How to Get a Building Permit in Richmond, BC
Building in Richmond, BC? When you need a building permit, how to apply through the MyPermit portal, and what happens after you submit.
Renovating in Richmond: Permits, Secondary Suites and the Rules That Bite
Renovating in Richmond? A 2026 guide to when you need a building permit, what makes a secondary suite legal, and the gotchas that stall projects.
Applies in: British Columbia
The short answer
In Richmond, most renovation work needs a building permit, and a secondary suite is only legal once it has been inspected and brought up to the BC Building Code. The City's rule is broad: altering, renovating, or repairing an existing building, adding to one, or finishing an unfinished area such as a basement all require a permit. The same goes for most plumbing, gas, and electrical work. The expensive mistakes are all variations on one theme: starting work before the paperwork is done, or assuming that because a suite already exists, it is already legal. This guide is process information only, not legal advice, and every rule below comes from the City of Richmond or the BC Building Code as applied in Richmond.
When Richmond requires a building permit
Richmond's Building Approvals FAQs list the work that needs a permit, and the list covers nearly every renovation a homeowner plans. You need a permit to construct a new building, add to an existing one, or alter, renovate, or repair one. Finishing an unfinished area counts too, so a basement or recreation room fit-out is permit work, not a weekend project. Trades work is included as well: modifying or installing plumbing, gas, propane, oil burner, and electrical systems all need permits, as do sewage disposal systems and sanitary, storm sewer, and drainage work.
A few thresholds are worth knowing exactly. Retaining walls greater than 1 metre in height need a permit. Swimming pools with a surface area over 15 square metres and a depth over 1 metre need one. Installing a chimney for a wood-burning appliance needs one. Cutting down or removing trees on your property needs a separate tree permit, so a renovation that starts with clearing trees needs that approval in hand first.
The one clear carve-out
Sheds are the exception the City states plainly: a shed up to 10 square metres (107 square feet) does not require a building permit. The catch is that minimum setbacks to property lines still apply, and they depend on your zoning, so a permit-free shed in the wrong spot is still a problem. For anything beyond that, do not guess. Email Building Approvals at building@richmond.ca or call 604-276-4118 and ask before anyone picks up a tool.
The permit process, step by step
Start with zoning, not drawings. Before you apply for a building permit or change the use of a property, confirm the heights, setbacks, permitted uses, and other considerations in Zoning Bylaw 8500. The Zoning Inquiry Line is 604-276-4017, and the email is zoning@richmond.ca. A design that breaks a setback will not survive review, and finding that out after you have paid for drawings is the avoidable version of this mistake.
To apply, submit a completed permit application with all required supporting documents and a plan processing fee. Renovation work uses the Addition and Alterations form (PL-43). You can submit at the Permits Counter at City Hall, by email following the City's email application guide (PL-59), or through the City's MyPermit portal, which now accepts Addition/Alteration building permits online. Staff review the package, and incomplete applications slow everything down, so the full set of documents matters as much as the drawings themselves.
Fees are set by the Consolidated Fees Bylaw 8636, and the payment mechanics are fixed: all balances owing for a building permit must be paid at the time of issuance, by credit card, debit, or cheque made payable to the City of Richmond. The plan processing fee is credited against the permit fees at issuance, but it is non-refundable. It is forfeited if the application is cancelled or if the permit is not picked up within 30 days of being notified that it is ready. That 30-day clock is one of the easiest ways to lose money on an otherwise straightforward renovation.
Secondary suites: what "legal" actually means
Richmond has adopted amendments to the Zoning Bylaw that allow a single secondary suite within a single-family detached home. That permission is the starting point, not the finish line. For a secondary suite to be legal, it must be inspected and upgraded to ensure compliance with the BC Building Code requirements for secondary suites and all applicable City bylaws. The City points applicants to bulletin Building-22 on secondary suites for the detail. Building-22 also sets size limits: a suite must not exceed 40% of the dwelling unit's floor area or 120 square metres, and must be at least 33 square metres in a single detached home.
In practice, this means a basement that already has a kitchen, a bathroom, and a tenant is not necessarily a legal suite. Fire separation, exits, ceiling heights, ventilation, and electrical and plumbing work all have to meet the Code as it applies to secondary suites, and the City has to inspect and sign off on it. Do not rent the suite out or move anyone into it until the final inspection has passed. If you are buying a house with an existing suite, ask whether it went through this process; "the previous owner rented it for years" is not evidence of anything except that nobody checked.
