Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 4:00 pm Tel: 250-245-6400 Fax: 250-245-6411 Email: info@ladysmith.ca
The Province is responsible to regulate buildings and construction. It gives local government the ability to administer and enforce provincial building requirements, including the BC Building Code.
The Town has enacted Bylaw 2174 Building and Plumbing Bylaw, to regulate construction and provide for the administration of building regulations.
To learn more about BC’s building regulatory system, the Province has produced this useful Guide. The Guide is for anyone who would like a simple explanation of how buildings get built, including why building construction is regulated, what is the BC Building Code, and what do Building Officials Do.
The Province has adopted the 2024 edition of the British Columbia Building Code, including Book II Plumbing Services. The new BC Building Code will be effective March 8, 2024, and will apply to building permits applied for on or after that date. Buildings with permits in place under the BC Building Code 2018 are generally not affected.
The BC Building Code is based on the National Building Code, which is developed by the National Research Council of Canada. The BC Building Code is provincial regulation that governs how new construction, building alterations, repairs and demolitions are completed. This Code establishes minimum requirements for safety, health, accessibility, fire and structural protection of buildings and energy and water efficiency. It applies throughout the province except for some federal lands and the City of Vancouver.
The BC Building Code is available for reference free of charge at public libraries. For a fee, it is available in print and online at www.bccodes.ca. The Ladysmith branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library is located at 740 1st Avenue.
A SECONDARY SUITE is a self-contained accessory dwelling unit located within a Single Unit Dwelling, Duplex, Townhouse Dwelling, or Coach House Dwelling that meets the requirements for “secondary suite” under the BC Building Code.
Secondary Suites must also meet the following regulations:
*There is no maximum GFA for a secondary suite in a single-family dwelling.
If a suite satisfies these regulations, its construction is then regulated by the BC Building Code. Please see the followings links: Provincial BC Secondary Suites Information Bulletin and Changes to the BC Building Code for Secondary Suite
The Province has developed the Illustrated Guide for Seismic Design of Houses to assist house designers and builders in understanding and complying with the new BC Building Code requirements applicable to Part 9, houses in high seismic regions in British Columbia.
The Province has implemented a requirement for home warranty insurance to protect new homes in British Columbia against construction defects such as materials and labour, building envelope and structural defects. It is Canada’s strongest construction defect insurance.
To learn more about new home warranty insurance, the Province has produced this useful Guide to provide prospective new home buyers and owners of new homes with information on home warranty insurance in British Columbia.
B.C’s Homeowner Protection Act and its Regulations (Act) require that all new homes constructed under building permits must be covered by home warranty insurance unless they are specifically excluded by the Act or its regulations.