Salt Spring Island permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages
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.
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.CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741 (PDF, consolidated January 2026), s. 2.1.3(3); CRD Building Permit Guide, Other Documents, item 12 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingfor accessory buildings less than 10 square meters in area that do not create a hazard; Planning Approval of zoning and development permit confirmation is required for all new: Accessory buildings |
|---|---|
| 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.Apply for a Building Permit, CRD, When do I need a building permit?; CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741 (PDF, consolidated January 2026), s. 2.1.3(7); CRD Building Permit Guide, Other Documents, item 12 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingConstruct, repair or alteration of a deck construction of a deck, the surface of which is less than 600 mm above grade. • Change to building exterior • Decks • Additions that change the footprint of the building |
| 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.CRD Building Permit Guide, Building Permit Application Drawings; Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, s. 3.12.2 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingDetached Garage and Sheds For the purposes of this Bylaw, a carport is deemed to be an accessory building, |
| 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.Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, s. 3.8.2; Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, s. 3.12.5; Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, s. 4.3.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingThe 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, 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. 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 |
| 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.CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741 (PDF, consolidated January 2026), s. 1.1.1; Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, s. 2.1.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingIslands, and Salt Spring Island electoral areas in the Capital Regional District. 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 |
How it works
Salt Spring Island is not a municipality, so two bodies are involved. The CRD issues building permits under Bylaw No. 3741. The Islands Trust sets zoning rules under Land Use 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
- Ask the Islands Trust for land-use approval first (250-537-9144), and get its Building Permit Review Response Form.
- If a CRD permit is needed, follow the building-permit steps. The CRD guide lists the drawings required for a detached garage.
- 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
The same question in other places
Deck and shed permit thresholds in British Columbia, by municipality →
Sources
- Apply for a Building Permit, CRD (read 2026-11-05)
- CRD Building Permit Guide (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
- CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741 (PDF, consolidated January 2026) (read 2026-11-05)
- Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF) (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. How answers are checked.