Courtenay building permits: when you need one and how to apply
Do I need a building permit, and how do I apply?
Short answer
The City of Courtenay requires a building permit before you build, demolish, repair or alter most structures, including garages, carports, decks, accessory buildings and secondary suites. Applications are online only, through the City's digital form.
Key facts
| Needed for | Most work to build, demolish, repair or alter a structure, including accessory buildings and structures, deck construction or alterations, garages and carports, and secondary suites. Changing a building's use or occupancy also needs a permit.Building and plumbing permits, Building permits; Secondary suites; Building Bylaw No. 3114 (consolidated October 2025, PDF), s. 4.10 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingA building permit is required before you build, demolish, repair or alter most structures, including: accessory buildings and structures deck construction or alterations garages and carports A building permit application must be applied for and approved by a City of Courtenay Building Official for a secondary suite prior to installation. without first applying for and obtaining a building permit under this bylaw. |
|---|---|
| Not needed for | The Building Bylaw does not apply to: accessory buildings under 10 m² floor area; roofless decks or platforms less than 0.6 m above grade; retaining walls not supporting a building; and fences, trellises or arbours on a parcel zoned for single-family residential use.Building Bylaw No. 3114 (consolidated October 2025, PDF), s. 3.3(b), (c), (d), (f) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingan accessory building with a floor area of less than 10 square metres; platforms or decks without roofs less than 0.6 meters above grade; retaining walls that do not support a building or structure; a fence, a trellis, an arbour, stairs that are not part of an egress from a building or structure |
| How to apply | Online only: all building permit applications must be submitted digitally through the City's online building permit application form.Building and plumbing permits, Applying for a permit; Building Bylaw No. 3114 (consolidated October 2025, PDF), s. 10.2 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingAll permit applications must be submitted digitally using the online application form. An application for a building permit shall be submitted electronically |
| What to submit | Signed online application with the non-refundable application fee, owner's acknowledgement, title search, BC Land Surveyor survey plan (may be waived), site plan, floor plans, cross-section and elevations. New buildings also need a site plan with final elevations at the four main corners. Complex buildings need registered-professional drawings and letters of assurance.Building Bylaw No. 3114 (consolidated October 2025, PDF), ss. 10.2, 10.3; Building and plumbing permits, Geodetic elevations on site plans · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordinginclude a copy of a title search for the relevant property include a copy of a survey plan prepared by a British Columbia Land Surveyor include floor plans showing the dimensions and uses of all areas a site plan prepared by a registered professional showing the information set out in section 10.2(e); must include a site plans showing the final proposed elevations at the four main corners of the building. |
| Processing time | Not confirmed. The City's pages and bylaw do not state a processing time. |
| Inspections | Email inspections@courtenay.ca with permit number, property address, inspection type and contact name and phone. City page: at least 24 hours ahead; Building Bylaw s. 10.35 says 48 hours for simple buildings. Inspections run Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.Inspections, Scheduling an inspection; Building Bylaw No. 3114 (consolidated October 2025, PDF), s. 10.35 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingTo book an inspection, email: Requests must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance. Inspections are conducted Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. the owner must give at least 48 hours’ notice to the City when requesting an inspection |
| Contact | Building - Development Services, City of Courtenay: 250-703-4862, building@courtenay.ca. Inspection bookings use inspections@courtenay.ca.Guide to Residential Deck Construction, Header; Requirements for Secondary Suites (checklist), Header; Contact us, Contact directory · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingCITY OF COURTENAY Building Division Guide to Residential Deck 830 Cliffe Avenue Courtenay, BC V9N 2J7 Tel: 250-703-4862 Email: Building Division Guide to Residential Deck 830 Cliffe Avenue Courtenay, BC V9N 2J7 Tel: 250-703-4862 Email: Construction building@courtenay.ca GENERAL INFORMATION Courtenay, BC V9N 2J7 Email: building@courtenay.ca "Secondary Suite" means a dwelling unit which is accessory to the principle use being made of the lot upon which the Building - Development Services 250-703-4862 building@courtenay.ca |
| Bylaw | Building Bylaw No. 3114 (consolidated October 2025)Building Bylaw No. 3114 (consolidated October 2025, PDF), s. 1.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingThis bylaw may be cited as “Building Bylaw No. 3114”. |
How it works
Building Bylaw No. 3114 requires a permit before you build, demolish, repair or alter most structures, or change a building's use or occupancy. Stand-alone plumbing work needs a separate plumbing permit; if the project has a building permit, the plumbing is part of it. The bylaw does not apply to some small work (see Good to know).
Steps
- Check your zoning with the City before you design (see the zoning answer).
- Prepare your documents: title search, survey plan, site plan, floor plans, cross-section and elevations. Complex buildings need drawings and letters of assurance from a registered professional.
- Submit the online application with the application fee. Applications are digital only.
- Pay the permit fees and other costs when the permit is issued; staff calculate them.
- Book inspections by emailing inspections@courtenay.ca with your permit number, address, inspection type and contact details.
Good to know
- Not covered by the bylaw: accessory buildings under 10 m², roofless decks less than 0.6 m above grade, retaining walls that do not support a building, and fences on single-family residential parcels. Zoning rules still apply.
- Inspection notice: Building Bylaw 3114 says at least 48 hours; the City's Inspections page says 24 hours. Confirm when booking. Inspections run Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- No processing time is stated on the City's pages or in the bylaw.
What you'll need
- Signed online application with the application fee, owner's acknowledgement and title search
- Survey plan by a BC Land Surveyor (may be waived), site plan, floor plans, cross-section and elevations
- For new buildings, a site plan with final elevations at the four main corners
- Registered-professional drawings and letters of assurance for complex buildings
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Comox · Cumberland · Powell River · Campbell River · Port Alberni · Qualicum Beach
Building permits in British Columbia: how to apply, by municipality →
Sources
- Building and plumbing permits, City of Courtenay (read 2026-11-05)
- Inspections, City of Courtenay (read 2026-11-05)
- Building Bylaw No. 3114 (consolidated October 2025, PDF), City of Courtenay (read 2026-11-05)
- Secondary suites, City of Courtenay (read 2026-11-05)
- Contact us, City of Courtenay (read 2026-11-05)
- Guide to Residential Deck Construction, City of Courtenay (read 2026-11-05)
- Requirements for Secondary Suites (checklist), City of Courtenay (read 2026-11-05)
Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 7 of 8 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed. How answers are checked.