Municipal

Building permit for a renovation or change of use

Altering a commercial space — or only changing its use, say a shop becoming a café — needs a building permit from your municipality, even with no construction; painting and other cosmetic work don’t. You can’t open until the building inspector’s final inspection and occupancy permit. A change of use can bring seismic, fire-separation, accessibility and sprinkler upgrades, and most municipalities want Island Health’s approved plans with it.

Changes are coming

  • Victoria’s free building, sign and development permits end — takes effect 29 January 2027. What changes
  • Nanaimo drops its own sprinkler requirement — proposed, no date set; it may not happen. What changes
Who issues it
Your municipality
Cost
Set by each municipality, from a percentage of the construction value to a fee per $1,000 — see the table on this page. Starting work without a permit usually doubles it.
How long
Most municipalities publish no processing time. Victoria expects four to six months for extensive changes; Nanaimo targets 8 weeks for a tenant improvement.
Forms and pages

Do you need it?

You need it if

  • You alter a commercial space: walls, plumbing, ventilation, a kitchen.
  • You change what a space is used for — a shop becoming a café — even with no construction.
  • You install a commercial kitchen exhaust or Grease interceptorA tank on a kitchen’s drain line that catches fats, oils and grease before they reach the sewer. Most food businesses on a municipal sewer need one, sized, installed and pumped out under the local sewer rules.All terms in the glossary.

You don’t need it if

  • The work is only cosmetic: painting, new cabinets or counters, or replacing fixtures without changing the plumbing.
Where this comes from

Sources

How to get it

  1. 1

    Confirm the zoning

    The building permit can’t make a use legal that the zone doesn’t allow.

  2. 2

    Get Island Health to approve your plans

    Most municipalities want the health-approved plans: Victoria before it issues the permit; Langford, Nanaimo and Duncan with the application; Oak Bay and Courtenay ask for health approvals with it.

  3. 3

    Bring in the designers your project needs

    A restaurant for more than 30 people usually needs an architect (Nanaimo’s checklist). A commercial kitchen’s ventilation needs a mechanical engineer (Campbell River). A change of occupancy can bring seismic, fire-separation, accessibility and sprinkler upgrades.

  4. 4

    Apply

    Drawings, the application form and — in Esquimalt, Oak Bay and Colwood — a title certificate from the last 14 to 30 days. Most municipalities now take applications by email or online. Duncan collects the whole fee when you apply; Oak Bay and Courtenay take an application fee up front and the rest when the permit is issued.

  5. 5

    Build, and call for inspections

    Each stage is inspected. Nanaimo and Sidney also ask for a construction fire safety plan before work starts.

  6. 6

    Get your final inspection and occupancy permit

    You can’t open, or move in, until the building inspector signs off.

Where this comes from

Sources

Building permits in each municipality

Whether a change of use or tenant improvement needs a permit, and what it costs.

  • Needed for a change of use even with no construction. $100 to apply plus 1.40% of the construction cost. Island Health must approve your plans before the permit is issued; extensive changes take four to six months.

  • $100 for the first $1,000 of construction value plus $13 per $1,000 up to $500,000, and an application fee from $100 by project value. Starting without a permit doubles it (up to $20,000 extra).

  • $63.41 for the first $1,000 of construction value plus $12.66 per $1,000 up to $100,000. Island Health’s stamped floor plans go in with the application. Starting without a permit doubles the fee.

  • Needed for a change of occupancy even without construction. $100 for the first $1,000 plus $13 per $1,000 to $100,000 (about $1,387 at $100,000); a plan-processing fee of 25% may be asked up front. Occupancy permit before you open.

  • Needed for a change of use. $150 plus 1.3% of the project value up to $100,000; 20% of it is a non-refundable fee paid when you apply. Health authority approval goes in with the application. Allow several weeks.

  • Needed for alterations, and an occupancy permit for any change of occupancy. $50 for the first $1,000 plus $12 per $1,000 to $100,000, an application fee of $100 included; doubled if you start without one.

  • Needed to change a building’s occupancy. $100 for the first $1,000 plus $13 per $1,000 to $100,000, and a $100 plan-processing fee for commercial alterations. Island Health approval may be asked for; applications are reviewed in the order received.

  • $105 plus $10 per $1,000 up to $100,000, then $7 per $1,000. Island Health–stamped plans go in with the application, and a restaurant for more than 30 people usually needs an architect. The City targets 8 weeks for a tenant improvement and says it isn’t meeting its targets.

  • Needed for a change of use, one per tenancy. $8 per $1,000 of value up to $100,000 (minimum $50), plus a plan review fee from $50, paid when you apply. Island Health’s stamp on the floor plan is on the checklist for food businesses, and a development permit may have to come first.

  • Needed for alterations, and an occupancy permit after any change of occupancy classification. $150 plus 1% of the construction value (the City’s web page still shows an older formula). A planning compliance form goes in with every application.

  • Needed for any change of use. $150 plus 1% of the construction value, with a non-refundable application fee of $150 or 25% of the permit fee, whichever is higher. Health approvals go in with the application; apply online.

  • Needed for a change of use even with no construction — a shop becoming a restaurant is the City’s own example. A simple building pays $150 plus $10 per $1,000 up to $100,000. Commercial kitchen ventilation needs a mechanical engineer, and the fire department’s checklist must be cleared before the permit is issued.

Where this comes from

Sources

Once you have it

  • Starting work without a permit doubles the fee in most municipalities.
  • A later change of use — or, in Campbell River, a change of menu or cooking equipment — can mean a new permit and upgraded ventilation and fire suppression.
Where this comes from

Sources

What comes next

Grease interceptorThe CRD in Greater Victoria; your municipality elsewhereGas and propane workTechnical Safety BCFire inspection and kitchen fire safetyYour fire department

Which businesses need it

Restaurants & cafésOpening or running a restaurant, café, take-out or coffee shop.BakeriesA commercial bakery, with or without a counter.Caterers & personal chefsIf you build your own kitchenDelivery-only & ghost kitchensIf you build your own kitchenPackaged food makersIf you build your own kitchenKombucha, juice & coffee makersIf you build your own kitchenBreweries, wineries, cideries & distilleriesMaking beer, wine, cider, mead or spirits.Grocers & specialty food shopsRunning a grocery, market store, deli counter or specialty food shop.Butchers, delis & fishmongersCutting and selling meat, fish or deli foods.

The rules behind this page

Last checked 5 November 2026. We check this guide regularly against Island Health, provincial and municipal sources, but regulations and laws change often and we can’t guarantee it is complete or current. Confirm with Island Health and your municipality before you apply, build or sell.

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