Do You Need a Permit for Excavation in Port Alberni?

Inside Port Alberni

Building work in the city goes through the City of Port Alberni under Building Bylaw No. 5077, alongside its Zoning Bylaw No. 5105, Development Procedures Bylaw No. 5076 and Subdivision and Development Bylaw No. 4130. The standard building permit application fee is $100.

Outside the city

At Sproat Lake, Beaver Creek and Cherry Creek, the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District issues building permits for rural property in its electoral areas. Its application fee is also $100, and the rest of the permit fee is scaled to the value of the work.

What needs a Regional District permit

A permit is required to construct a new building or structure, make alterations, additions or repairs, complete a previously unfinished area, make interior structural renovations, demolish or relocate a structure, locate or relocate a manufactured or mobile home, build or remodel a deck, construct a swimming pool, install or alter plumbing, install a new chimney or fireplace, enclose a carport, or change the use or occupancy.

What's exempt

Installing cupboards, roofing repairs or replacement with no structural change, exterior finish repair or replacement, and a building under 10 square metres — a storage shed, for example — don't need a permit.

Soil removal inside the city

The City's Soil Removal and Deposit Regulation Bylaw No. 3947 regulates the removal or deposit of soil, sand, gravel, rock or other material from or onto land in Port Alberni. We check this bylaw before we move material off your lot.

How permits work with your excavation

1. 1

   On-site assessment — we confirm which authority applies and what the job needs.

2. 2

   Locate and permits — we call BC 1 Call and file the permit before work starts.

3. 3

   Excavation and inspection — we complete the work, and the City or Regional District inspects it against the bylaw.

Electrical work

Electrical work on a project is permitted separately through Technical Safety BC, regardless of whether your property is inside the city or in a Regional District electoral area.