The District of Metchosin says a building permit is required before building any structure, including accessory structures and buildings, and its web page doesn’t list a size below which a shed is exempt. Metchosin’s Building Bylaw 2024, No. 694, has no numeric shed threshold of its own, so the provincial Building Code text decides what is exempt. Land Use Bylaw No. 259 does set clear limits on size, height and setbacks for rural and rural residential lots, and homeowners should confirm any permit exemption with the building department before assuming a small shed is free of one.
Quick answer: do you need a permit for a shed in Metchosin?
- The District’s web page says a building permit is required for construction “including accessory structures and buildings”, and it lists no size exemption.
- Building Bylaw No. 694 (s.4.2) only defers to the Building Code’s own exemptions and has no shed size of its own, so ask the building department before building.
- Zoning applies to any shed: 3 m from side and rear lines, 7.5 m front yard, 1 m from the house, and 20% lot coverage.
- Small shed exception (zoning only): a rear-yard shed of up to 3.35 m² (36 square feet), 9.3 m² (100 square feet) in total, and 1.85 m (6.1 feet) high is not treated as a structure under the Land Use Bylaw (s.31(4)(b)). This does not exempt it from a building permit.
| Bylaws | Land Use Bylaw No. 259 (consolidated March 2026, marked “not the official version”), s.31 and zone sections 56 to 60. Building Bylaw 2024, No. 694, Part 4, s.4.2. Fees and Charges Bylaw 2024, No. 696, Schedule 3. |
|---|---|
| Building permit threshold | Not confirmed. Building Bylaw No. 694 s.4.2 says it doesn’t apply to buildings or structures exempted by BC Building Code Division A Part 1, and it has no numeric shed threshold of its own. The District page says a permit is required “including accessory structures and buildings” and gives no size exemption. |
| How area is measured | Not confirmed. The Land Use Bylaw uses gross floor area for accessory buildings. |
| Conditions that remove the exemption | Not confirmed. Bylaw No. 694 adds none of its own, so the Building Code text governs. Zoning: no sleeping or dwelling use in an accessory building, s.31(2). |
| Zoning check without a permit | Not confirmed. The permit checklist asks for two scaled site plans when a permit is needed. |
| Max accessory area | 200 m² (2,153 square feet) per accessory building, s.56(3)(c), also in RR1 to RR4. Lot coverage is 20%, or 186 m² on lots under 930 m², s.56(4). |
| Max height (flat roof) | 10.5 m (34.5 feet) for accessory buildings, s.56(8)(b). RR1 to RR4: s.(7)(a). |
| Max height (pitched roof) | 10.5 m (34.5 feet). The bylaw measures height to the highest point of the building (Part 1 definition) and has no separate pitched-roof limit. |
| Rear setback | 3 m (9.8 feet) for an accessory building, s.56(7)(c)(ii). Same in RR1 to RR4. A principal building needs 10 m. |
| Interior side setback | 3 m (9.8 feet), s.56(7)(b). |
| Exterior side setback | Side yard of 3 m (9.8 feet), s.56(7)(b). Under s.27(1), 10 m from a lot line on a highway not yet dedicated, or 7.5 m from an arterial highway. |
| Front yard rule | Front yard of 7.5 m (24.6 feet), s.56(7)(a). No building in a required yard, s.25. See the small shed row for the rear-yard zoning exemption. |
| Small shed (zoning exemption only) | In the Agricultural, Upland, Rural, Amenity Residential and Rural Residential zones, an accessory building or structure in a rear yard with an individual floor area of no more than 3.35 m² (36 square feet), an aggregate floor area of no more than 9.3 m² (100 square feet) and a height of no more than 1.85 m (6.1 feet) is permitted and “shall not be considered as a structure for the purposes of this Bylaw” (Land Use Bylaw s.31(4)(b)). This is a zoning rule only. It is not a building permit exemption: Building Bylaw No. 694 only defers to the BC Building Code, and the District page lists no size below which a permit is not needed. |
| Separation from the house | At least 1 m (3.3 feet), s.31(3). |
| Lane setback | Not confirmed. |
| Zones covered | Figures are for Rural (RU, s.56) and Rural Residential (RR1 to RR4, ss.57 to 60) zones. The Agricultural zone (s.51) is the same. Other zones weren’t reviewed. s.31(4) applies to Agricultural, Upland, Rural and Rural Residential zones. |
