• Access the Official Community Plan (OCP) for policies, land use designation and development permit areas. Visit PoCoMAP to view the current OCP designation of a property.
• If applicable to your project, consult the City’s information on rezoning or Official Community Plan amendments.
• If your development is within 50 meters of a watercourse, consult the Watercourse Development Permits page.
• Please consult other documents including the Community Charter; Local Government Act; Land Title Act; Strata Property Act; City bylaws (such as the Parking and Development Management Bylaw, Subdivision Servicing Bylaw, Tree Bylaw, and Soil Removal and Deposit Bylaw) and other municipal legislation and policies as may be applicable for specific requirements.
• If you are building a new structure or making significant upgrades, consult the Build or Renovate a Structure page.
• Review the Heritage Resource Inventory (2013) to see if the subject property has been identified as having potential heritage significance. Consult the Heritage page to learn more about the City’s heritage policies and programs.
• Consider employing professionals familiar with the Development Permit process (such as architects or landscape architects) to assist in the application process.

Before submitting your application, you may wish to take steps to speak to the property owners adjacent to the proposed development. This is an opportunity to introduce the proposal, seek input and address neighbour concerns early in the process.

Planning staff are available to discuss the proposal with applicants upon request. If you choose to schedule a preliminary meeting bring information such as a site plan, development concept and photos of the site and surrounding areas to the meeting.

There is no defined timeframe to obtain a decision in a Small Lot Development Permit process. The time depends on the comprehensiveness of the application and time to respond to identified issues. The Small Lot Development Permit process and Building Permit process run concurrently.

To expedite the process, Council has delegated authority to the Director of Development Services to issue DPs for new single-family residential buildings in the RS4 zone that are designed to comply with the Zoning Bylaw regulations and OCP guidelines.

All application fees are outlined in Schedule D of the Fees and Charges Bylaw. Please take note of both the development and building fees.

There may be legal costs associated with your  DP application. Restrictive covenants, statutory right-of-ways or other legal agreements and documents may be required.

Development Cost Charges are applicable at the time of Building Permit.

If the Director of Development Services approves the development proposal, staff will prepare the Development Permit (DP) and Notice of Permit for signatures and registration at the Land Titles Office. A lawyer or notary may register the signed notice of permit and DP within one year of the date of approval. The Building Permit must be issued and the project substantially under construction within two years of the date of DP approval.

Prior to issuing a building permit, the City requires a landscape security to ensure the project complies with the approved DP landscape drawings in a timely manner.  Please refer to the Landscape Plan Requirements for detailed guidelines.

The $5000 landscape security, typically in the form of a Letter of Credit. This amount is defined in the development permit documents.

Upon completion of the landscaping, the applicant may request an inspection and will be refunded 100% of the deposit if the landscaping is found to be complete.

• Letter of Credit application form

The Building Division will issue the Building Permit once it has been determined that the application complies with the City’s requirements and the BC Building Code, after the DP has been issued and registered at the Land Titles Office.