---
title: "Grand Forks building permits: when you need one and how to apply"
question: "Do I need a building permit, and how do I apply?"
place: Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/grand-forks
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Grand Forks
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/building-permit/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/building-permit.json"
---

# Grand Forks building permits: when you need one and how to apply

**Question:** Do I need a building permit, and how do I apply?

**Short answer:** Yes, in most cases. In the City of Grand Forks, Building Bylaw 2070 requires a permit before you build, repair or alter a building or structure (including a pool or retaining wall), move or demolish one, or change its use. Building Inspection at City Hall issues the permits.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Grand Forks, https://www.grandforks.ca)  
**Cost:** Residential, commercial and industrial: 1.0% of construction value ( per $1,000). Farm buildings with low human occupancy: 0.7% ($7 per $1,000). See the building permit fees answer for other permit types (Building Bylaw 2070, Appendix A).  
**How long:** The Building Bylaw and the City's Building Inspections page state no processing time. A permit expires if work does not start within 6 months or stops for 12 months (bylaw section 10.42).  
**Where:**
- Phone: Building Inspection, City of Grand Forks, 250-442-8266
- Email: City of Grand Forks, info@grandforks.ca
- In person: City Hall, Building Inspection, 7217 4th Street, Grand Forks, BC V0H 1H0 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **Needed for:** An owner must get a permit before constructing, repairing or altering a building or structure (including a pool or retaining wall), moving or demolishing one, building a masonry fireplace or installing a wood-burning appliance or chimney, changing a building's use or occupancy class, or changing or adding to a plumbing system. Solar panel systems also need one.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2070, s. 7.1](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "(c) demolishing a building or structure;" … "changing the use or occupancy class of a building," … "making changes to or adding to an existing plumbing system,"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2070, s. 16.1](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "a person must not install or alter a solar panel" … "system without making application and receiving a valid building permit."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Not needed for:** The Building Bylaw does not apply to: a fence (but a retaining wall does need a permit); an accessory building with a floor area under 10 m² (108 ft²); a trellis, arbour, wall supporting soil under 1.22 m (4 ft) high, or similar landscape structures; and CSA Z240/A277 mobile or modular homes except as the Building Code regulates them.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2070, s. 3.4](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "(a) except as set out in Part 11 [Retaining Walls] of this bylaw, a fence;" … "(b) an accessoiy building with a floor area of less than 10 square metres" … "(c) a trellis, an arbour, a wall supporting soil that is less than 1.22 metres (4 ft) in height,"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **How to apply:** Apply on the form prescribed by the building official, signed by the owner, together with the owner's undertaking (Appendix D). Building Inspection issues building and plumbing permits.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2070, s. 10.4(a)-(b)](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "(a) be made in the form prescribed by the building official and signed by the owner, or a" … "(b) be accompanied by the owner's acknowledgment of responsibility and undertaking"
  - Source: [Building Inspections & Bylaw Services, Department description](https://www.grandforks.ca/building-inspections/)
  - Official wording: "issuing building and plumbing permits"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **What to submit:** For a standard building: signed application form; owner's undertaking (Appendix D); a BC land surveyor's survey plan unless waived; site plan; floor plans; cross-section; elevations of all sides; copies of health and safety approvals (such as sewage disposal permits); two sets of drawings. A title search (within 30 days) when requested.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2070, s. 10.4(c)-(m)](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "(c) include, when requested by a building official, a copy of a title search for the relevant" … "(d) include a copy of a survey plan prepared by a British Columbia land surveyor except" … "(f) include floor plans showing the dimensions and uses of all areas, including: the" … "(g) include a cross-section through the building illustrating foundations, drainage, ceiling" … "(m) include two sets of drawings at a suitable scale of design including the information"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Processing time:** Not confirmed. Neither the bylaw nor the City's Building Inspections page says how long a permit takes.
- **Inspections:** Owner must give the City at least 24 hours' notice when requesting an inspection (standard buildings). For complex buildings, at least 48 hours' notice for the preconstruction meeting and the pre-occupancy review.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2070, s. 10.29](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "10.29 For all work in respect of standard buildings the owner must give at least 24 hours'" … "notice to the City when requesting an inspection"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2070, s. 10.32](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "(a) give at least 48 hours' notice to the City when requesting a preconstruction meeting" … "(b) give at least 48 hours' notice to the City when requesting a pre-occupancy"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Contact:** Building Inspection: (250) 442-8266, info@grandforks.ca, Box 220, 7217 4th Street, Grand Forks, B.C. V0H 1H0.
  - Source: [Building Inspections & Bylaw Services, Contact](https://www.grandforks.ca/building-inspections/)
  - Official wording: "(250) 442-8266 info@grandforks.ca Box 220, 7217 4th Street"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Building Bylaw No. 2070, amended by Building Bylaw Amendment Bylaw No. 2070-A1
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2070, title](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "BUILDING BYLAW No. 2070"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw Amendment Bylaw No. 2070-A1, title](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070-A1Building-Bylaw-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "BUILDING BYLAW AMENDMENT BYLAW NO. 2070-A1"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The City of Grand Forks [Building Bylaw 2070](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf) requires an owner to get a permit before constructing, repairing or altering a building or structure (including a pool or retaining wall), moving or demolishing one, building a masonry fireplace or installing a wood-burning appliance or chimney, changing a building's use or occupancy class, or changing or adding to a plumbing system. Solar panel systems also need one. Building Inspection issues building and plumbing permits.

