{"title":"Williams Lake permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages","question":"Do I need a permit for a deck, shed, carport, or garage?","slug":"deck-shed-garage-permit","place":{"path":"ca/bc/williams-lake","name":"Williams Lake","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"building-and-renovating","name":"Building, renovating and your property"},"owner":"municipal","owner_label":"Municipal","owner_body":{"name":"City of Williams Lake","url":"https://www.williamslake.ca"},"short_answer":"In Williams Lake you need a City building permit for a detached shed, garage or carport of 10 square metres (100 square feet) or more, and for a deck more than 600 mm (2 feet) above the ground. Enclosing a carport, porch or sundeck also needs one. A patio at or below 600 mm does not.","aliases":["shed permit williams lake","deck permit williams lake","garage permit williams lake","carport permit","accessory building williams lake"],"cost":"Based on the value of the work; see the building permit fees answer. Accessory buildings over 25 square metres also pay a $150 security deposit.","how_long":null,"where":[{"type":"email","label":"Building Inspection","value":"building@williamslake.ca"},{"type":"in_person","label":"City Hall","value":"450 Mart Street, Williams Lake, BC V2G 1N3","note":"Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m."},{"type":"phone","label":"Building Inspection","value":"250-392-8488"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Building Inspection, City of Williams Lake","url":"https://www.williamslake.ca/1067/Building-Inspection"},{"title":"Building Permit Application Form","url":"https://www.williamslake.ca/DocumentCenter/View/7139/Building-Permit-Application-Form-fill"}],"related":[{"slug":"building-permit","title":"Williams Lake building permits: when you need one and how to apply","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/building-permit/"},{"slug":"building-permit-fees","title":"Williams Lake building permit fees","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/building-permit-fees/"},{"slug":"fence-rules","title":"Williams Lake fence rules: permits and height limits","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/fence-rules/"},{"slug":"zoning-lookup","title":"Williams Lake zoning: find your zone and what it allows","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/zoning-lookup/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/100-mile-house","name":"100 Mile House","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/100-mile-house/deck-shed-garage-permit/"},{"place":"ca/bc/quesnel","name":"Quesnel","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/quesnel/deck-shed-garage-permit/"},{"place":"ca/bc/clinton","name":"Clinton","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clinton/deck-shed-garage-permit/"},{"place":"ca/bc/cache-creek","name":"Cache Creek","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cache-creek/deck-shed-garage-permit/"},{"place":"ca/bc/clearwater","name":"Clearwater","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clearwater/deck-shed-garage-permit/"},{"place":"ca/bc/lillooet","name":"Lillooet","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lillooet/deck-shed-garage-permit/"}],"topic":{"title":"Deck and shed permit thresholds in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/deck-shed-garage-permit/"},"facts":{"shed":{"label":"Sheds","value":"A shed or other detached accessory building needs a building permit at 10 m² (100 sq ft) floor area or more. Under 10 m² it does not, but zoning rules still apply.","short":"Yes, if 10 m² or more","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39376","title":"Building Bylaw No. 2274, 2019 (consolidated PDF)","section":"s. 3.3(b)","quotes":["an accessory building with a floor area of less than 10 square metres;"]},{"url":"https://www.williamslake.ca/1067/Building-Inspection","title":"Building Inspection, City of Williams Lake","section":"A Permit is Required For","quotes":["Detached accessory buildings over 10 metres squared (100 square feet)"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"},"sources_differ":"City page says 'over 10 m²'; bylaw exempts 'less than 10 m²'. Value follows the bylaw. Accessory buildings over 25 m² also carry a $150 security deposit (Building Bylaw s. 10.8)."},"deck":{"label":"Decks","value":"A deck needs a building permit when it is more than 600 mm (2 ft) above grade. A patio 600 mm or less above grade does not.","short":"Yes, if more than 600 mm above grade","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.williamslake.ca/1067/Building-Inspection","title":"Building Inspection, City of Williams Lake","section":"Do I Need a Building Permit?","quotes":["Decks more than 600 millimetres (two feet) above grade","Patios 600 millimetres (two feet) or less above grade"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"garage_carport":{"label":"Garages and carports","value":"A detached garage or carport is an accessory building (the zoning definition of garage includes a carport), so a permit is needed at 10 m² or more. Enclosing a carport needs a permit. An attached garage counts as part of the house.