General Guide

BC Building Permit Application Checklist & City Requirements

Surrey and Burnaby municipal counters reject incomplete applications daily. With updated digital portals, stricter BC Energy Step Code enforcement, and SSMUH integration, missing one document means weeks of delays. This checklist maps exactly what both cities require.

Surrey & Burnaby Permit Checklist: What Matters Most

A quick homeowner's guide to the most important permit requirements and common pitfalls in Surrey and Burnaby.

Focus Area	What It Means for You	Key Considerations
Surrey Requirements	Surrey requires tree protection plans, grading and drainage details, and floodplain compliance for many lots. Zoning confirmation is mandatory.	Check for tree protection bylaws, confirm site grading, and ensure all utility and zoning documents are included.
Burnaby Requirements	Burnaby enforces Step Code 3/4, requires geotechnical reports for sloped lots, and may need heritage screening. All plans must be metric and digitally submitted.	Prepare energy compliance docs, check if your lot needs a geotechnical report, and use the city's digital checklist.
Common Rejections	Applications are often rejected for missing title blocks, unsigned engineering, or incomplete site grading info. Each rejection adds weeks to your timeline.	Double-check all signatures, seals, and document formatting before submitting.

Project Roadmap & Scope of Work

Select a phase below to jump to the details

1
Confirm Zoning & Site Eligibility
2
Compile Building Permit & Site Drawings
3
Gather Engineering & Energy Compliance Docs
4
Upload, Pay, & Track via Municipal Portal

Overview & Context

Overview

If you are searching for a City of Surrey building permit checklist or a City of Burnaby building permit checklist, you already know that BC municipalities run a tight ship. Since the province rolled out centralized digital submission portals, both cities have moved to fully paperless reviews. That means your application must be complete before you click Submit.

Step 1: Confirm Zoning & Site Eligibility

Phase 01

Permit reviewers in both Surrey and Burnaby cross-check submissions against local zoning bylaws and site environmental overlays:

Surrey Requirements: Completed Zoning Confirmation Letter (ZCL), Tree Protection Plans for trunks >60cm DBH, and site grading/drainage plans.
Burnaby Requirements: Density (FSR) limits, maximum height calculations from Average Finished Grade (AFG), and heritage screening in designated Character Areas.

Step 2: Compile Building Permit & Site Drawings

Phase 02

Your building permit drawing set must be prepared in metric vector PDF format to municipal title block standards:

Site Plan (1:200 metric): Property boundary dimensions, legal setbacks, proposed footprint, driveway crossings, and tree protection zones.
building floor plans: Fully dimensioned room layouts, window/door schedules, plumbing fixture counts, and smoke alarm placements.
Exterior Elevations & Sections: Front, rear, and side elevations with cladding schedules, floor-to-floor heights, and spatial separation calculations.

Step 3: Gather Engineering & Energy Compliance Docs

Phase 03

Modern BC building applications require interdisciplinary technical packages:

BC Energy Step Code: Hot2000 energy modeling report, Pre-Construction Compliance Report, and airtightness testing targets (Step 3 or Step 4).
Structural & Geotechnical Engineering: Signed and sealed Schedule B Letters of Assurance from a P.Eng for steep slopes or complex framing.
Mechanical & Plumbing Plans: Heat loss calculations (CSA F280), HRV ventilation sizing, and sprinkler layouts where triggered.

Step 4: Upload, Pay, & Track via Municipal Portal

Phase 04

Both municipalities operate 24/7 digital intake portals that enforce exact naming and format rules:

Surrey: Submitted through the MySurrey ePermits Portal with separate multi-page PDF packages.
Burnaby: Submitted via Burnaby MyPermits EnerGov with metric single-layer PDFs.
RFI Prevention: Missing documents trigger a Request for Information (RFI), causing 14–21 business day review holds.

Permit Intake Binder Organized municipal permit application submission binder with checklist and blueprints

Digital & Physical Submission Readiness: Aligning building permit drawings, title documents, Schedule B Letters of Assurance, and Step Code energy compliance forms ensures flawless first-round municipal intake.

Why Generic Stock Checklists Fail

Best Practices

Free generic checklists online rarely account for regional BC nuances. Burnaby requires metric-only submissions with specific title block headers. Surrey demands a separate arborist report for retained trees over a certain diameter. Having Canadian Blueprint coordinate your drawing package eliminates municipal intake rejections.

FAQ: Surrey & Burnaby Building Permits

FAQ

How long does a building permit take in Surrey or Burnaby?

Complete residential applications typically take 4–8 weeks for review. Incomplete submissions reset the clock each time an RFI is issued.

Do I need an engineer for a single-family home?

Yes. While Canadian Blueprint provides the building permit drawings, the BC Building Code requires a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) to sign and seal structural and geotechnical Letters of Assurance (Schedules).