The City of Surrey is part of twelve local governments and two First Nations who will pilot the first version of the Building Permit Hub.
BURNABY, BC: BC has launched a new digital tool Building Permit Hub to make it easier and faster for homeowners and industry professionals to submit applications to local governments and First Nations.
“The Province has heard from industry, local governments and First Nations that some of the biggest challenges with the local building-permit submission process are incomplete applications, inconsistent submission requirements from one community to another and different interpretations of compliance with BC Building Code requirements. These problems contribute to costly delays to building new homes for people,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing.
The Building Permit Hub will address these challenges by offering a one-stop, simplified process, resulting in faster processing and review times. Builders will submit their permit applications online in the hub, which will:
* standardize building-permit submission requirements across jurisdictions in B.C.;
* automatically check that the permit application is complete; and
* automatically check compliance with key parts of the BC Building Code.
“This permitting tool will evolve, incorporating user feedback to deliver a seamless experience for those building the homes people need throughout the province,” said George Chow, Minister of Citizens’ Services. “Government is working to unlock the full potential of digital innovation and technology, as we tackle the housing crisis together.”
The Province worked closely with communities and industry experts to develop the Hub.
Twelve local governments and two First Nations will pilot the first version of the Building Permit Hub. The Building Permit Hub will go live on Monday, May 27, 2024, to allow communities to update the tool for their local requirements and permitting capability is expected to come online this summer. The hub will be further developed in summer with additional features added, such as permit applications for secondary suites and accessory dwelling units, and will eventually be available throughout the province, allowing every community to process building permits digitally.
The Building Permit Hub will scale up to include more types of housing. Advancing digital permitting and construction is part of the Province’s Homes for People action plan to build homes for people faster, protect renters and fight speculation. The Province is investing in other digital housing solutions as well and has already delivered a web-based, interactive version of the building code.
To view the new Building Permit Hub, visit: https://buildingpermit.gov.bc.ca