Building Department

Effective May 12, 2021, registration fees for secondary suites will be collected at time of building permit issuance for construction of the secondary suite.  They were previously being charged once the Business Licence was issued but this will no longer be the practice going forward. 

Voluntary Legalization Registration Fee - $125.00

Bylaw Enforcement Legalization Registration Fee - $250.00  

In an effort to continue to improve our customer service levels, we are updating our Inspection Booking procedure. 

Effective on February 1, 2021, our inspection booking deadline will be 3:00 p.m. the day prior. 

For example: to book an inspection for a Tuesday, the request needs to be received by 3:00 p.m. on the Monday prior, for a Monday inspection the request is needed before 3:00 p.m. on the Friday prior. 

Please continue to book your inspection by phone or email including site address, permit number, contact name and phone number and the specific inspection.  Inspections are booked in the order that they are received and assigned to an area inspector for the requested day.  Special requests will be noted, but can not be guaranteed.  If you are not ready for your inspection or need to cancel for any reason, please contact us to cancel your request as early as possible.  Please be sure to submit any required documentation to our office prior to requesting your inspection.

The City has encountered ongoing issues with incorrectly sited buildings and having the location surveys being submitted too late in the building process.  

As of February 8, 2021, location surveys must be submitted and approved before proceeding beyond the foundation stage.  

For full details see the Submission of BCLS Site Survey Bulletin.

Application Pre-screening

All applications will be pre-screened by our front counter staff and an inspector to ensure all documents are filled out completely and the basic required documentation is present.  Once the required documentation has been supplied the permit will then be entered into the Plan Check Queue to determine compliance with the BC Building Code and City of West Kelowna Bylaws.  You may be required to submit further documentation once the plan check procedure is underway based on the scope of work.   

BC Building Code Free Online

The Province of BC is now offering the BC Building, Plumbing and Fire Codes online at no charge.  To access visit the Province of BC Codes website at bccodes.ca.