--- title: Salmon Arm permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages question: "Do I need a permit for a deck, shed, carport, or garage?" place: Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada place_path: ca/bc/salmon-arm category: Building, renovating and your property owner: municipal owner_body: City of Salmon Arm sources_read: 2026-11-05 review: machine_checked canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmon-arm/deck-shed-garage-permit/" json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmon-arm/deck-shed-garage-permit.json" --- # Salmon Arm permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages **Question:** Do I need a permit for a deck, shed, carport, or garage? **Short answer:** In Salmon Arm a garage or carport needs a City building permit. A deck or patio more than 600 mm above grade needs one, and so does a roofed deck. A one-storey accessory building under 10 m² that is not a potential unsafe condition does not. Zoning rules apply to all of them. **Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Salmon Arm, https://www.salmonarm.ca) **Cost:** $200 application fee, credited to the permit fee, then $8 per $1,000 of value after the first $15,000 (see building-permit-fees). **Where:** - Phone: Building Department, 250-803-4003 - In person: City Hall, Development Services, 500 - 2nd Avenue NE, Salmon Arm ## Key facts - **Sheds:** A one-storey accessory building under 10 m² that is not a potential unsafe condition does not come under the Building Bylaw, so needs no permit. Larger accessory buildings need a building permit. - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 4725, s. 6.3(a), 9.1](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/204) - Official wording: "a one storey accessory building with a floor area of less than 10m2, that does not constitute" … "every owner must apply for and obtain a permit, prior to" … "(a) construction or replacement of new buildings and structures;" - Source: [Application and Guide for Building Permits (PDF, updated July 2026), Checklist for Standard Building Permit](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/37) - Official wording: "include permits for decks, outbuildings, garages, carports, additions &/or" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Decks:** A deck or patio more than 600 mm (about 2 ft.) above the ground or finished grade needs a building permit. Only an unroofed deck or patio less than 600 mm above grade is exempt; a roofed deck is not covered by that exemption. - Source: [Application and Guide for Building Permits (PDF, updated July 2026), Guide, When is a building permit required](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/37) - Official wording: "decks or patios which are more than 600mm from the" - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 4725, s. 6.3(h)](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/204) - Official wording: "unroofed decks or patios which are less than 600mm from the ground or finished grade;" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Garages and carports:** Yes. Garages and carports are standard building permit projects. Only a one-storey accessory building under 10 m² is exempt. - Source: [Application and Guide for Building Permits (PDF, updated July 2026), Checklist for Standard Building Permit](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/37) - Official wording: "include permits for decks, outbuildings, garages, carports, additions &/or" - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 4725, s. 6.3(a)](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/204) - Official wording: "a one storey accessory building with a floor area of less than 10m2, that does not constitute" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Zoning limits:** Example, R-10 zone: accessory buildings up to 6.0 m high; accessory buildings together up to 10% of the parcel (within 45% for all buildings); setbacks of 6.0 m from the front and exterior side lines and 1.0 m from rear and interior side lines. At least 40% of the parcel must stay permeable. Other zones differ. - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2303 (PDF, consolidated August 2026), s. 6.6, 6.7, 6.8, 6.14 (R-10 Zone)](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/74) - Official wording: "The maximum height of an accessory building shall be 6.0 metres (19.7 feet)." … "10% may comprise any and all other accessory buildings." … "Water permeable surfaces, as regulated in Section 4 of this Bylaw, shall cover at minimum 40% of the parcel area." … "Front parcel line shall be 6.0 metres (19.7 feet)" … "Interior side parcel line shall be 1.0 metre (3.3 feet)" … "Exterior side parcel line shall be 6.0 metres (19.7 feet)" - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2303 (PDF, consolidated August 2026), s. 4.3](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/74) - Official wording: "uncovered patios or terraces not greater than 0.6 metre (2.0 ft.) above surrounding grade;" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Bylaw:** Building Bylaw No. 4725 (permit rules) and Zoning Bylaw No. 2303 (height, setbacks, coverage) - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 4725, title](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/204) - Official wording: "City of Salmon Arm Building Bylaw No. 4725" - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2303 (PDF, consolidated August 2026), title](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/74) - Official wording: "TO ZONING BYLAW NO. 2303, 1995" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 ## How it works [Building Bylaw No. 4725](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/204) exempts a one-storey accessory building under 10 m² that is not a potential unsafe condition, so a shed that size needs no permit. Larger accessory buildings need one. Garages and carports are standard building permit projects. A deck or patio more than 600 mm (about 2 ft.) above the ground or finished grade needs a permit; only an unroofed deck or patio less than 600 mm above grade is exempt, so a roofed deck is not covered by that exemption. The [Zoning Bylaw](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/74) (height, setbacks, coverage) applies to every shed, with or without a permit. ## Good to know - Example, R-10 zone: accessory buildings up to 6.0 m high; accessory buildings together up to 10% of the parcel (within 45% for all buildings); setbacks of 6.0 m from the front and exterior side lines and 1.0 m from rear and interior side lines; at least 40% of the parcel must stay permeable. Other zones set their own limits. - Uncovered patios up to 0.6 m above grade may sit in setbacks (Zoning Bylaw s. 4.3.3). - An accessory building used as a dwelling needs an approved Accessory Dwelling Unit (Zoning Bylaw s. 4.2). - For the application steps, see the building-permit answer. ## Official forms and pages - [Application and Guide for Building Permits (PDF)](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/37) - [Building Bylaw No. 4725 (PDF)](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/204) - [Zoning Bylaw No. 2303 (PDF)](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/74) ## Related questions - [Salmon Arm building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmon-arm/building-permit.md) - [Salmon Arm building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmon-arm/building-permit-fees.md) - [Salmon Arm fence rules: permits and height limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmon-arm/fence-rules.md) - [Salmon Arm zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmon-arm/zoning-lookup.md) - [Salmon Arm secondary suite and carriage house rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmon-arm/secondary-suite.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) ## Sources - [Building Bylaw No. 4725 (PDF), City of Salmon Arm](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/204) (read 2026-11-05) - [Application and Guide for Building Permits (PDF, updated July 2026), City of Salmon Arm](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/37) (read 2026-11-05) - [Zoning Bylaw No. 2303 (PDF, consolidated August 2026), City of Salmon Arm](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/74) (read 2026-11-05) - [Fee for Services Bylaw No. 2498 (PDF, consolidated August 24, 2026), City of Salmon Arm](https://www.salmonarm.ca/DocumentCenter/View/2040) (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 Salmon Arm. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmon-arm/deck-shed-garage-permit/_