---
title: Fort St. John permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages
question: "Do I need a permit for a deck, shed, carport, or garage?"
place: Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/fort-st-john
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Fort St. John
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-john/deck-shed-garage-permit/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-john/deck-shed-garage-permit.json"
---

# Fort St. John permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages

**Question:** Do I need a permit for a deck, shed, carport, or garage?

**Short answer:** In Fort St. John, every deck needs a Deck Building Permit and a shed larger than 10 m² needs a Shed Building Permit. A garage needs a building permit; the City has a package for garages and accessory buildings. The basic fee for a deck or shed permit is $60. Zoning rules apply to all.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Fort St. John, https://www.fortstjohn.ca)  
**Cost:** Basic fee $60 for a deck permit and $60 for a shed permit. For a garage, see the building-permit-fees answer.  
**How long:** Not stated for these permits. A Standard Building Permit takes up to 10 business days to process.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Building Inspection, 250-787-8150
- In person: City Hall, 10631 100 Street, Fort St. John, BC V1J 3Z5 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **Sheds:** A Shed Building Permit is required for a shed larger than 10 m². The bylaw states no permit rule for smaller sheds.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2589, 2024, s. 31(a), (i)](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/media/file/building-bylaw)
  - Official wording: "a Shed Building Permit before construction of a shed that is greater than 10m2;" … "a Building Permit before constructing, reconstructing, repairing or altering a building," … "structure, deck, or a shed that is greater than 10m2 in area"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Decks:** A Deck Building Permit is required before construction of a deck. The bylaw sets no height threshold. A deck is a structure attached to a dwelling, floor on posts and beams above grade, with no walls except visual partitions and railings.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2589, 2024, s. 31(c), s. 1](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/media/file/building-bylaw)
  - Official wording: "a Deck Building Permit before construction of a deck;" … "“DECK” means a structure attached to a dwelling, with no walls except for visual partitions"
  - Source: [Building Permit Fees, Fees page](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/business-building-and-development/building/building-permits/building-permit-fees)
  - Official wording: "Basic Fee for Each" … "$60.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Garages and carports:** A Building Permit is required before constructing a building or structure. The City has a permit package for 'Garage and Accessory Buildings'. The Building Bylaw has no separate garage or carport exemption.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2589, 2024, s. 31(a)](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/media/file/building-bylaw)
  - Official wording: "a Building Permit before constructing, reconstructing, repairing or altering a building,"
  - Source: [Building Permits, Applying for a Permit](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/business-building-and-development/building/building-permits)
  - Official wording: "Building Permit Package - Garage and Accessory Buildings [PDF/437KB] (for garage and accessory buildings)"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Zoning limits:** Accessory buildings are not allowed in a front yard. Setbacks: 1.0 m from interior lot lines, 3.0 m from flanking street lines, 1.5 m from rear line and from other buildings. In R and RM zones: total floor area of all accessory buildings at most 10% of the lot or 90 m² (whichever is less); height at most two storeys and 7.0 m, or the principal building's height if less. (Sources differ: Also: must be built of similar exterior materials and colours as the principal building (s. 4.18.8); the principal building must be built first or at the same time (s. 4.18.1); an accessory building over 7.0 m high adds 0.3 m to side and rear setbacks per metre over. In Ag and I zones total area is at most 5% of the lot. Fine for accessory building infringement: $100.00/offence/day (Zoning Schedule B).)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2470, 2019 (PDF, consolidated), s. 4.18](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw)
  - Official wording: "Accessory buildings are not permitted in the front yard and must meet the following" … "a. 1.0 m from interior parcel lines;" … "b. 3.0 m from flanking exterior side parcel lines;" … "c. 1.5 m from rear parcel line; and" … "exceed 10% of the area of the parcel, or 90.0 m2, whichever is less." … "two storeys and up" … "to 7.0 m in height or the height of the principal building, whichever is less."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Building Bylaw No. 2589, 2024; Zoning Bylaw No. 2470, 2019
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2589, 2024, cover](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/media/file/building-bylaw)
  - Official wording: "BUILDING BYLAW NO. 2589, 2024"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2470, 2019 (PDF, consolidated), s. 4.18](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw)
  - Official wording: "Zoning Bylaw No. 2470, 2019 (Consolidated Version) 4.0 General Regulations 4.18 Accessory Buildings This section 1. Accessory buildings, including detached suites, accessory structures or accessory uses shall"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

[Building Bylaw 2589, 2024](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/media/file/building-bylaw) requires a Deck Building Permit before any deck is built, and a Shed Building Permit before a shed larger than 10 m² is built. The bylaw sets no height threshold for decks. It also does not apply to buildings or structures the Building Code exempts. The City has a permit package called "Garage and Accessory Buildings", and the bylaw has no separate garage or carport exemption.

## Steps

1. For a garage, use the Garage and Accessory Buildings package. For a deck or shed, ask Building Inspection which application applies.
2. Submit it to the City and pay the fee ($60 basic fee for a deck or shed).
3. Request an inspection by calling 250-787-8150. A deck must be inspected before the work is covered.
4. For a carport, or a shed of 10 m² or less, ask Building Inspection. The bylaw does not mention carports and states no permit rule for smaller sheds.

## Good to know

- Zoning rules apply to any size of shed. Under [Zoning Bylaw 2470](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw) s. 4.18, accessory buildings are not allowed in a front yard. They must be 1.0 m from interior lot lines, 3.0 m from flanking street lines, and 1.5 m from the rear line and from other buildings.
- In R and RM zones, all accessory buildings together may cover at most 10% of the lot or 90 m², whichever is less. Height is at most two storeys and 7.0 m, or the principal building's height if less. An accessory building over 7.0 m high adds 0.3 m to side and rear setbacks per metre over.
- In Ag and I zones the total is at most 5% of the lot.
- The principal building must be built first or at the same time, and the accessory building must use similar exterior materials and colours.
- The fine for breaking the accessory building rules is $100 per offence per day.

## Official forms and pages

- [Building Permit Package - Garage and Accessory Buildings (PDF)](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/media/file/building-permit-package-garage-and-accessory-buildings)
- [Building Permits page](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/business-building-and-development/building/building-permits)
- [Building Bylaw 2589, 2024 (PDF)](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/media/file/building-bylaw)
- [Zoning Bylaw 2470, 2019 (PDF)](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw)

## Related questions

- [Fort St. John building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-john/building-permit.md)
- [Fort St. John building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-john/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Fort St. John fence rules: permits and height limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-john/fence-rules.md)
- [Fort St. John zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-john/zoning-lookup.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Deck and shed permit thresholds in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)
- [Taylor](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/taylor/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)
- [Dawson Creek](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dawson-creek/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)
- [Pouce Coupe](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/pouce-coupe/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)
- [Hudson's Hope](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hudsons-hope/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)
- [Chetwynd](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/chetwynd/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)
- [Tumbler Ridge](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tumbler-ridge/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)

## Sources

- [Building Bylaw No. 2589, 2024 (PDF)](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/media/file/building-bylaw) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Zoning Bylaw No. 2470, 2019 (PDF, consolidated)](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Building Permit Fees, City of Fort St. John](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/business-building-and-development/building/building-permits/building-permit-fees) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Building Permits, City of Fort St. John](https://www.fortstjohn.ca/business-building-and-development/building/building-permits) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Fort St. John. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-john/deck-shed-garage-permit/_