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What Is Development?
What Is Zoning?
How Can I Find Out What My Property
is Zoned?
When Is A Development Permit Required?
How Do I Apply For A Development Permit?
Information Required For Obtaining
A Development Permit
How Is My Application Processed?
How Long Does The Process Take?
Appealing Decisions to the Board of Variance
Other Approvals and Permits Required for Development
For More Information
Boards,
Panels & Commissions
By-Laws, Policies
& Guidelines
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How To . . . #1
When are Development Permits Required in Vancouver?
Development is defined in the Vancouver Charter as “a change in
the use of any land or building, or the carrying-out of any construction,
engineering or other operations in, on, or under land, or land covered
by water.”
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Zoning regulates the development of property in the city by encouraging proper land use and building compatibility in accordance with community goals and visions for the future of the city and its neighbourhoods. Zoning regulations are implemented through the review and approval of development applications and the issuance of development permits.
The city is divided into many development zones, with each zone further broken down into districts. The Zoning and Development By-law provides for each district, a list of permitted uses and regulations. Some districts are scattered across the city, while others are found only in a single neighbourhood or local area. Some regulations are contained in Official Development Plans which apply to specific comprehensive development districts. (View information on zoning districts, zoning by-laws and zoning map.)
The regulations found in each district control the land use and the location, height, bulk, floor area and in some instances, design of buildings. They also regulate building lines, setbacks, yards and open spaces. Some developments are further subject to Council approved Land Use and Development Policies and Guidelines. Parking, loading, passenger and bicycle parking requirements are regulated by the Parking By-law and must also be considered.
In each district, land use is either categorized as being “outright” or “conditional.” Outright uses are uses that are permitted provided all the regulations and provisions of the Zoning and Development By-law and Parking By-law are met. Conditional uses are those uses that may have some impact in the community, but may be permitted under a development application, typically with conditions, after considering:
- the intent and regulations of the zoning district schedule;
- the applicable policies and guidelines approved by Council;
- the recommendations of any advisory group for the area; and
- the responses of adjacent property owners and residents who may have been notified of the development application.
Uses that are not listed may still be considered, in many instances, if they are deemed to be comparable in nature to a use listed in the applicable District Schedule. Also, some regulations may be varied or relaxed, usually within certain limits. Relaxations and permitted increases (e.g., height and floor space ratio) are considered in the case of site hardship, peculiarity of a development or as an incentive to achieve social and community objectives.
Conditions of use and the extent to which a regulation may be relaxed are usually stated in the by-laws and are decided by the Development Permit Board, the Director of Planning or designated staff.
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Information on property zoning, regulations and permit requirements is available on the City of Vancouver website, through telephone or email inquiry to the Enquiry Centre Phone Centre, or in person at the Enquiry Centre (see the For More Information section for contact information). The property address is required and the legal description is helpful in identifying the zoning of a specific property. Requests for information made in person or by telephone will be answered by referencing the various by-laws, plans, policies, guidelines and City records.
Requests for information (a File Research Letter) on outstanding orders filed against the property, permits that have not been finalized and approved use of a building and/or specific portion of a building, are required to be submitted in writing, with the appropriate fee, to the Licenses & Inspections Department.
All new construction (including additions and exterior alterations), many changes of use of a building or land (either all or in part) and, in some cases, even the demolition of a building requires a development permit.
However, there are some exemptions. A comprehensive list of exemptions, including qualifying criteria, is provided under Section 5 (Exemptions From Development Permit Requirement) of the Zoning and Development By-law.
The following are just some examples of situations that do not require a development permit:
- Constructing an accessory building that is permitted outright;
- Moving interior walls and partitions, or performing non-structural maintenance or minor repairs (the only exception being when the building or use is a designated heritage building or site, or is located in the Chinatown, Yaletown or Gastown Historic Areas);
- Landscaping a site, including building a fence if it is not over four feet in height in the required front yard or six feet in the required side or rear yard in a C-1 or any residential district, or altering or increasing impermeable (paved) areas, unless the site is zoned RA-1, RS or FSD, or where the original approval of the development was conditional; or
- Changing the use of all or part of a building or land from one outright use to another outright use, or from a conditional use to an outright use provided the development complies with all other regulations within the applicable zoning district schedule and the requirements of the Parking By-law.
Note: These examples are provided for illustrative purposes only. Before commencing any construction, and preferably at the design concept stage, Enquiry Centre City staff should be consulted to determine if a development permit is required. Further, a building permit or special inspection permit to determine compliance with the Vancouver Building By-law is required for all new buildings, additions, alterations or renovations. Plumbing, electrical, gas and other related permits are also required if such work is contemplated.
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Most development applications are filed at the Enquiry Centre, 2nd Floor, East Wing, at City Hall. The two exceptions are outright, one and two-family dwellings and major development applications.
Outright one and two-family dwelling applications are made by appointment only, and are accepted by Processing Centre staff. An application will not be accepted, however, without public water and sewer service information being included on the site plan. This pre-application information is applied for through Engineering Services and requires the submission of a certified legal survey plan. A detailed overview of the pre-application and design steps, application requirements and the permit process for one and two-family dwellings is available online or by contacting the Enquiry Centre.
Major applications are generally larger scale developments that, due to their location, scale and context, have a significant impact on their surroundings. Uses that may be contentious in the community or that challenge established Council development policies or discretionary zoning provisions or guidelines are also considered major applications. Applications for major developments are handled by Project Facilitators, typically after a scoping document has been prepared and a staff team has met with the applicant to identify potential issues associated with the proposal. Information on major applications, including what constitutes a major development, application submission requirements and how the application is processed, is provided in How To . . . #3 Development Permits for Major
Applications in Vancouver.
All development permit applications must be submitted in person. You must bring in plans and supporting documentation, as specified on the applicable submission checklist. These checklists are available on the Development Services website, through the Enquiry Centre Phone Centre, or in person at the Enquiry Centre.
At application intake, staff will review your submission for completeness and conduct a cursory by-law review. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. When an application is accepted, a development application number is assigned and a fee collected. Please note that staff do not conduct a thorough plan review or assessment of by-laws, guidelines or policies at this time. (See the How is My Application Processed? section.)
Where land use policies or design guidelines are applicable, or when discretionary increases or by-law relaxations are being sought, it may be advisable to meet with staff at a preliminary design stage to evaluate the proposal. This meeting should occur once a site and/or context analysis has been completed and preliminary concept drawings, along with a design or relaxation rationale, have been prepared (see the Submission Requirements/Checklists, available on the Development Services homepage, for an explanation of what constitutes a design/relaxation rationale). To arrange for a meeting, please call or visit the Enquiry Centre. (Note: This initial discussion will be to determine the appropriate staff member to meet with and to make arrangements for the appointment. Additional information may be requested for the meeting as a result of this initial conversation.)
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Information Required For Obtaining A
Development Permit
Documentation
An application form (available on the Development Services website or through the Enquiry Centre) must be completed. Information to be provided includes the property address, legal description of the site, owner information, tenant information and purpose of the proposed development. This must be accompanied by drawings that graphically illustrate the proposed development and payment of an application fee. New buildings usually require more documentation than existing ones.
Drawings
Every application must be accompanied by a sufficient number of plans or drawings that adequately describe the project and identify the site and surroundings. The number of sets of drawings and details for the drawings will vary depending on the nature of the proposal. Typically, a drawing set will consist of:
- a site plan, which shows the legal lot(s) upon which the development is proposed and how all buildings are situated on the site, relative to zoning setback requirements;
- floor plans, which illustrate the room or unit layout for each floor level, including access from the street and to on-site parking, loading and garbage facilities where available;
- elevation drawings which show the appearance of the exterior of the building;
- building cross-section showing room heights, attic spaces, crawlspaces, and finished grade; and
- project statistics, stating how the proposed development compares to by-law regulations.
