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Part One: Introduction

Part Three: Living
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Part Four: City
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Permits and Licenses

Permits including Development, Building, Occupancy, and Plumbing and Electrical are required when building or renovating a home or any other building in Vancouver. Permits help ensure that buildings are located in appropriate zones of the city and are constructed soundly and safely.

• Development Permits will determine if your building ideas and the use are suitable for your neighbourhood with respect to zoning.
• Building Permits are needed for any new building, or for changes to a building, to ensure that the building is safe and complies with the City’s Building By-law.
• Occupancy Permits are required when the new or renovated buildings are ready to be lived in or occupied.
• Plumbing, Gas and Electrical Permits are needed when new water pipes, gas pipes or electrical wiring are installed in any building, new or old.

If you do not have the required permits, the City may stop your work. You will then be required to come to City Hall and apply for the required permits. Many homeowners may want to make small changes to their homes, and it is usually easy to get permits for those changes quickly.

There are some changes to homes that you cannot make. The City is divided into many zoning districts. Zoning controls the type, size, height and location of a building on your property. Whatever ideas you may have for your home, check with the City before you start, to make sure that they are workable.

Tree Permits

The City of Vancouver has rules about caring for trees, including the ones on your property. This is one of the reasons Vancouver is so green. Each year you may cut down only one tree on your property that measures more than 20 centimetres across the trunk. But you must first get a permit to cut down a tree this size. You must also plant one new tree for every tree you cut down. For more information on tree permits and fees, click here.

If you cut down a tree without a permit, you may have to pay a fine ranging from $500 to $20,000. For more information, click here or call the Private Property Tree Information Line (Tel: 604-871-6378).

Licenses

Every business must have a license to operate in the City of Vancouver. If you want to sell food, you need a business license as well as approval from the Vancouver/Richmond Health Board. To sell alcohol in a restaurant, you must have a liquor license. You also need a license for your dog. For inquiry about licenses and fees, call 604-873-7613 or 604-873-7568.

To find out more about permits and licenses or zoning regulations in your area, call 604-873-7613, or go to the Enquiry Centre on the 2nd floor of City Hall, East Wing, 2675 Yukon Street (at 11th Avenue). You can also find information at the City of Vancouver website under:www.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/licandinsp/

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Comments or questions? Send us e-mail at baldwin.wong@vancouver.ca.

© 2002, City of Vancouver, Community Services, Social Planning
Last Modified: Friday, February 4, 2005