Tips and tricks to making sure you get the shed you want
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The City of North Vancouver regulates sheds as accessory buildings under section 514 of Zoning Bylaw No. 6700. A shed under 108 square feet (about 10 m²) doesn’t need a building permit, but it still has to meet the City’s rules for size, height and location. Looking for the other municipality? See the District of North Vancouver Shed Regulations.
The City’s accessory building handout covers the one-unit and two-unit residential zones (RS-1, RS-2, RT-1 and RT-2). It applies to garages, carports, sheds and permanent storage containers alike.
| Building permit | Not required under 108 square feet (about 10 m²). Required over that size. |
|---|---|
| Total floor area, one-unit lot | The lesser of 0.1 times the lot area or 55.7 m² (600 square feet), for all accessory buildings combined |
| Total floor area, two-unit lot | The lesser of 0.13 times the lot area or 81.8 m² (880 square feet) |
| Lot with a coach house | 10 m² (108 square feet) total |
| Maximum height | 3.658 m (12 ft), or 4.57 m (15 ft) when the roof slope is steeper than 4 in 12 |
| Floor levels | One floor level only |
| Location | Behind the front face of the house. Over 10 m², it must sit in the rear 25% of the lot depth. |
| From the rear lot line | 1.22 m (4 ft) |
| From an interior side lot line | 0.61 m (2 ft) |
| From an exterior side lot line | 3.048 m (10 ft) |
| From the house | 3.048 m (10 ft) |
| At a corner of two streets, a street and a lane, or two lanes | 4.57 m (15 ft) |
Two details catch people out. First, the floor area limit counts every accessory building on the lot, so an existing garage uses up part of the allowance. Second, a storage container or pod that’s installed permanently counts as an accessory building and follows the same height, size and setback rules. A temporary one doesn’t, but it can’t block required parking.
The City is the compact waterfront area around Lonsdale. The District of North Vancouver surrounds it and has its own rules. Check your property tax notice or ask the building department if you’re not sure.
For the province-wide picture, see Maximum Shed Size Without a Permit in BC. For a finished example, the North Vancouver Backyard Office shows a small building that doubles as a workspace.
See building permits and zoning on the City of North Vancouver website. These rules are a general guide only, and the official bylaw governs, so always confirm with the City before construction.
Not for a structure under 108 square feet. Anything larger needs a building permit, and every shed must still follow zoning.
It must sit 1.22 m (4 ft) from the rear lot line, 0.61 m (2 ft) from an interior side line and 3.048 m (10 ft) from an exterior side line and from the house.
On a one-unit lot, all accessory buildings combined can’t exceed the lesser of 0.1 times the lot area or 55.7 m² (600 square feet). A lot with a coach house is limited to 10 m² (108 square feet).
No. Accessory buildings are limited to one floor level, apart from an unfinished cellar under a building that serves a one-unit home.
No. Accessory buildings must sit behind the front face of the house.
BCBC 2024 Division A 1.1.1.1(2)(e) says the Code doesn’t apply to accessory buildings less than 10 m² in building area that don’t create a hazard, and “hazard” isn’t defined, so the local building official decides. The 108 square foot permit figure on this page comes from the City’s own accessory building handout, and the size, height and setback numbers come from Zoning Bylaw No. 6700.
Browse more Backyard Outbuildings built across Metro Vancouver.
Who wouldn’t want their own pair of Gulf Island Cabins?
A client came to us recently with a challenge. He wanted us to design and build two remote cabins on Galiano Island (on a relatively tight budget) to serve as a meeting place for friends and family to escape from the hustle and bustle of busy city life.
Galiano Island is located in the Southern Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. There are a couple of factors that make Galiano Island so appealing for a Gulf Island Cabin getaway. (more…)
As a business owner, professional draftsperson and building designer Plamen Apostalov had a big problem. A time sucking problem that had plagued him for years, the Metro Vancouver Commute.
Quick answer: in the District of Saanich, a shed under 10 m² (about 107 sq/ft) does not need a building permit if it follows the zoning rules and creates no hazard. A shed or other accessory building over 10 m² needs a building permit.
Always check with the District of Saanich before building. Rules change and depend on the zone of the lot. This page was last fact-checked against the District’s website in October 2026.
Saanich does not require a building permit for an accessory building under 10 m² that meets zoning and is not a hazard. The size is measured the way the District measures it, so a shed that is close to the limit can tip over it once decks or roof overhangs are counted. Common sizes that sit under the limit are 8 x 10 ft (80 sq/ft), 8 x 12 ft (96 sq/ft) and 10 x 10 ft (100 sq/ft).
No permit does not mean no rules. The shed still has to meet the Zoning Bylaw for the lot.
Anything over 10 m² needs a building permit before construction, with a separate application for each structure. Saanich takes these applications through its online residential permit portal. Application fees are based on the value of the work (for example $100 for work under $15,000 and $300 for $15,001 to $100,000), and a refundable surety deposit is collected when the permit is issued.
Siting rules come from Zoning Bylaw 8200 and differ by zone. As an example, in the common RS-6 single family zone, accessory buildings must be:
Other zones have different numbers, so the lot’s own zone page in the bylaw is the one that counts.
The District of Saanich Inspection Services office is at 770 Vernon Ave, Victoria, BC V8X 2W7. Permit questions and answers, the Zoning Bylaw and the online permit portal are on saanich.ca.
Other Capital Region municipalities: Oak Bay, Victoria, Esquimalt, Central Saanich, Colwood, Langford and Sidney.
Sources: District of Saanich, Permit Q & As; Building Bylaw 2019 No. 9529; Zoning Bylaw 8200 (Schedule 210, RS-6); Streamside Development Permit Area guidelines.
A power cord that ran from the woman’s house in Kelowna, B.C., supplied electricity to the small metal building, for which she was charging rent of $200 per month.
It’s not clear how long the people and pets had been living in the shed. Bylaw officers warned the owner two weeks ago it was not suitable accommodation, but the advice was ignored, said city spokesman Stephen Fleming.
Fleming described the small building as “a standard type of metal garden shed that you’d get at your local hardware store. It certainly doesn’t look like a place for people to be living in.”
Modern-Shed Kits: Ever thought about having a Modern-Shed in your backyard? Do you have basic construction skills? Can you read directions?
Great then you should have no problem installing a Modern-Shed Kit.
The best way to minimize the cost of a Modern-Shed is to install it yourself.
Ever thought about owning a Prefab House? If you are as passionate about prefab houses and construction as we are they you’ve gotta check out this FREE Digital Issue of Dwell Magazine.
Page 4: Prefab 101
Everything you wanted to know about prefab houses but were afraid to ask! We’ve tapped the brain behind popular Web resource FabPreFab to explain the birds and the bees of manufactured housing.