building - Development Services, 250-703-4862
- Online: Building permit application form, https://digitalsmartforms.ca/f/s/CourtenayBuildingPermitApplication

## Key facts

- **Lowest fee:** $150 plus 1% of the value of construction (building permit). A demolition permit is $150.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 3114, Appendix A (consolidated October 2025, PDF), Appendix A, Permit Fees](https://www.courtenay.ca/media/file/building-bylaw-no-3114-consolidated-october-2025)
  - Official wording: "All $150 + 1% of the value of construction" … "Demolition Permits All $150"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **How the fee is worked out:** Building permit: $150 plus 1% of the value of construction, for all buildings. Fire suppression system permits: $75 (simple) or $125 (complex) plus 1% of construction value.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 3114, Appendix A (consolidated October 2025, PDF), Appendix A, Permit Fees](https://www.courtenay.ca/media/file/building-bylaw-no-3114-consolidated-october-2025)
  - Official wording: "All $150 + 1% of the value of construction" … "Complex Buildings and structures $125 + 1% of the value of construction" … "Simple buildings $75 + 1% of the value of construction"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Application or plan review fee:** Non-refundable application fee: $150 or 25% of the building permit fee, whichever is highest. It is credited against the permit fee when the permit is issued, and forfeited if the application expires (not issued within 180 days).
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 3114, Appendix A (consolidated October 2025, PDF), Appendix A; ss. 10.9, 10.22](https://www.courtenay.ca/media/file/building-bylaw-no-3114-consolidated-october-2025)
  - Official wording: "$150 or 25% of the building permit fee" … "prescribed below whichever is the highest" … "be credited against the permit fee when the permit is issued;" … "the building permit has not been issued within 180 days from the date an application is received under this Part"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other fees:** Demolition permit $150. Plumbing permit: $75 + $10 per fixture (simple) or $125 + $15 (complex). Re-inspection $125 (Inspections page says $100). Security deposit $3,000 for single or two-family dwellings. Fee doubled (max $10,000) if work starts before the permit. (Sources differ: Re-inspection: bylaw Appendix A says $125 (s. 10.47: second and each later re-inspection); the Inspections page says $100 if more than two inspections are needed. Bylaw followed. Other Appendix A items: inspection fees, archive research, copies of plans $10 per sheet, design modification $85/hour. Multi-residential, commercial, industrial and institutional security deposit: $3,000 minimum or $300 per metre of frontage to a maximum of $15,000.)
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 3114, Appendix A (consolidated October 2025, PDF), Appendix A; s. 10.21](https://www.courtenay.ca/media/file/building-bylaw-no-3114-consolidated-october-2025)
  - Official wording: "Simple buildings and structures $75 + $10 for each fixture" … "Complex buildings and structures $125 + $15 for each fixture" … "Re-inspection $125" … "Security Deposit for Single/two family $3000" … "The building permit or other permit fee is doubled for every permit application if construction commenced before the building official issued a permit, to a maximum of $10,000.00." … "Demolition Permits All $150"
  - Source: [Inspections, Re-inspections](https://www.courtenay.ca/inspections)
  - Official wording: "A $100 re-inspection fee applies if more than two inspections are required due to incomplete or non-compliant work."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **How to pay:** The application fee is paid with the online application. Permit fees and other costs are calculated by City staff and are due when the permit is issued.
  - Source: [Building and plumbing permits, Geodetic elevations on site plans](https://www.courtenay.ca/building-services)
  - Official wording: "Permit fees and other associated costs will be calculated by staff and are due upon permit issuance."
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 3114, Appendix A (consolidated October 2025, PDF), ss. 10.2(a), 10.10](https://www.courtenay.ca/media/file/building-bylaw-no-3114-consolidated-october-2025)
  - Official wording: "be made in the form prescribed by the building official and signed by the owner" … "Before receiving a building permit for a building or structure, the owner must first pay to the City:"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Building Bylaw No. 3114, Appendix A (Fees and Charges)
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 3114, Appendix A (consolidated October 2025, PDF)](https://www.courtenay.ca/media/file/building-bylaw-no-3114-consolidated-october-2025)
  - Official wording: "Appendix A – Fees and Charges" … "Non-Refundable Application Fees"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Fees are set in Appendix A of [Building Bylaw No. 3114](https://www.courtenay.ca/media/file/building-bylaw-no-3114-consolidated-october-2025). The application fee is paid with the online application. City staff calculate the permit fee and other costs, and they are due when the permit is issued.

## Fees

- Application fee (non-refundable): $150 or 25% of the building permit fee, whichever is highest. It is credited against the permit fee when the permit is issued, and forfeited if the application expires (no permit issued within 180 days).
- Building permit: $150 plus 1% of the value of construction, for all buildings.
- Demolition permit: $150.
- Plumbing permit: $75 + $10 per fixture (simple buildings) or $125 + $15 (complex).
- Fire suppression system permit: $75 (simple) or $125 (complex), plus 1% of construction value.
- Security deposit: $3,000 for single or two-family dwellings.

## Good to know

- Re-inspection is $125 under the bylaw. The City's Inspections page says $100 if more than two inspections are needed; confirm with Building.
- If work starts before the permit is issued, the permit fee is doubled, to a maximum of $10,000.
- The bylaw also sets extension, transfer, plan-copy and other fees; see Appendix A.
- The City's pages do not say how building permit fees can be paid.

## Official forms and pages

- [Building Bylaw No. 3114, Appendix A Fees and Charges (PDF)](https://www.courtenay.ca/media/file/building-bylaw-no-3114-consolidated-october-2025)
- [Inspections](https://www.courtenay.ca/inspections)

## Related questions

- [Courtenay building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/courtenay/building-permit.md)
- [Courtenay tree removal rules and permits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/courtenay/tree-removal.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Building permit fees in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Comox](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/comox/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Cumberland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Powell River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/powell-river/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Campbell River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/campbell-river/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Port Alberni](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-alberni/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Qualicum Beach](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/qualicum-beach/building-permit-fees.md)

## Sources

- [Building Bylaw No. 3114, Appendix A (consolidated October 2025, PDF), City of Courtenay](https://www.courtenay.ca/media/file/building-bylaw-no-3114-consolidated-october-2025) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Building and plumbing permits, City of Courtenay](https://www.courtenay.ca/building-services) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Inspections, City of Courtenay](https://www.courtenay.ca/inspections) (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. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Courtenay. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/courtenay/building-permit-fees/_