This page summarizes Burnaby permit information. Use the official city links for the current rules on your address and project.
Burnaby’s published permit rules, in plain English:
Burnaby publishes a home-improvement permit hub and routes permit applications through My Permits.
The city notes that some projects may require a development permit before the building-permit stage.
Burnaby moved most building permits submitted on or after January 1, 2026 and issued on or after March 31, 2026 to digital processing and digital permit/drawing delivery, with limited exceptions.
Effective July 1, 2026, Burnaby changed its approval process so some projects require a Development Permit before a Building Permit can be submitted or issued.
The City’s home-improvement permit page is the starting point for checking which approval path applies to the project.
Burnaby administers local building approvals within British Columbia's code framework. See the BC permit overview for province-wide context; trade permits and local zoning still depend on the project.
Key items named by the municipal source:
Choose a project below. “Dedicated municipal source” opens a project-specific city page; “Municipal permit hub” opens the broader official permit source.
For a deck in Burnaby, height above grade, attachment to the house, roof/cover, guards, stairs and structural work can change the permit path. The municipal source below is the authority for the local threshold and drawings.
Open Burnaby’s municipal permit hub ↗Read the general Canada planning guide →For a shed or accessory structure in Burnaby, check size, plumbing, attachment, intended use, height and zoning setbacks. A small storage-shed exemption in one municipality should never be copied into another.
Open Burnaby’s municipal permit hub ↗Read the general Canada planning guide →For a basement project in Burnaby, separate cosmetic finishing from structural work, new plumbing, a new entrance, underpinning or a new dwelling unit. Those changes can move the project into a different permit category.
Open Burnaby’s municipal permit hub ↗Read the general Canada planning guide →For a secondary suite or other additional dwelling unit in Burnaby, confirm zoning, building-permit, fire/life-safety, egress and trade requirements. Do not treat it as an ordinary basement finish.
Open Burnaby’s municipal permit hub ↗Read the general Canada planning guide →For an addition in Burnaby, expect the municipality to review the added floor area or footprint along with zoning, site conditions, drawings and structural design. Use the local source before paying for final plans.
Open Burnaby’s municipal permit hub ↗Read the general Canada planning guide →For interior alterations in Burnaby, cosmetic work may be treated differently from walls, exits, fire separations, occupancy, plumbing or structural changes. Match the permit question to the actual scope.
Open Burnaby’s municipal permit hub ↗Read the general Canada planning guide →For structural work in Burnaby, removing or adding walls, changing openings, altering framing/foundations or changing load paths should be checked as building-permit work rather than cosmetic renovation.
Open Burnaby’s municipal permit hub ↗Read the general Canada planning guide →For a pool or hot tub in Burnaby, check more than the pool itself: enclosure/fence, zoning, grading, setbacks and site-alteration approvals may have separate rules.
Open Burnaby’s municipal permit hub ↗Read the general Canada planning guide →For a garage or carport in Burnaby, size, attachment, setbacks, plumbing and structural design can change both zoning and building-permit requirements.
Open Burnaby’s municipal permit hub ↗Read the general Canada planning guide →For plumbing or HVAC work in Burnaby, building-permit and trade-permit responsibilities may be separate. Confirm who issues plumbing, drainage, heating, ventilation, gas and electrical approvals before work starts.
Open Burnaby’s municipal permit hub ↗Read the general Canada planning guide →0 project cards use a verified dedicated municipal/project source; 10 use Burnaby’s broader official permit source.
Source-label rule: “Dedicated municipal source” means we verified a project-specific Burnaby page. “Municipal permit hub” means the municipality publishes the answer through a broader permit page or portal. We do not invent a project URL.
Primary authority: Burnaby’s official municipal permit information. Project links are labelled by source depth.
Burnaby administers local building approvals within British Columbia's code framework. See the BC permit overview for province-wide context; trade permits and local zoning still depend on the project.
Open primary Burnaby source ↗How Home Permits Canada fact-checks pages →Use these Burnaby municipal links before you spend money on final drawings, materials or construction. They are the authority for the current local process.
Burnaby sources checked September 13, 2026. Use the linked municipal pages for current forms, fees and rules; Home Permits Canada is independent.
