Tonnes of Misinformation About Building Permit Requirements
When is a Building Permit Required in Kelowna?
As designers, draftsmen and technologists on the leading edge of homeowner driven construction projects, we often find ourselves in a position of educating clientele on permit requirements. With little information published by local authorities, in this post we layout the common times and circumstances whereby you’re required by law to obtain a building permit.
Select From The Permit Categories Below:
Construction of new buildings over 10m2 (107.6 sq.ft) in footprint requires a building permit to construct. Sheds or accessory buildings over this threshold are included in this list.
Anytime an addition of finished floor space is added to a building, a full building permit is required to vet the proposal against zoning bylaw and building code. This goes for commercial buildings, mobile & factory built homes across the province of British Columbia.
Interior and exterior alteration of buildings and structures which involve materials or
systems controlled by building codes (building envelope, plumbing, mechanical & fire) requires a building permit prior to starting any demolition. That means that if you’re making holes in the drywall for anything beyond hanging a towel rack, you’re required to obtain a building permit first.
While modular and mobile homes come in self contained units to the site, their foundations are controlled by the building code. Before construction a foundation for a modular of mobile home, you’re required to obtain a building permit first.
If you have an unfinished space within your home that you’d to make into a basement suite, you require a building permit to map out exactly what is require for your specific set of circumstances.
If you already have a suite and wish to register it legally (ie. legalize a basement suite) you also need a building permit but the process might look difference depending on where you live. Try reachin out to your local building department or read our “Guide to Legalizing Your Unregistered Basement Suite” post.
The deconstruction or demolition of buildings is heavily regulated through zoning and building bylaws. Before taking down a building, proper care and due diligence is required to assure that all the buildings systems have been disconnected prior.
Under some circumstances, obtaining a demolition permit can be cumbersome. If you don’t have plans to build a new building, and the current building is a safety hazard then no big deal. However, if you plan to build a new building soon, municipalities like the City of Kelowna and the City of West Kelowna require an application for the new building be submitted prior to applying for a demolition permit.
If you have a finished home with an unfinished basement, a new building permit is required to guide the finishing of that space. If your original permit includes a finished space on paper but it was never completed, you’ll still need a new building permit for the alterations to bring it up to today’s building code and standards.
If you’re taking an office and want to make into a fireworks factory, your going to have some trouble. However, the permit process is key to protecting your community against poor planing and bad neighbors. The building code is built upon the principal of occupant use and if you’re looking to make some changes, the building permit process is there to get you from A to B.
Foundations involve a number of layers from design through the trades that work on them. Their design must be carefully controlled and the installation overseen to make sure that what’s prescribed is what is constructed. One of your last lines of defense is your local building inspector and the building permit process.
Site Services:
Temporary Buildings:
Even temporary building require building permits as that’s the only way to control a minimum standard of quality and life safety. The placement of such buildings as well as the standards to which it will be held are determined by the building code and your local building inspector.
While modular and mobile homes come in self contained units to the site, their foundations are controlled by the building code. Before construction a foundation for a modular of mobile home, you’re required to obtain a building permit first.
Retaining walls by definition vary by municipality. Retaining walls less than 4 feet tall are not “retaining walls” that the building code is concerned about. If you’re looking to build a retaining wall that will hold back more than 4 feet, it’s a retaining wall and requires a building permit prior to staring the work.
The construction of pools and their related safety systems are dictated by the building code. Conformance for setbacks from property lines, size of the pool as well as the depth must be approved through a building permit process before starting excavation. Safety fencing also requires a building permit and is vetted through your municipal building department.
The planning of site services for a given lot or in a delicate balance with the community around it and thus requires the trained eye of city engineers to properly plan these services. A misplaced sewer connection can have severe implications for the design of a building so proper design and implementation through a municipal building permit process is key.
The deconstruction or demolition of buildings is heavily regulated through zoning and building bylaws. Before taking down a building, proper care and due diligence is required to assure that all the buildings systems have been disconnected prior.
Under some circumstances, obtaining a demolition permit can be cumbersome. If you don’t have plans to build a new building, and the current building is a safety hazard then no big deal. However, if you plan to build a new building soon, municipalities like the City of Kelowna and the City of West Kelowna require an application for the new building be submitted prior to applying for a demolition permit.
Plumbing & Mechanical Permits:
It goes without saying that if you intend to connect your buildings sewer to the municipal sewer system, you require a building permit to do so.
The portion of pipe from the building to the property is your responsibility but the remainder from there to the main sewer line is the city’s job.
The planning of site services for a given lot or in a delicate balance with the community around it and thus requires the trained eye of city engineers to properly plan these services. A misplaced sewer connection can have severe implications for the design of a building so proper design and implementation through a municipal building permit process is key.
Installing plumbing systems into a building that hasn’t got any plumbing systems already, requires a building permit. For obvious reasons, getting this install done correctly the first time requires a measure of oversight and that oversight starts with the building permit process.
If you’re altering anything related to the plumbing of a building, there’s a 100% chance you require a trade permit first.
Say you have an existing bathroom and in the process of replacing the vanity cabinet, you’re now adding a second sink. The alteration to the current drain alone requires a plumbers trade permit as part of the building permit process.
As central life safety systems, the alteration and installation of these systems is heavily regulated and filled with specialists. If you’re looking to move a wall and need to alter the sprinkler layout, start the conversation with a plumber and take it to the city to obtain the relevant trade and building permits.
The key issue here is the use of highly flammable fuels and the creation of noxious gases during combustion. If your appliance burns natural gas, wood or fuels oil such as wood inserts, stoves, pellet stoves, their installation requires a building permit prior to starting any demolition or installation.
Given the ease a fire could spread throughout a building if a fireplace is installed correctly, there’s a heavy onus on professional install of these systems. Building owners should never make any alterations to existing systems or install new systems without the proper trade and building permits in place.
The install of this type of commercial restaurant equipment and maintenance of fire protection systems comes with risks that no building owner should attempt to complete on their own. The installation of fire stopping, hot gas venting, gas line connections are all regulated by provincial and national building codes and require a building permit to prior to starting any work.
