---
title: Salt Spring Island permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages
question: "Do I need a permit for a deck, shed, carport, or garage?"
place: Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/salt-spring-island
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: shared
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/deck-shed-garage-permit/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/deck-shed-garage-permit.json"
---

# Salt Spring Island permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages

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

**Short answer:** On Salt Spring Island, decks 600 mm or more above grade, and sheds, garages and carports of 10 m² or more, need a Capital Regional District (CRD) building permit. Every new accessory building or deck also needs Islands Trust land-use approval first.

**Who handles it:** More than one level of government  
**Cost:** CRD building permit: $300 application fee plus 1.4% of construction value. Islands Trust fees are separate; ask the Trust.  
**How long:** The CRD's target is 4 weeks to review a complete application.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Islands Trust Salt Spring office, 250-537-9144 (Unit 4, 121 McPhillips Avenue, V8K 2T6.)
- Phone: CRD Building Inspection, Salt Spring, 250-360-3230
- Email: CRD permit questions, permitquestion@crd.bc.ca

## Key facts

- **Sheds:** CRD building permit not needed for an accessory building under 10 m² that creates no hazard. Larger sheds need a CRD building permit. Every new accessory building also needs Islands Trust land-use (zoning) approval before the building permit.
  - Source: [CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741 (PDF, consolidated January 2026), s. 2.1.3(3)](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/bylawno3741consolidated)
  - Official wording: "for accessory buildings less than 10 square meters in area that do not create a" … "hazard;"
  - Source: [CRD Building Permit Guide, Other Documents, item 12](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/building_permit_guide)
  - Official wording: "Planning Approval of zoning and development permit confirmation is required for all new:" … "Accessory buildings"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Decks:** A building permit is needed to build, repair or alter a deck, except a deck whose surface is under 600 mm above grade. Decks also need Islands Trust planning approval.
  - Source: [Apply for a Building Permit, CRD, When do I need a building permit?](https://www.crd.ca/programs-services/building-inspections-permits/apply-building-permit)
  - Official wording: "Construct, repair or alteration of a deck"
  - Source: [CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741 (PDF, consolidated January 2026), s. 2.1.3(7)](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/bylawno3741consolidated)
  - Official wording: "construction of a deck, the surface of which is less than 600 mm above grade."
  - Source: [CRD Building Permit Guide, Other Documents, item 12](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/building_permit_guide)
  - Official wording: "• Change to building exterior • Decks • Additions that change the footprint of the building"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Garages and carports:** No exemption is listed for garages or carports other than the under-10 m² accessory building rule, so they are treated like other buildings. The guide lists drawings required for a detached garage. A carport counts as an accessory building under the Land Use Bylaw.
  - Source: [CRD Building Permit Guide, Building Permit Application Drawings](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/building_permit_guide)
  - Official wording: "Detached Garage and Sheds"
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, s. 3.12.2](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "For the purposes of this Bylaw, a carport is deemed to be an accessory building,"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Zoning limits:** Unless a zone says otherwise: height 6 m (lots 1.2 ha or less) or 7 m (larger); total floor area 70 m² or 185 m²; setbacks 7.5 m front and rear, 3 m interior side, 4.5 m exterior side. One structure of 10 m² or less and 2.5 m high may sit in an interior side or rear setback.
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, s. 3.8.2](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "The maximum height for accessory buildings is 6 m on lots 1.2 ha or less in area," … "and 7 m on lots greater than 1.2 ha in area." … "except that on any lot, one structure with a floor area no more than 10 square metres and a height no greater than 2.5 m may be placed within the setback area from an interior side or rear lot line,"
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, s. 3.12.5](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "must not exceed 70 square metres for lots that are 1.2 ha or less in area and 185" … "square metres for lots that are greater than 1.2 ha in area."
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, s. 4.3.1](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "Setback from front lot line: 7.5 m" … "Setback from interior side lot line: 3.0 m" … "Setback from exterior side lot line: 4.5 m" … "may be placed within the setback area"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 5, 2010 (No. 3741) for permits; Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (1999) for height, size and setbacks. Both apply on Salt Spring Island.
  - Source: [CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741 (PDF, consolidated January 2026), s. 1.1.1](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/bylawno3741consolidated)
  - Official wording: "Islands, and Salt Spring Island electoral areas in the Capital Regional District."
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, s. 2.1.1](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "The provisions of this Bylaw apply to that portion of Salt Spring Island Local Trust" … "Area that lies within Electoral Area “F” of the Capital Regional District"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Salt Spring Island is not a municipality, so two bodies are involved. The CRD issues building permits under [Bylaw No. 3741](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/bylawno3741consolidated). The Islands Trust sets zoning rules under [Land Use Bylaw No. 355](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/).

- **Shed:** no CRD permit for an accessory building under 10 m² that creates no hazard. Larger sheds need one.
- **Deck:** a CRD permit is needed to build, repair or alter a deck, except one whose surface is under 600 mm above grade.
- **Garage or carport:** no exemption is listed other than the under-10 m² rule, so they are treated like other buildings. A carport counts as an accessory building under the Land Use Bylaw.

Every new accessory building and deck also needs Islands Trust land-use approval before the building permit.

## Steps

1. Ask the Islands Trust for land-use approval first (250-537-9144), and get its Building Permit Review Response Form.
2. If a CRD permit is needed, follow the building-permit steps. The CRD guide lists the drawings required for a detached garage.
3. Pay the CRD fees when invoiced.

## Good to know

- Unless your zone says otherwise, accessory buildings have these limits: height 6 m on lots of 1.2 ha or less, 7 m on larger lots; total floor area 70 m² or 185 m²; setbacks of 7.5 m front and rear, 3 m interior side and 4.5 m exterior side.
- One structure of 10 m² or less and 2.5 m high may sit in an interior side or rear setback.
- Accessory buildings must be 3 m from other buildings, except carports.
- An accessory building cannot have a shower, bathtub, kitchen or more than three rooms.
- One building under 25 m² is left out of the floor-area total.
- Zones can set different limits, so confirm yours with the Islands Trust.

## What you'll need

- Drawings listed in the CRD guide for a detached garage or shed
- Islands Trust Building Permit Review Response Form

## Official forms and pages

- [CRD Building Permit Guide (PDF)](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/building_permit_guide)
- [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)

## Related questions

- [Salt Spring Island building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/building-permit.md)
- [Salt Spring Island building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/building-permit-fees.md)
- [Salt Spring Island zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Salt Spring Island fence rules: permits and height limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/fence-rules.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

- [Apply for a Building Permit, CRD](https://www.crd.ca/programs-services/building-inspections-permits/apply-building-permit) (read 2026-11-05)
- [CRD Building Permit Guide (PDF)](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/building_permit_guide) (read 2026-11-05)
- [CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741 (PDF, consolidated January 2026)](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/bylawno3741consolidated) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/) (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 any government. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/deck-shed-garage-permit/_