Demolition permit with recycling requirements

Other permits you will need

Apply for your building or development permit first.

Plan to recycle and reuse materials

You will be required to complete a:

• Recycling and Reuse Plan when you apply for your building or development permit
• Recycling and Reuse Compliance Form when demolition is complete

 A building permit for construction will not be issued until a completed Recycling and Reuse Compliance Report is submitted to the City. A delay in sending the compliance report will result in a delay to the building permit.

Minimum reuse and recycling rates

The minimum reuse and recycling rates are measured by weight as follows:

• Houses built before 1940: 75% of materials by weight, excluding hazardous waste
• Houses built before 1940 and deemed character houses by the City: 90% of materials by weight, excluding hazardous materials

Unsure whether your home is a character house?

Homes located in zones with the possibility of conditional floor area need a character assessment done to determine the recycling rate, even if the development application is outright.

Applications with no potential conditionality don't currently need a character assessment – they'll have a 75% recycling and reuse requirement applied.

Still unsure? Contact the Development and Building Services Centre at 604-873-7611.

Resources

How to dispose of specific materials

• Construction industrry waste toolkit, case studies, and regulations (Metro Vancouver)
• Clean Wood Disposal Ban (Metro Vancouver)
• Demolition, land clearing, and construction waste management toolkit (Metro Vancouver)
• Guideline to managing lead-containing construction and demolition waste in BC (BC Ministry of Environment)
• Lead-containing paints and coatings: preventing exposure in the construction Industry (WorkSafeBC)
• Materials banned and prohibited from disposal (Metro Vancouver)
• Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation (WorkSafeBC)
• Safe Work Practices for Handling Asbestos (WorkSafe BC)

How to salvage and reuse materials

• Salvage and reuse guide for green home renovations (1 MB)

Find local contractors and facilities

• Metro Vancouver Recycles
• Recycling facilities (Recycling Council of BC database)

Process

1. Prepare the following forms:

   Form	Notes
   Recycling and reuse plan (200 KB)
   Outright Development/Building Permit Application Form (32 KB)	Checkmark "Demolition - Deconstruction" under "Description of Proposed Work".
   Contractor's Declaration for Deconstruction of One- and Two-family Homes (170 KB)	Have your contractor sign the declaration letter.
   Qualified Professional Declaration for Salvage and Abatement of Commercial, Industrial, or Residential Buildings Prior to Demolition (130 KB)	Have your contractor sign the declaration letter.
   Building Application Submission Requirements for the Demolition of One- and Two-family Homes (130 KB)
   Confirmation of Property's Use as a Rental Accommodation (26 KB)	Advanced permitting isn't approved for rental properties based on the Zoning and Development Bylaw.
   Site profile form (BC Ministry of Environment) (50 KB)	Complete the form using the guidance on completing site profile forms (BC Ministry of Environment) (310 KB) . If your project is exempt from completing a site profile, complete the site profile exemption declaration (50 KB).

2. Submit the completed forms, supporting drawings, and permit fees listed in the Fees tab to the Development and Building Services Centre in person.
3. The City reviews your development or building permit application for environmental considerations and impact on trees (both on City and private property).
4. Receive your salvage and abatement permit.
   • Start removing non-structural salvageable building materials and hazardous building materials.
   • Track all work related to reuse, recycling, or disposing of building materials.
   • Keep your receipts.
5. Have a qualified professional complete the Hazardous Materials Report Form (1.6 MB).
   • Email the form and documentation that confirms the removal and disposal of hazardous building materials to enviro.reporting@vancouver.ca.
6. Pay all deposits and fees at Engineering Services, including the $14,650 green demo deposit (refundable if you meet the requirement).
7. Receive your demolition permit(s) and begin taking down the house.
   • Track all work related to reuse, recycling, or disposing of building materials.
   • Keep your receipts.
8. Complete the Recycling and Reuse Compliance Report (280 KB) with receipts that show where the materials were taken.
   • Email the report and receipts to ComplianceReport@vancouver.ca as soon as possible to help the City process your building or development permit without delays.
9. We verify, calculate, and return the appropriate refund.
   • The refund is automatically returned by mail to the person who paid it.
   • Make sure the City has an up-to-date address on file (particularly if you used the address of the now-demolished house).
   • If you haven't received your refund within four weeks of your building permit being issued, contact ComplianceReport@vancouver.ca.

Permit fees

The cost of a demolition permit has four components:

1. Demolition permit fee
2. Building permit fee
3. Cost-of-work fee, based on the estimated retail cost of the demolition work.
4. Demolition waste compliance fee ($350)

 These amounts only apply to the demolition permit itself. Other permits or licenses must be paid for separately, at the appropriate counter or department. The fees schedule has more information.

You pay the fees when you apply for the permit. You can pay by cash, cheque, debit, or credit.

• View the schedule of fees and permits (791 KB)

Green demolition deposit and demolition waste compliance fee (starting April 1, 2016)

A $14,650 deposit will be required when you apply for a demolition permit with minimum reuse and recycling requirements.

The deposit will be refunded if the reuse and recycling requirements are met. To learn more, read how we review recycling and reuse compliance reports  (380 KB).

If the requirements aren't met, some or all of the deposit won't be returned in accordance with Appendix C of the Green Demolition Bylaw  (370 KB).

The $350 demolition waste compliance fee is a non-refundable fee to ensure that Green Demolition Bylaw compliance reviews are done promptly.

Where the rates are set

Minimum reuse and recycling rates for houses are set by the Green Demolition Bylaw (created July 22, 2014, and amended on February 23, 2016). The bylaw supports the City's Greenest City Action Plan.

• Read the Green Demolition Bylaw
• Read the 2015 update and report to Council on program changes (190 KB)

Zero Waste Vancouver

We are building a zero waste strategy as an extension to the Greenest City Action Plan. Our goal is to become a zero waste community by 2040.

Using traditional demolition methods, approximately 40-50% of materials are recycled from houses.

• Read about Zero Waste Vancouver
• Read about the Greenest City Action Plan

Metro Vancouver initiatives

Metro Vancouver's Integrated Regional Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan requires municipalities to improve recycling rates of demolition and construction waste, which makes up more than 36% of material going to the landfill.

Metro Vancouver's Integrated Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan targeted 80% diversion of construction and demolition waste from the landfill or incinerator by 2020.

• Integrated Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan