Building Permits
Zoning
Forms
Apply
Preliminary Steps to obtain a Building Permit
There are several steps you need to take in order to obtain a building permit in the Village of Lytton. The Zoning and Building Bylaws state the requirements that must be met to be able to build a home or other building or structure.
A building permit needs to be issued before the start of any construction or renovation within the Village of Lytton. The Village of Lytton Building Bylaw calls for inspections throughout the building process in order to ensure that the BC Building Code is followed and construction complies with zoning provisions.
- Building Bylaw 710-2022
- Zoning Information
- Electronic Building Permits – How to Apply
- Checklist – Building Permit Application
- Bulletin Getting Started with Cloud Permit
Questions about your application: building@lytton.ca
Pre-Application Meeting
Prior to applying for a building permit please contact the Building Department at building@lytton.ca to speak with the Manager of Building and Permits, Lynn Berlin, to go over what you plan on building. Once an email is received, she will get back to you via email to set up a time to call you to discuss your project application.
Please include the following in your meeting request: Name, phone number, property address of the building site, and what you are proposing to build.
Please read these Checklists and Bulletins and determine which things you need help with.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about your project meeting bylaw requirements, email building@lytton.ca
Find your zone
The first step is to determine which zone your property is in. The primary purposes of the R1 (Low Density Residential) zoning designation is to provide for single-family homes and two-family residences.
check the setbacks
Check the regulations for the maximum allowable parcel coverage, the minimum and maximum height and width of a building, the setbacks to the front, rear and sides of the building.
decide what you want to build
Pick a house design that suits your needs for size, height, style, number of bedrooms, one storey or two storey, construction type, and other features.
fire protection
Construction of new buildings in Lytton must meet the criteria of the National Guide for Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Protection for Buildings, Chapter 3, Sections 3.3.1 to 3.3.8.
Building Code
In general, your building is going to be classified as Part 9 or Part 3 of the BC Building Code.
Part 9 of the BC building code is intended for single family and small commercial buildings as well as medium to low hazard industrial occupancies. Most buildings will fall under this part of the code. Part 9 applies to all buildings of three storeys or less in building height that have a building area not exceeding 600 m2.
To find out where in the code the building fits, ask yourself if you need an architect. An architect may be required if your building fits into one of the categories listed in Bulletin 31 or if it fits the criteria of a Part 3 building.
Bulletin 31 & 33 – Architectural Institute of BC
Engineer
Due to ground disturbance, all new structures will need the services of a Professional Geotechnical Engineer to determine the bearing capacity and structural considerations of the soil and determine the compaction of engineered fill; and a Professional Structural Engineer to design the foundation, and any retaining walls over 1.2 m (4ft) in height.
The exception is for detached garages, carports and garden structures less than 55 square metres (592 sf) for simple buildings in accordance with the building code.
Geotechnical Engineer and Structural Engineer must provide:
- Confirmation of-Professional Liability-Insurance-Bylaw-710
- Letter of Assurance (BC Building Code- Schedule B)
- copy of their current Certificate of Liability Insurance
The structural engineer also needs to provide a digitally signed and sealed set of structural blueprints for the building permit.
Steps prior to your application
- Zoning: Determine what Zone your property is located in
- Determine Permitted Uses and Regulations
- Design: Decide what you want to build
- Apply for a Building Permit and review the checklist.
Resources:
- Bulletin: Building Permits – Preliminary Steps
Title Search
Obtain a State of Title Certificate from the BC Land Title & Survey within 30 days prior to submitting your application.
A Title Search and supporting documents (such as covenants, easements, right of ways, etc.) must be provided.
If the property owner is a company or corporation, proof of signing authority is required.
Hire a Licensed Contractor
You may choose to be an Owner Builder or use a licenced contractor for your rebuild.
If you want to build your own home and lead the project, then you must get an Owner Builder Authorization. Find out more at bchousing.org
A New Home Registration Form from a builder or an owner builder must be provided. Check with BC Housing for registration information and details.
Owner's Undertaking Form
All permits require an Owner’s Undertaking to be filled out by the owner to show ownership and take responsibility for the project.
A Letter of Authorization – Appendix C, Building Bylaw 710 is required to be filled out by the owner to authorize a representative (agent) to apply for and represent the owner in the various requirements and responsibilities for the building permit.
Design: decide what you want to build
Now you know the criteria for the building you can decide what you want to build. Pick a house design that suits your needs for size, height, style, number of bedrooms, one storey or two storey, construction type, and other features.
Once you have a design picked out and know what you would like to use for construction type, stud spacing, insulation, air barrier system and location, heating, cooling, ventilation (HRV or CRV and Principal Fan), hot water system, windows, doors, and any other features, this would be a good point to engage a Certified Energy Advisor (CEA) to help you with your design so that you will meet the requirement for Energy Step Code 3 in Zone 5 (3300 Degree days below 18°C).
A mechanical contractor should be contacted early on to help with the design of the heating and ventilation systems for your building to maximize energy savings and costs to the final design.
- Bulletin: Design Considerations
- Energy Step Code
- Energy Compliance Report Calculator
- Energy Advisors
The building Designer needs to provide a full set of plans for the Building Permit with the following requirements:
Other Requirements
A BC Land Survey showing the proposed building in relationship to Covenants, Easements, Right of Ways etc., must be provided.
Energy Step Code 3: The Village of Lytton is subject to the conditions of the Energy Step Code 3 for both Part 9 and Part 3 buildings. This means that a Certified Energy Advisor will need to be engaged early in the process to get their input to ensure that this standard is met. The Certified Energy Advisor must provide a “Pre-Construction Compliance Report” for submission with the permit application.
Property owners must ensure that:
- the proposed building or structure complies with all bylaws of the Village of Lytton, except to the extent a variance of a bylaw is authorized by a development permit or development variance permit.
- the building permit application be completed in Cloudpermit, the online building permit system, where the submission of all the required supporting documents for the application will be requested and will need to be uploaded to the site. These files will need to be in a digital pdf format and each file copied individually.
- A non-refundable building permit application fee of $200 is to be paid at time the application is submitted in Cloudpermit.
