Building Regulation and Inspection

Due to the current volume of Building Permit applications, turnaround time for Building Permits is currently 4-6 Weeks.

You can find the Building Permit Application Here.

LOW CARBON BUILDING MATERIALS GUIDE AND BENCHMARK REPORT

The City recently participated in a low carbon building pilot project in partnership with the City of Nelson. This project assessed the full life cycle of building materials as they relate to overall GHG emissions. The BC Energy Step Code currently focuses only on operational emissions.

A copy of the reports can be found below:

Low Carbon Building Materials Guide

Low Carbon Benchmarking Report

BUILD ENERGY SMART ONLINE WORKSHOPS

The Province is mandating that new homes are 20% better than current building code. The 2018 BC Building Code revisions will be released December 2022, effective Province-wide January 2023. For more information regarding upcoming workshops click here.

WHEN DO I NEED A BUILDING PERMIT

The City of Castlegar Building Bylaw No. 1338 requires that a building permit must be obtained prior to any construction, reconstruction, installation, repair, alteration, or demolition being carried out on any building or structure and includes, but is not limited to:

constructing a new building or an addition to an existing building
construction of a new accessory building or structure over 9.5 square meters in area
repair, renovation or demolition of existing buildings
placement of a mobile home on a mobile home pad and additions to a mobile home
complete a previously unfinished area in an existing building
installation of swimming pools, chimneys or fireplaces and solid fuel burning appliances
alterations to a plumbing system
sundecks
moving a building (either into the City or out of the City)
changing the use or occupancy of a building

WHAT CAN I DO WITHOUT A BUILDING PERMIT?

fencing (fence height must comply with Zoning Bylaw) Fence Guidelines
roofing, gutters, drains
paving and sidewalks (driveway width must comply with Zoning Bylaw)
window or door repair and exchange (if the replacement window or door is of the same size as the existing window or door)
installation of new cupboards, linoleum, carpet or paint
exterior finishing
storage and garden sheds for residential use that do not exceed 10 square meters (however these buildings must comply with all other applicable bylaws).

Sample Drawings can be viewed below:

Sample Site Plan

Sample Deck

Sample Floor Plan

BC BUILDING CODE

The BC Building code is now available free online at bccodes.ca

BC ENERGY STEP CODE

Energy Efficiency Incentives and Rebates

The City of Castlegar has recently implemented BC Energy Step Code. The BC Energy Step Code is a provincial regulation that local governments in British Columbia may use if they wish to incentivize or require a level of energy efficiency in new construction that goes above and beyond the requirements of the base building code. The City has integrated Step 1 of the BC Energy Step Code into its Building Bylaw and will be adopting the lower steps (Steps 2 and 3) by December 2022.

To find out what this may mean to you and your development we encourage you to visit the BC Energy Step Code website or view the resources available from the Community Energy Association. The Community Energy Association is hosting a series of Webinars to support implementation of the BC Energy Step Code throughout the Province. Please visit their Events Page to keep informed of upcoming opportunities. Several case studies are also available on their YouTube Channel if unable to attend a training event.

The Pre-Construction BC Energy Compliance Report can be Found Here.

The Mid-Construction BC Energy Compliance Report can be Found Here.

The As-Built BC Energy Compliance Report can be Found Here.