| Building permit fee | Fees Bylaw No. 696, Schedule 3: minimum $100 for a permit valued under $1,000, plus $15 per additional $1,000 up to $300,000 and $13 per $1,000 over $300,000. Application review fee (non-refundable, credited to the permit fee): $100 under $50,000, $200 for $50,000 to $250,000, $300 over $250,000. Re-inspection $250. Work done without a permit pays double the fee (minimum $1,000). The building value table lists “Carports, Barns, or Sheds” at $40.00 per square foot and “Garages and/or Workshops” at $60.00 per square foot, but it sits in a single-family dwelling table, and how staff apply it to a stand-alone shed isn’t stated. |
What the BC Building Code says
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. Metchosin’s Building Bylaw No. 694 (s.4.2) simply defers to the Code’s exemptions, so the provincial rule is the default where the District’s own documents are silent, but the Code text itself governs and the District may apply it strictly. On this page, no permit-size figure could be taken from Metchosin’s own documents, which say a permit is required for accessory buildings, while the setback, height and size figures come from Land Use Bylaw No. 259 and the fees from Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 696.
Rules that apply even without a building permit
- Zoning: setbacks, height, building size and lot coverage in the Land Use Bylaw apply to every shed.
- Electrical: a shed with wiring needs an electrical permit from Technical Safety BC.
- Use: an accessory building can’t be used for sleeping or as a dwelling, s.31(2), except as a permitted suite or carriage house.
- Easements and utilities: keep sheds off easements, rights-of-way, septic fields and wells. Watercourse and road setbacks (ss.27 and 30) also apply.
What isn’t confirmed
- Whether any small shed is exempt from a building permit in Metchosin, and at what size. The building bylaw has no size of its own and the District page lists none.
- How a shed’s area is measured.
- How staff apply the $40.00 per square foot shed value to a stand-alone shed, since it sits in a single-family dwelling table.
- Setback rules for a shed beside a lane.
- Whether sloped and flat roofs have different height limits. The bylaw gives one figure.
- Whether a zoning check is needed for a shed with no permit.
- The official signed version of Land Use Bylaw No. 259. The copy read is marked for reference only.
Who to contact
District of Metchosin building permits and inspections: 250-474-3167 (municipal hall, 4450 Happy Valley Road).
- Metchosin Land Use Bylaw No. 259
- Metchosin Building Bylaw No. 694
- Metchosin Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 696
- Metchosin Building Permits
- Metchosin Building Permit Requirements Checklist
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a building permit for a shed in Metchosin?
The District says a permit is required for construction including accessory structures and buildings, and it lists no size exemption. Building Bylaw No. 694 has no shed size of its own, so whether a very small shed is exempt isn’t confirmed. Ask the building department.
Is a very small shed exempt from the zoning rules in Metchosin?
In the Agricultural, Upland, Rural, Amenity Residential and Rural Residential zones, a rear-yard shed of no more than 3.35 m² (36 square feet) each, 9.3 m² (100 square feet) in total, and 1.85 m (6.1 feet) high is not treated as a structure under the Land Use Bylaw (s.31(4)(b)). That is a zoning rule only, and it doesn’t remove the need to ask about a building permit.
How big can a shed be in Metchosin?
An accessory building can be up to 200 m² (2,153 square feet) in the Rural and Rural Residential zones, within a 20% lot coverage limit (186 m² on lots under 930 m²).
How close to the property line can a shed go?
An accessory building needs 3 m (9.8 feet) from side and rear lot lines and 1 m (3.3 feet) from the house. Lots next to a highway can have larger road setbacks under s.27.
Can a shed go in the front yard in Metchosin?
Not inside the required 7.5 m (24.6 feet) front yard. The bylaw says no building can sit in a required yard unless it says otherwise (s.25).
For province-wide context, see Maximum Shed Size Without a Permit in BC and Shed Rules by City.
These figures are a general guide checked 26 October 2026. Confirm with the District of Metchosin before building.