## Steps

1. Check your lot's zoning. Zoning rules (setbacks, height, lot coverage) apply even to work that needs no building permit.
2. Contact Building Inspection (250-442-8266 or info@grandforks.ca) to ask how to submit. The bylaw does not say whether this is online or in person.
3. Apply on the form prescribed by the building official, signed by the owner, with the owner's undertaking (Appendix D) and the plans listed above.
4. Pay the permit fee before the permit is issued. A security deposit, set by the Chief Administrative Officer, is paid when you apply.
5. Give the City at least 24 hours' notice when you request an inspection (48 hours for the preconstruction meeting and pre-occupancy review on complex buildings).

## Good to know

- The bylaw does not apply to a fence (a retaining wall does need a permit), an accessory building under 10 m² (108 ft²), a trellis, arbour or soil-retaining wall under 1.22 m (4 ft), or similar landscape structures.
- Starting work before the permit is issued doubles the fee, up to $10,000.
- A municipal ticket for building without a permit is $500; a court fine can reach $10,000.
- A permit expires if work does not start within 6 months or stops for 12 months.

## What you'll need

- Signed application form and the owner's undertaking (Appendix D of the bylaw)
- A survey plan by a British Columbia land surveyor, unless waived
- Site plan, floor plans, cross-section, elevations of all sides, and two sets of drawings
- Copies of other required approvals, such as sewage disposal permits
- A title search (within 30 days), if requested
- Home warranty insurance and a licensed residential builder, for new homes covered by the Homeowner Protection Act

## Official forms and pages

- [Building Inspections & Bylaw Services page](https://www.grandforks.ca/building-inspections/)
- [Building Bylaw No. 2070 (PDF)](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf)
- [Building Bylaw Amendment Bylaw No. 2070-A1 (PDF)](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070-A1Building-Bylaw-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Grand Forks permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)
- [Grand Forks building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Grand Forks zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/zoning-lookup.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Building permits in British Columbia: how to apply, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/building-permit.md)
- [Midway](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/midway/building-permit.md)
- [Rossland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/building-permit.md)
- [Warfield](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/warfield/building-permit.md)
- [Trail](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/building-permit.md)
- [Montrose](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/building-permit.md)
- [Castlegar](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/building-permit.md)

## Sources

- [Building Inspections & Bylaw Services, City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/building-inspections/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Building Bylaw No. 2070 (PDF), City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Building Bylaw Amendment Bylaw No. 2070-A1 (PDF), City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070-A1Building-Bylaw-Amendment-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 2073 (PDF, consolidated December 12, 2022), City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2073Municipal-Ticket-Information-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED-2.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Payment Options (PDF), City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/PAYMENT-OPTIONS.pdf) (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. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Grand Forks. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/building-permit/_