Metchosin permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages
Do I need a permit for a deck, shed, carport, or garage in Metchosin?
In Metchosin a building permit is required for any building or structure, including accessory buildings like sheds, garages and carports. The Building Bylaw lists no size exemption and no deck threshold. Call Municipal Hall at 250-474-3167 to confirm.
Key facts
| Sheds | A building permit is required before constructing a building or structure, "including accessory structures and buildings". The Building Bylaw's list of exemptions (s. 6.2) does not include sheds, and no size threshold is stated.Building Permits; Building Bylaw 2024, No. 694, s. 6.2 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingA building permit is required before beginning construction of a building or a structure, including accessory structures and buildings A permit is not required in the following circumstances |
|---|---|
| Decks | Not confirmed. No deck height or size threshold is stated in the Building Bylaw or on the permit page. |
| Garages and carports | A building permit is required to construct a building or structure, including accessory buildings; no exemption for garages or carports is listed. Fee valuations: garages and workshops $60 per sq. ft.; carports, barns or sheds $40 per sq. ft.Building Permits; Fees and Charges Bylaw 2024, No. 696, Schedule 3, s. 6 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingA building permit is required before beginning construction of a building or a structure, including accessory structures and buildings Garages and/or Workshops $60.00 Carports, Barns, or Sheds $40.00 |
| Zoning limits | In the Agricultural, Upland, Rural, Amenity Residential and Rural Residential zones: accessory building front yard 7.5 m, side yards 3 m, rear yard 3 m; height up to 10.5 m; floor area up to 200 m²; lot coverage 20%. At least 1 m from the principal building. Commercial and other zones differ.Metchosin Land Use Bylaw No. 259 (consolidated March 2026, reference copy), s. 51(7) Yard Requirements; Metchosin Land Use Bylaw No. 259 (consolidated March 2026, reference copy), s. 51(3), (4), (8); Metchosin Land Use Bylaw No. 259 (consolidated March 2026, reference copy), s. 31(2), (3) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingA front yard of not less than 7.5 m (24.6’) shall be provided. Side yards of not less than 3 m (9.8’) shall be provided. A rear yard of not less than 3 m (9.8’) shall be provided for an accessory building. In an Agricultural, Upland, Rural, Amenity Residential, or Rural Residential Zone: The maximum lot coverage shall be 20% of the lot. shall not exceed 10.5 m (34.5’). The gross floor area of an accessory building shall not exceed 200 m2 (2,153 ft 2). The maximum lot coverage shall be 20% of the lot. shall not exceed 10.5 m (34.5’). No accessory building that is not attached to a principal building shall be located less than 1 m (3.3’) |
| Bylaw | Building Bylaw 2024, No. 694; Metchosin Land Use Bylaw No. 259 (s. 31 Accessory Buildings and zone sections); Fees and Charges Bylaw 2024, No. 696Building Bylaw 2024, No. 694, s. 1.1; Metchosin Land Use Bylaw No. 259 (consolidated March 2026, reference copy), s. 1; Fees and Charges Bylaw 2024, No. 696, Citation · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingBuilding Bylaw 2024, N0. 694 This Bylaw may be cited for all purposes as the Metchosin Land Use Bylaw No. 259. This Bylaw may be cited as the District of Metchosin Fees and Charges Bylaw 2024 |
How it works
The District's Building Bylaw 2024, No. 694 and its Building Permits page say a building permit is required before constructing a building or structure, "including accessory structures and buildings". The bylaw's list of exemptions does not include sheds, garages, carports or decks, and no size or height threshold is stated. So plan on needing a permit, and ask staff before you assume a small shed is exempt.
Zoning is separate. Under the Land Use Bylaw No. 259, in the Agricultural, Upland, Rural, Amenity Residential and Rural Residential zones, an accessory building must have a front yard of 7.5 m, side yards of 3 m and a rear yard of 3 m. It can be up to 10.5 m high and 200 m² in floor area, with total lot coverage of 20%. An accessory building not attached to the house must be at least 1 m from it. Commercial and other zones differ.
Steps
- Check your zone and setbacks in the Land Use Bylaw (see the zoning-lookup answer).
- Call Municipal Hall (250-474-3167) to confirm whether your shed, deck, garage or carport needs a permit.
- Apply following the building-permit answer.
Good to know
- Small rear-yard sheds: in those same five zones, a rear-yard accessory building of 3.35 m² or less (total 9.3 m², height 1.85 m) is not treated as a "structure" under the Land Use Bylaw. That is a zoning rule; confirm with staff whether a building permit is still needed.
- Decks: no deck height or size threshold is stated in the Building Bylaw or on the permit page. The fee schedule values sundecks and covered porches at $40 per sq. ft.
- A garage attached to the main building is treated as part of it for zoning.
- Retaining walls over 1.2 m high need their own permit.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Colwood · Langford · View Royal · Sooke · Esquimalt · Victoria
Deck and shed permit thresholds in British Columbia, by municipality →
Sources
- Building Permits, District of Metchosin (read 2026-11-06)
- Building Bylaw 2024, No. 694 (read 2026-11-06)
- Metchosin Land Use Bylaw No. 259 (consolidated March 2026, reference copy) (read 2026-11-06)
- Fees and Charges Bylaw 2024, No. 696 (read 2026-11-06)
Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 4 of 5 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed. How answers are checked.