---
title: Port Alice permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages
question: "Do I need a permit for a deck, shed, carport, or garage in Port Alice?"
place: Port Alice, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/port-alice
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: Village of Port Alice
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-alice/deck-shed-garage-permit/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-alice/deck-shed-garage-permit.json"
---

# Port Alice permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages

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

**Short answer:** In Port Alice a deck needs a building permit, and so does a garage or carport. A storage shed under 10 m² (such as a pump-house) does not, if it is sited correctly. Setbacks and height limits are in the Zoning Bylaw, which could not be read.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Port Alice, https://portalice.ca)  
**Cost:** See the building-permit-fees answer.  
**How long:** About 21 days normally, per the 2021 guide.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Village office, 250-284-3391
- Email: Village office email, info@portalice.ca
- In person: Municipal Hall, 1061 Marine Drive, Port Alice, BC V0N 2N0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **Sheds:** A storage shed under 10 m² (such as a pump-house) does not need a building permit as long as it is sited correctly. Any new accessory building otherwise needs one.
  - Source: [Residential Building Permit Guide 2021, Villages of Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Port Alice and Coal Harbour, p. 2](https://portalice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021-Building-Permit-Guide-Final.pdf)
  - Official wording: "constructing a storage shed less than 10 m2 in size" … "construct a new accessory building"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Decks:** Building or remodelling a deck needs a building permit; the guide gives no height threshold.
  - Source: [Residential Building Permit Guide 2021, Villages of Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Port Alice and Coal Harbour, p. 2](https://portalice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021-Building-Permit-Guide-Final.pdf)
  - Official wording: "remodel or construct a deck"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Garages and carports:** Yes: the guide lists drawings required for attached garages, detached garages and carports with a building permit application.
  - Source: [Residential Building Permit Guide 2021, Villages of Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Port Alice and Coal Harbour, p. 4, What drawings must I submit](https://portalice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021-Building-Permit-Guide-Final.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Attached Garage" … "Detached Garage and Sheds" … "Carports"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Zoning limits:** Setbacks, height and lot coverage could not be read (zoning bylaw is scanned). In Development Permit Areas, a development permit is not required for decks or for accessory buildings and garden sheds under 47 m² (500 ft²).
  - Source: [Official Community Plan (PDF, July 2023 version), OCP s. 6.3.2](https://portalice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Port-Alice-OCP-Draft-v4.1-July10_2023.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A Development Permit is not required for decks, accessory buildings / garden sheds less than 47"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Building Bylaw No. 610, 2010 (per the Planning page) and Port Alice Zoning Bylaw No. 688
  - Source: [Planning, Planning page](https://portalice.ca/town-hall/community-plan/)
  - Official wording: "Village’s Building Bylaw No 610, 2010"
  - Source: [Bylaws library, Bylaws library page](https://portalice.ca/town-hall/bylaws/)
  - Official wording: "688 Port Alice Zoning Bylaw"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works
Based on the Village's 2021 Residential Building Permit Guide:
- **Deck:** building or remodelling a deck needs a building permit. The guide gives no height threshold.
- **Shed:** a storage shed under 10 m² (such as a pump-house) does not need a permit as long as it is sited correctly. Any other new accessory building needs one.
- **Garage or carport:** the guide lists drawings required for attached garages, detached garages and carports with a permit application. It gives no size exemption.

## Steps
1. Phone the Village office, 250-284-3391, to confirm the setbacks, height and lot coverage for your zone.
2. Fill in the Application for Building or Plumbing Permit and attach plans (see building-permit).
3. Submit at 1061 Marine Drive with the fees.

## Good to know
- Setbacks, height and lot coverage are in the Zoning Bylaw No. 688, a scanned PDF that could not be read, so this page does not state them.
- The Official Community Plan says that in Development Permit Areas a development permit is not required for decks, or for accessory buildings and garden sheds under 47 m² (500 ft²). That is separate from the building permit.
- The 2021 guide does not replace current bylaws. The Planning page names Building Bylaw No. 610, 2010, while the library lists No. 560; ask which applies.

## Official forms and pages

- [Residential Building Permit Guide 2021 (PDF), Villages of Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Port Alice and Coal Harbour](https://portalice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021-Building-Permit-Guide-Final.pdf)
- [Application for Building or Plumbing Permit (PDF), Village of Port Alice](https://portalice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/560-Application-for-building-permit.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Port Alice building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-alice/building-permit.md)
- [Port Alice building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-alice/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Port Alice zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-alice/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)
- [Port Hardy](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-hardy/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)
- [Tahsis](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tahsis/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)
- [Sayward](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sayward/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)
- [Gold River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)
- [Campbell River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/campbell-river/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)
- [Tofino](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)

## Sources

- [Residential Building Permit Guide 2021 (PDF), Villages of Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Port Alice and Coal Harbour](https://portalice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021-Building-Permit-Guide-Final.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Official Community Plan (PDF, July 2023 version), Village of Port Alice](https://portalice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Port-Alice-OCP-Draft-v4.1-July10_2023.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Planning, Village of Port Alice](https://portalice.ca/town-hall/community-plan/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Bylaws library, Village of Port Alice](https://portalice.ca/town-hall/bylaws/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact, Village of Port Alice](https://portalice.ca/contact/) (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. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Port Alice. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-alice/deck-shed-garage-permit/_