The gotchas that bite
Zoning comes first, and it bites twice: once on setbacks and height, and again on use. A secondary suite is a permitted secondary use in a single detached home, but that does not make every other change of use permitted. Confirm the use is allowed in your zone before you apply for anything else.
Heritage status is the second check. If your property is heritage-designated, exterior alterations need a Heritage Alteration Permit issued by Council before any building or site modifications, under the City's Heritage Procedures Bylaw 8400. Interior work may be unaffected, but anything that changes the outside of a designated building needs that permit first.
Strata owners face a separate track. Richmond publishes a bulletin specifically on building permits in strata buildings (Permits-35), and strata approval is a different question from City approval. If your unit is in a strata, sort out both before work starts.
Below-grade space deserves its own warning. Richmond publishes a guideline on the use of floor areas below the provincially set minimum Flood Construction Level (FCL), and much of Richmond sits low. Finishing a basement or adding living space below that level without checking the rule is how a renovation ends up uninsurable, unapprovable, or both.
Finally, watch the permit itself. Under Building Regulation Bylaw 7230 and bulletin Building-31, an expired permit cannot be restored. A permit is initially valid for 180 days and expires after 180 days without construction activity; a single extension of up to 180 days is available if you request it in writing within 30 days of expiry. If construction stalls and the permit lapses, you start over with a new application, new fees, and new supporting documents. A renovation that pauses for a season needs a plan for the permit, not just for the contractor.
Who may do the gas and electrical work
A Richmond building permit does not cover the trades work inside it. Gas, plumbing, and electrical changes each need their own permits, under a separate provincial regime from the City's building permit — so a renovation that touches a furnace, a gas line, or the panel carries two permit tracks, not one, and the trades permits must be in place before that work starts.
For electrical work, the narrow exception matters most for this guide's readers. A homeowner may do regulated electrical work under a homeowner permit only in their own fully detached single-family dwelling and only within the regulation's current and voltage limits (200 amps, 150 volts to ground), with inspection after each phase before the work is concealed or energised, and an inspection must be requested within 180 days of the permit start (Electrical Safety Regulation, s. 17). Work that serves a secondary suite or a rental unit falls outside that exception: it needs a licensed electrical contractor, full stop. That is the practical consequence of legalizing a suite — the suite's electrical and plumbing work is contractor work, priced and permitted as such, even when the rest of the renovation is a homeowner job. Gas work is likewise done by licensed contractors under the Gas Safety Regulation; do not let a general renovation quote bundle it as unlicensed labour. (BC Electrical Safety Regulation, homeowner permits and inspection — OpenTextBC summary)
A sensible order of operations
Check zoning, then check heritage, strata, and tree status if any of them could apply. Confirm whether the work needs a permit, and if it does, apply with the complete package rather than a partial one. Answer City comments promptly, pay the balance at issuance, pick the permit up within 30 days of the ready notice, build to the approved plans, and get the final inspection passed before anyone uses the finished space. Every shortcut in that chain has a matching fee, delay, or do-over attached to it, and none of them is cheaper than doing it in order.
Related guides: how to be an owner-builder in BC, furnace replacement cost in British Columbia, how much does an electrician cost in British Columbia, plumber cost in British Columbia, how much does roof replacement cost in British Columbia.
Getting a Richmond renovation permit, in five steps
- Check zoning before you draw anythingConfirm heights, setbacks, and permitted uses for your lot under Zoning Bylaw 8500. Call the Zoning Inquiry Line at 604-276-4017 or email zoning@richmond.ca.
- Work out whether you need a permit at allAlterations, renovations, repairs, additions, basement finishes, and most plumbing, gas, and electrical work need one. A shed up to 10 square metres is the clear exception, and setbacks still apply.
- Apply with the full packageSubmit a completed application with all supporting documents and the plan processing fee, using the Addition and Alterations form (PL-43) for renovation work. Apply at the Permits Counter at City Hall, by email, or through the City's MyPermit portal.
- Answer City comments and pay the balance at issuanceStaff review the plans and may ask for changes. All balances owing must be paid when the permit is issued. The plan processing fee is credited at issuance but is non-refundable.
- Build to the approved plans and pass final inspectionDo not occupy or rent out a new secondary suite until the final inspection has passed. Pick up an issued permit promptly: the plan processing fee is forfeited if the permit is not picked up within 30 days of the ready notice.
Questions people ask
Do I need a building permit to renovate in Richmond?
Yes, for almost every renovation. Richmond requires a permit to alter or renovate an existing building, to add to one, or to finish an unfinished area like a basement. Plumbing, gas, and electrical changes need permits too. If you are unsure about your project, confirm with Building Approvals before work starts.
