Do You Need a Permit to Renovate in Burnaby?

This guide sets out the City of Burnaby's own wording on what needs a permit, with links to the source pages, so you can see exactly where the lines are before you plan a renovation.

What does not need a permit

The City says: "Minor works such a replacing fixtures, cabinet and flooring, painting the inside of your home or doing minor non-structural repairs to the outside of your home do not need a permit."

In practice that covers most cosmetic updates: new cabinet doors, a new countertop on the same cabinets, new flooring, a vanity or toilet swapped in the same spot, and paint.

What needs a building permit

The City says: "Any construction project that includes the excavation, erection, enlargement, alteration, removal, fire repair or demolition of any building or structure including accessory and temporary buildings requires a permit."

For homeowners that means, among others:

• Finishing or re-configuring a basement into new rooms
• Adding a secondary suite (the City treats it as an alteration)
• Removing or moving walls, especially load-bearing ones
• Additions, including decks, which the City classifies as additions because they change the building footprint

Alteration and addition permits are applied for online through the City's My Permits portal.

Plumbing, gas and electrical permits

Separate trade permits apply in single and duplex dwellings. The City lists a plumbing permit for "installing, making changes to or upgrading any part of a plumbing system", a gas permit for "installing, modifying or upgrading any part of a gas system", and an electrical permit for electrical work and installations. Moving a toilet, adding a basement bathroom, relocating a gas range or adding circuits for a new kitchen all fall here.

Basement finishing: what the City asks to see

Burnaby's interior-finishing guide lists what the drawings must show, which tells you what the inspector will check:

• Each room's use and size, including ceiling height and clearances under beams and ducts
• Bedroom windows, with sill height and opening size
• Locations of hardwired smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms
• Plumbing fixtures, hot water tank and heating and ventilation equipment

For a secondary suite, the drawings must also show how the BC Building Code requirements for fire separations, exits and smoke alarms are met.

Why it is worth doing properly

Unpermitted work can surface when you sell, refinance or make an insurance claim, and fixing it after the fact usually means opening finished walls. A contractor who tells you up front which permits apply, and pulls them, is protecting your resale value as much as the City's rules. See our guide to choosing a renovation contractor.

Sources

• City of Burnaby — Home Improvement Permits
• City of Burnaby — Residential Trade Permits
• City of Burnaby — Requirements for Interior Finishing (PDF)
• City of Burnaby — Secondary Suite Informational Guide (PDF)