New Construction - One and Two Family Dwellings - Outright

Pre-Application - Preparing Plans for a New House

The following information outlines the process you need to follow when preparing plans for a new house, prior to submitting a completed Development Application package for review and approvals.  If you have questions at any point during the pre-application process, please call the Supervisor of the 1 & 2 Family Dwelling group at 604.871.6477, or visit the Enquiry Centre in the East Wing of City Hall.

1. Zoning Regulations

If you are considering building a new house in Vancouver, it is important to check the zoning regulations and design guidelines that apply to your property to ensure that the house you design will be approved for construction. The information can be found online by using VanMap, viewing the Zoning Map, or you can call the Phone Centre, at 604.873.7611, for assistance.

2. Property Survey

You will require three copies of a survey of your property prepared by a BC Registered Land Surveyor within the past six months.

3. Building Grades

All Development Applications require either Official Established Building Grades provided by the City’s Engineering Services, which must be submitted in addition to your property survey or existing building grades provided by a registered Land Surveyor and included in your property survey. Building Grades are necessary to ensure:

• buildings do not exceed the height limits of zoning regulations,
• stairs, walkways and driveways safely meet City property, and
• water drains from the site without causing damage.

For outright and conditional one-family dwellings in RS-1, RS-1S, RS-3, RS-3A, RS-5, RS-5S and RS-6 Districts, existing grades provided by a registered Land Surveyor will be accepted. Building Grade requirements for all other one and two-family dwelling districts can be obtained from the Phone Centre at 604.873.7611.

If your project requires an Official Established Building Grade, it must be ordered from Engineering Services. It typically takes 6-8 weeks for a Building Grade Application to be processed, so it should be ordered well in advance of your Development Application. For additional information visit the Engineering Services Building Grades page or call 604.873.7316.

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4. Signed Statement from a Professional Structural Engineer

It is important that you are aware that a signed statement from a third party Professional Structural Engineer must be included on the plans submitted, indicating that the building design complies with section 9.4 of the Vancouver Building By-law.

5. Meet with Engineering Services

Before you finalize your house plans and submit them for review, you must meet with Engineering Services staff, Main Floor, City Hall, to obtain your public sewer and water service connection information.  It typically takes 10 days to process sewer and water service requests.  Your Development Application will not be accepted by the Processing Centre until this process has been completed and approved by Engineering Services. More information on sewer and water connections is available here (40kb).

6. Application Form and Checklist

Both an Application Form and a Checklist for Plan Requirements must be completed as part of your application package.  The Application, Checklist and other related documents are listed below or can be picked up at the Enquiry Centre.

Required Documents and Information

• Pre-Application – Sewer and Water Connections, Engineering Services (122kb) and process steps for applying for one and two family dwelling permits (40kb)
• Submission Checklist (58kb)
• Outright Development/Building Permit Application Form (35kb)
• Hazardous Materials Report Form (61kb)
• Owner’s Undertaking Letter (80kb)
• Homeowner Protection Office (HPO)

Other Documents and Information

• Pre-Application – Building Grades, Engineering Services (103kb)
• Overheight Fences, Arbours, etc., in Residential Zones (27kb)
• Tree Removal Permit (47kb)

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Application – Submitting Plans for Review and Approval

The Processing Centre - One and Two Family Dwellings - Outright reviews plans for the construction of new one and two family houses to ensure compliance with the Zoning and Development By-law, Vancouver Building By-law and the Parking By-law.

The Outright Review Process is outlined below or can be viewed as a Flow Chart (77kb).

1. Intake Appointment Booking

To book an Intake Appointment, please call 604.871.6526. The appointment will usually be scheduled within one or two working days from when you call.

2. Intake Appointment

Your Intake Appointment will take place in the Processing Centre, 3rd floor, East Wing, City Hall. The appointment will take approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour. You will meet with a Project Coordinator (PC) for a preliminary review to ensure your Application is complete, there are no obvious design deficiencies and that it is eligible for Outright Review. All required documents, stamps, and stickers rom Engineering Services are required at the time of intake; otherwise the application will not be taken in. Exceptions to this can be made. Please call the Supervisor of the 1 & 2 Family Dwelling group at 604.871.6477.

If your Application is accepted, you will be asked to take the plans to the Enquiry Centre for a walk-in review at the Landscape Counter, as a final step in the Intake process. A Plan Review Appointment will then be booked for approximately 3 weeks time.

3. Plan Review

At the Plan Review stage, your plans will be reviewed in detail. The Project Coordinator will put together a Deficiency List containing all of the outstanding items. This could be anything from putting up tree barriers to re-designing your plans to meet full compliance with all relevant by-laws.

4. Permit Issuance

Once the PC is satisfied your plans comply with the by-laws, an appointment will be made to pay fees, and a combined permit for development and building will be issued.

5. Construction – Trades Permits and Inspections

After your permit has been issued, you may begin construction in accordance with the approved plans and the Vancouver Building Bylaw. As construction progresses, you will need additional Trade Permits, issued through the Enquiry Centre, and regular Inspections of the work.

Please Note: Any changes will require a revision prior to proceeding to the next step, as proposed changes may not necessarily comply with the Zoning and Development By-Law or the Vancouver Building By-Law (VBBL).

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