Note: The above drawing descriptions are provided for descriptive purposes only and do not list all the information required to be shown on the submission set of drawings. Please refer to the appropriate submission checklist for a comprehensive list of requirements, number of sets of drawings required and drawing scale.
Additional Information
Upon initial review of the application, it may be determined that additional information is required. This can likely be avoided if you pay close attention to all the requirements, including all applicable City by-laws, plans, policies and guidelines. Examples of additional information include: a topographical survey, building grades, a landscape plan, letter of operation, shadow analysis, streetscape analysis, photoboard, coloured elevation drawing, material and sample board, acoustical evaluation, charge summary, etc.
Note: Official established building grades (the elevations of streets and lanes) are required in many instances to ensure the design of entrances to proposed buildings meet existing sidewalk, street and lane levels. Building grades are also required for calculating the height of the building in many instances. Building grades are obtainable from Engineering Services and must be shown on all applications for new buildings or additions (except for one-family dwellings in some zones). Application for building grades should be made well in advance of filing a development application due to the time necessary to obtain the grades. For a complete list of developments requiring building grades and information on how to apply for building grades, see the Planning By-law Administration Bulletin titled, “Official Established Building Grades – Requirements for Development Applications” (PDF) and the Engineering Services website).
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Besides outright one and two-family dwellings and major applications, development permit applications are processed by Development Services staff, via one of three work groups, depending on the complexity of the proposal and the use of the development: Processing Centre – Development, Housing Renovation Centre, and Enquiry Centre (detailed brochures are currently under construction for the latter two).
Regardless of which work group processes an application, the basic procedure is the same. Very briefly, applications are:
- analyzed for compliance with the Zoning and Development By-law and Parking By-law; and
- assessed and evaluated against any applicable Land Use and Development Policies and Guidelines.
When deemed appropriate, or when required under the by-law, additional steps are taken. These may include:
- conducting a site inspection to determine site conditions and relationship between the proposed development and adjacent buildings;
- notifying adjacent property owners of the proposed development; and
- seeking advice and comments from other departments/divisions and advisory panels (e.g., Heritage Planner, Landscape Development Specialist, Area Planner, Engineering Services, Social Planning, Environmental Protection, Legal Services, Police, Vancouver Coastal Health Board, First Shaughnessy Design Panel, Urban Design Panel, etc.)
Once all the information is gathered, analyzed and discussed, a recommendation is made to the Director of Planning. (Note: Most applications are dealt with on behalf of the Director of Planning by staff and managers of the Enquiry Centre and Processing Centre - Development.)
Development permit applications may be approved, with or without conditions, or refused. If approved, a development permit will be issued when all conditions of approval have been met. Development permits for some conditional uses may be limited in time.
If refused, or if any of the conditions are disputed, an aggrieved applicant may file an appeal to the Board of Variance, but no later than 30 days from the date on which the decision was made. See Appealing Decisions to the Board of Variance section below.
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The time to process development applications varies depending on the type, size and complexity of a development, the number of applications in process at the time, and the adequacy of the information filed by the applicant. Processing time ranges from a few days for simple applications to several months for complex projects. This estimate does not include time spent by the applicant on required revisions. Applicants may save time by obtaining a preview appointment before or while filing for a development permit application to discuss the building code requirements.
Appealing Decisions to the Board of Variance
The Board of Variance is an appeal body, separate and independent of the City. The Board hears and makes decisions upon appeals regarding zoning, development permit, signage and tree by-law matters. The same five members that make up the Board of Variance also make up the Parking Variance Board which hears and decides upon appeals regarding off-street parking and loading.
An appeal of a decision made by the Director of Planning may only be submitted by the property owner (or agent acting on their behalf) who is seeking to develop or use their property. This appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date on which a development permit application is refused or 30 days of the date of the notification letter of development application approval, subject to the conditions to be satisfied prior to permit issuance. Details on appeals and the appeal process are described in How
To . . . #4 Appeals to the Board of Variance and Parking Variance Board
in Vancouver.