What makes a secondary suite legal in Richmond?
Richmond's Zoning Bylaw allows a single secondary suite within a single-family detached home. That permission alone does not make a suite legal. The suite must also be inspected and upgraded to meet the BC Building Code requirements for secondary suites and all applicable City bylaws — see bulletin Building-22 for the detail. An existing basement kitchen and bathroom do not prove a suite went through that process, and nobody should move in or start paying rent until the final inspection has passed.
Do I need a permit for a shed, deck, or retaining wall in Richmond?
A shed up to 10 square metres (107 square feet) needs no building permit. Setbacks to the property lines still apply, and they depend on your zoning. For a retaining wall, the line is 1 metre: anything taller needs a permit. Pools are measured two ways — a surface area over 15 square metres combined with a depth over 1 metre triggers the permit requirement.
How do I apply for a building permit in Richmond?
Submit a completed application with all supporting documents and the plan processing fee. Renovation work uses the Addition and Alterations form (PL-43), and you can file at the Permits Counter at City Hall or by email. Fees are set by the Consolidated Fees Bylaw 8636. Every balance owing is paid when the permit is issued, by card or by cheque made payable to the City of Richmond. Questions go to Building Approvals at building@richmond.ca or 604-276-4118.
What happens if my Richmond building permit expires?
An expired permit cannot be restored, under Building Regulation Bylaw 7230 and bulletin Building-31 on permit expiry and extension. A permit is initially valid for 180 days and expires after 180 days without construction activity; a single extension of up to 180 days is available if you request it in writing within 30 days of expiry. To keep building after an expiry, you submit a fresh application with its fees and supporting documents. If your project stalls, deal with the expiry before it lapses rather than after.
Can I start renovating while my Richmond permit application is being reviewed?
No. Wait until the permit is issued and picked up — starting early risks a stop-work order and rework if the approved plans differ from what you built. Watch the second deadline too. The plan processing fee is non-refundable, and it is forfeited if the permit is not picked up within 30 days of being notified that it is ready to be issued.
Sources
- City of Richmond, Building Approvals FAQs — when a permit is required, shed/pool/retaining-wall thresholds, fees under Bylaw 8636, plan processing fee terms, permit expiry
- City of Richmond, Secondary Suites — single suite in a single-family detached home; legal only once inspected and upgraded to the BC Building Code
- City of Richmond, Bulletin Building-22: Secondary Suites (revised July 28, 2025) — suite size limits, fire separation, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
- City of Richmond, Bulletin Building-31: Permits — Expiry and Extension (revised July 16, 2025) — 180-day validity, 180-day inactivity expiry, single extension of up to 180 days
- City of Richmond, Building Permit Application Form — Addition and Alterations (PL-43, revised February 17, 2026) — the renovation application form and its submission requirements
- City of Richmond, Electronic Building Permit Application — Quick Start Guide (PL-59, revised March 10, 2026) — applying by email to BuildingApplications@richmond.ca
- City of Richmond, MyPermit Application Portal — Addition/Alteration building permits now accepted online
- City of Richmond, Zoning Bylaw 8500 — heights, setbacks, permitted uses
- City of Richmond, Other Applications and Approvals — Heritage Alteration Permit requirement; electrical permits are Technical Safety BC's responsibility
- City of Richmond, Heritage Procedures Bylaw 8400 — Heritage Alteration Permit for exterior alterations to designated heritage property
- City of Richmond, Bulletin Permits-35: Building Permits in Strata Buildings — written strata approval required where work involves common property
- City of Richmond, Guideline PL-8: Use of Floor Areas Below the Provincially Set Minimum Flood Construction Level — below-grade floor areas and the Flood Construction Level
- City of Richmond, A Guide for the Homeowner/Builder (PC-32, revised March 14, 2023) — when permits are and are not required, including the under-10-square-metre accessory building
- BC Laws, Electrical Safety Regulation, B.C. Reg. 100/2004, s. 17 — homeowner electrical permits: fully detached dwelling only, 200 amps / 150 volts to ground, inspection within 180 days
- BC Laws, Gas Safety Regulation, B.C. Reg. 103/2004 — who may perform regulated gas work; licensed gas contractors
- Technical Safety BC, Home Modifications — a licensed contractor is required where the property has a suite
- OpenTextBC, BC Electrical Safety Regulation (Plumbing 4e) — plain-language summary of the homeowner-permit rules in s. 17