Invermere permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages

Do I need a permit for a deck, shed, carport, or garage in Invermere?

Invermere, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-08

Short answer

In Invermere an accessory building under 10 m² needs no building permit. A shed, garage or carport of 10 m² or more does. The Building Bylaw gives no height exemption for decks, so ask before building one. Zoning rules apply either way.

Key facts

Sheds	No building permit for an accessory building with a floor area under 10 m²; the Building Bylaw does not apply to it. At 10 m² or more, the bylaw applies and a permit is required.Building Bylaw No. 1677, 2026, ss. 3.3(b), 4.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording an accessory building with a floor area of less than 10 square metres; unless a building official has issued a valid and subsisting permit for the work under
Decks	The Building Bylaw gives no height threshold or exemption for decks; only accessory buildings under 10 m² and some small landscape structures are excluded. The fee schedule values decks at $77 per sq. ft. (from Jan 1, 2026), so a deck permit fee applies.Building Bylaw No. 1677, 2026, ss. 3.3, 4.1; Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 1687, 2026, Schedule G, Schedule G, Table 1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording This bylaw does not apply to a trellis, an arbour, a wall supporting soil that is less than 1.22 metres in height, or Decks & Sheds $75 $77 $78
Garages and carports	Not exempt by name. Only an accessory building under 10 m² is excluded, so a garage or carport of 10 m² or more needs a building permit. The fee schedule values carports at $77 and garages at $102 per sq. ft. (from Jan 1, 2026).Building Bylaw No. 1677, 2026, s. 3.3(b); Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 1687, 2026, Schedule G, Schedule G, Table 1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording an accessory building with a floor area of less than 10 square metres; Carports $75 $77 $78 Garages $100 $102 $104
Zoning limits	R-1 zone example: accessory buildings up to 4.5 m high; setbacks front 4.5 m, rear 1.5 m, interior side 1.5 m, exterior side 4.5 m; parcel coverage 40% for a single family dwelling. No accessory building before its principal building. Other zones differ.Zoning Bylaw No. 1145, 2002, consolidated, s. 5.3(3) (R-1 zone); s. 3.8(1) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording Accessory buildings and structures from: rear parcel line 1.5 m interior side parcel line 1.5 m exterior side parcel line 4.5 m Accessory buildings and structures 4.5 m Single family dwelling 40% No person shall erect an accessory building or structure on any parcel unless the principal
Bylaw	Building Bylaw No. 1677, 2026 (s. 3.3); Zoning Bylaw No. 1145, 2002 (s. 3.8 and the zone regulations in Section 5)Building Bylaw No. 1677, 2026, s. 1.1; Zoning Bylaw No. 1145, 2002, consolidated, s. 3.8 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording Building Bylaw No. 1677, 2026 Accessory Buildings and Structures

How it works

In Invermere the Building Bylaw No. 1677 does not apply to an accessory building with a floor area under 10 m², so no building permit is needed for it. At 10 m² or more the bylaw applies and a permit is required. A garage or carport is not exempt by name, so one of 10 m² or more needs a permit.

The bylaw gives no height threshold or exemption for decks; only small accessory buildings and some landscape structures are excluded. The fee schedule values decks, so a permit fee applies.

Steps

Check your zone and its limits (see the zoning-lookup answer).
Call the Building Official (250-342-9281 ext. 1227) to confirm whether your deck, shed, garage or carport needs a permit.
If it does, apply as described in the building-permit answer.

Good to know

Zoning rules (setbacks, height, coverage) still apply to a shed under 10 m².
Example from the R-1 zone, under the 2002 Zoning Bylaw No. 1145: accessory buildings up to 4.5 m high; setbacks front 4.5 m, rear 1.5 m, interior side 1.5 m, exterior side 4.5 m; parcel coverage 40% for a single family dwelling. Other zones differ.
No accessory building may be built before its principal building.

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

Radium Hot Springs · Canal Flats · Kaslo · Elkford · Kimberley · Cranbrook

Deck and shed permit thresholds in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

Building Bylaw No. 1677, 2026 (PDF), District of Invermere (read 2026-11-08)
Zoning Bylaw No. 1145, 2002, consolidated (PDF), District of Invermere (read 2026-11-08)
Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 1687, 2026, Schedule G (PDF), District of Invermere (read 2026-11-08)
Contact Information, District of Invermere (read 2026-11-08)

Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text. How answers are checked.