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/178601","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 2430, 2025 (PDF)","section":"s. 2.4.1, s. 3.3.2","quotes":["Examples include covered decks, sunrooms, gazebos, sheds, detached","Accessory buildings attached to the principal Building shall be considered part of the principal building.","GARAGE means an accessory building, portion of a principal building, designed and used primarily for the storage of vehicles and includes a carport."]},{"url":"https://www.williamslake.ca/1067/Building-Inspection","title":"Building Inspection, City of Williams Lake","section":"A Permit is Required For","quotes":["Enclosing a carport, porch or sundeck","New homes and buildings"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"zoning_limits":{"label":"Zoning limits","value":"In R-1 (small-scale residential): accessory buildings may cover 10% of the lot, be 6 m high (1.5 storeys), sit 1.5 m from side and rear lines and 4 m from the front, and be 1.2 m from other buildings. R-3 allows 15% coverage. Other zones differ.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/178601","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 2430, 2025 (PDF)","section":"s. 4A.2, 4C.2, 3.3.1","quotes":["4A SMALL-SCALE RESIDENTIAL","Coverage 50% 10%","Maximum Height (m) 11 6","Storey 3 1.5","Side-Int 1.5 1.5","Front 4 4","Back 1.5 1.5","Minimum Building Separation (m) 2.5 1.2","Coverage 40% 15%","Accessory buildings and structures are permitted in all zones and shall comply"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"City of Williams Lake Building Bylaw No. 2274, 2019; City of Williams Lake Zoning Bylaw No. 2430, 2025","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39376","title":"Building Bylaw No. 2274, 2019 (consolidated PDF)","section":"s. 1","quotes":["This Bylaw may be cited as the “City of Williams Lake Building Bylaw No. 2274,"]},{"url":"https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/178601","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 2430, 2025 (PDF)","section":"title","quotes":["City of Williams Lake | December 2025"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":5,"stated":5,"matched":5,"none":0,"unknown":0},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nThe City of Williams Lake requires a building permit under [Building Bylaw 2274](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39376) for:\n\n- **Sheds and other detached accessory buildings** of 10 m² (100 sq ft) floor area or more. Under 10 m² no building permit is needed, but zoning rules still apply.\n- **Decks** more than 600 mm (2 ft) above grade. A patio 600 mm or less above grade does not need one.\n- **Garages and carports.** The zoning definition of garage includes a carport. A detached garage or carport is an accessory building, so a permit is needed at 10 m² or more. Enclosing a carport needs a permit. An attached garage counts as part of the house.\n\n## Steps\n\n1. Check the size and setback rules for your zone in [Zoning Bylaw 2430](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/178601).\n2. Apply to Building Inspection by email or at City Hall (see the building permit answer).\n3. Request inspections online or in writing.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- The City's page says buildings \"over\" 10 m² need a permit; the bylaw exempts those \"less than\" 10 m². Follow the bylaw, so exactly 10 m² needs a permit. Confirm with Building Inspection if you are close.\n- In the R-1 zone (small-scale residential), accessory buildings may cover 10% of the lot, be 6 m high (1.5 storeys), sit 1.5 m from side and rear lines and 4 m from the front, and be 1.2 m from other buildings. R-3 allows 15% coverage. Other zones differ.\n- The zoning bylaw counts covered decks as accessory buildings.\n- A bylaw notice for breaking the accessory building rules is $200 ($150 if paid early, $250 if late).\n- The 600 mm deck threshold is on the City's page but not in the bylaw's exemption list, so confirm for a low deck.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.williamslake.ca/1067/Building-Inspection","title":"Building Inspection, City of Williams Lake","accessed":"2026-11-05"},{"url":"https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39376","title":"Building Bylaw No. 2274, 2019 (consolidated PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-05"},{"url":"https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/178601","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 2430, 2025 (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-05"},{"url":"https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/61839","title":"Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2196 (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-05"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-05","review":{"status":"machine_checked","badge":"Checked against official text","label":"Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/deck-shed-garage-permit/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/deck-shed-garage-permit.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/deck-shed-garage-permit.json"}}