Other Approvals and Permits Required for Development
A development permit only approves the use of a building, all or in part, or gives permission for the ability to develop a site. Any physical improvement to the site, including, but not limited to, building renovations or construction, tree removal or installation of signage, require separate approvals and permits. Business licences are also required for anyone carrying out a business in the City of Vancouver. See the For More Information section for Business Licence contact information.
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CONTACT US
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
- Enquiry Centre, including the Housing Renovation Centre
2nd Floor, 2675 Yukon Street (East Wing City Hall)
tel. 604-873-7613/7611; fax. 604-873-7100; email csg.enquiry.centre@vancouver.ca
- Processing Centre
3rd Floor, 2675 Yukon Street (East Wing City Hall)
- for enquiries on notification of development applications and for the status of development and building permit applications) tel. 604-873-7613/7611
- for outright one and two-family dwelling application intake appointment tel. 604-871-6526
- Subdivision and Strata
3rd Floor, 2675 Yukon Street (East Wing City Hall) tel. 604-873-7556; fax. 604-873-7060
- Trades Permit Applications
2nd Floor, 2675 Yukon Street (East Wing City Hall) tel. 604-873-7052/7600; fax. 604-871-6408
- Tree Permits and Landscape Plan Review
2nd Floor, 2675 Yukon Street (East Wing City Hall) tel. 604-871-6378
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
3rd Floor, 2675 Yukon Street (East Wing City Hall)
- Rezoning Centre (for enquiries on rezoning) tel. 604-873-7455; fax. 604-873-7060
- Heritage Group (for enquiries on heritage conservation program) tel. 604-873-7141
email (for both groups) planning@vancouver.ca
LICENCES AND INSPECTIONS
2nd Floor, 2675 Yukon Street (East Wing City Hall)
- File Research Service (to obtain information on the legal, approved use of a building) tel. 604-873-7111
- Building Plans (for access to approved building permit plans) tel. 604-873-7997
- Building Inspections Reception tel. 604-873-7601
- Building Inspections Request Line tel. 604-873-7058
- Business Licences tel. 604-873-7568; email licenseoffice@vancouver.ca
- Secondary Suites Program tel. 604-873-7945; email pandl@vancouver.ca
- Occupancy Permits tel. 604-873-7539; email pandl@vancouver.ca
ENGINEERING SERVICES
Main Floor, 453 West 12th Avenue
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IN PERSON
City Hall is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday (*please
note exceptions in brackets)
Development Services (*8:30 to 4:30; Limited Service on Tuesdays from 8:30 to 10:00 am, due to staff meeting)
Enquiry Centre and Housing Renovation Centre
2nd Floor, 2675 Yukon Street
Processing Centre - Development and/or Building
3rd Floor, 2675 Yukon Street
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Planning Department
Rezoning Centre and Heritage Group
3rd Floor,
2675 Yukon Street |
Licences & Inspections (*8:30 to 4:30)
Business Licences
By-law Administration
2nd Floor,
2675 Yukon Street |
Engineering Services
Client Services Counter
453 West 12th Avenue |
MAIL
Clearly mark the Department (and division or area of department if
possible) on the envelope and send to:
City of Vancouver
(department name here)
453 West 12th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Y 1V4
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CITY OF VANCOUVER WEBSITE
The Community Services Group (CSG) Department website ( www.vancouver.ca/commsvcs ) contains a link to By-laws, Policies & Guidelines, where the following information is available:
The CSG Homepage also includes access to the Development Services, Planning and Licences & Inspections departments where further links to individual work groups and additional information is available.
From the Development Services homepage ( www.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/developmentservices ) links are provided to:
From the Planning homepage ( www.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning ) links are provided to:
From the Licences & Inspections homepage ( www.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/LICANDINSP ) links are provided to:
The Engineering Services Department website ( www.vancouver.ca/engsvcs ) provides access to the following (or go directly to the link provided):
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