Port McNeill is one of the few Island towns that spells out a shed exemption in its building bylaw. A storage shed doesn’t need a building permit if it’s no more than 10 m² (108 square feet), one storey, no more than 3 m (9.8 feet) to the peak, and located where the zoning bylaw allows. The zoning bylaw adds that an accessory building can be up to 4 m (13.1 feet) tall, with a 1 m (3.3 foot) setback from the side and rear lot lines.
Quick answer: do you need a permit for a shed in Port McNeill?
- No permit if the shed is a storage shed up to 10 m² (108 square feet), one storey, no more than 3 m to the peak, and placed as zoning requires.
- Bigger or taller sheds need a building permit.
- Zoning always applies: a shed can’t be ahead of the front face of the house, and needs 3.0 m (9.8 feet) from the house unless it fits the small-shed option.
| Bylaws | Zoning Bylaw No. 705, 2021 (adopted 8 September 2022), s.5.10 and s.8.1. Building and Plumbing Bylaw No. 610, 2009, s.5.2.4. Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 734, 2025. |
|---|---|
| Permit threshold | Bylaw 610 s.5.2.4: the bylaw doesn’t apply to a storage shed of up to 10 m² of floor area (s.5.2.4.1), one storey (s.5.2.4.2), no more than 3 m to the peak (s.5.2.4.3), whose location complies with zoning (s.5.2.4.4). |
| How area is measured | “Floor area” (s.5.2.4.1). The zoning bylaw defines floor area as all floors measured to the outer limits of the building. How roof overhangs count: not confirmed. |
| Other conditions | The exemption needs one storey, a peak no higher than 3 m, and zoning compliance (s.5.2.4.2 to s.5.2.4.4). Zoning defines accessory buildings as excluding residential use. Hazard, electrical and plumbing conditions: not confirmed. |
| Zoning check without a permit | Yes, in effect. s.5.2.4.4 requires the shed’s location to comply with the zoning bylaw. Whether a formal site plan is needed: not confirmed. |
| Max total area | 8% of the lot area, up to a maximum of 55 m² (592 square feet), s.5.10.1(f). R-1 lot coverage is 35%, s.8.1.2. A small-shed option allows up to 13 m² (140 square feet), s.5.10.1(g)(i). |
| Max height, flat roof | 4 m (13.1 feet), s.5.10.1(e). 3 m (9.8 feet) for the 13 m² no-setback option, s.5.10.1(g)(ii). |
| Max height, pitched roof | 4 m (13.1 feet), s.5.10.1(e); 3 m for the 13 m² option. “Height” is measured from average natural grade to the highest point of the roof. |
| Rear setback | 1.0 m (3.3 feet), s.5.10.1(d)(iii). 1.5 m (4.9 feet) if the building exits onto a rear lane, s.5.10.1(d)(ii). No setback for the 13 m², 3 m option, s.5.10.1(g). |
| Interior side setback | 1.0 m (3.3 feet), s.5.10.1(d)(iv). No setback for the 13 m², 3 m option, s.5.10.1(g). |
| Exterior side setback | 3.0 m (9.8 feet) on a corner lot, s.5.10.1(b). The 13 m² option isn’t allowed in corner-lot side yards, s.5.10.1(g). |
| Front yard | Not closer to the front property line than the front face of the house, s.5.10.1(a). |
| Lane | 1.5 m (4.9 feet) from a rear lot line that abuts a lane, if the building exits onto that lane, s.5.10.1(d)(ii). |
| Separation from house | 3.0 m (9.8 feet) from the principal building, s.5.10.1(d)(i); 1.5 m (4.9 feet) for the 13 m² option, s.5.10.1(g)(iii). |
| Zones covered | s.5.10 applies to all zones. R-1 coverage and yards were read (s.8.1.2, s.8.1.5). Other residential zones’ own limits weren’t read. |
| Permit fee | Bylaw 734, 2025: application fee $200 for construction value up to $5,000 and $250 from $5,001 to $100,000; plus a separate non-refundable application fee of $100 for value up to $50,000. |
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 under 10 m² in building area that don’t create a hazard, and “hazard” isn’t defined, so the local building official decides. Where a town’s own documents are silent the provincial rule is the default, but the town may be stricter; on this page the permit-free figures come from Port McNeill’s own building bylaw (s.5.2.4), and the size, height and setback figures come from its zoning bylaw.
Rules that apply even without a building permit
- Zoning: the shed must comply with the zoning bylaw to qualify for the exemption at all.
- Electrical: wiring a shed is regulated separately by Technical Safety BC.
- Use as an office or bedroom: the zoning definition of an accessory building excludes residential use.
- Easements: an accessory building can’t be built on a statutory right-of-way or easement, s.5.10.1(c).
What isn’t confirmed
- The Town’s bylaw PDFs are scanned images. The figures here were read with text recognition, and the shed and R-1 pages were double-checked against the page images.
- Section 5.10.2 of the zoning bylaw is missing from the PDF (the numbering jumps from 5.10.1 to 5.10.3).
- Whether hazard, electrical or plumbing conditions can remove the permit exemption, and whether a formal site plan is needed.
- Whether the 2009 building bylaw is still the current one, and which fee line applies to sheds between 10 m² and 13 m².
- Shed limits in residential zones other than R-1.
Who to contact
Town of Port McNeill office: 250-956-3111. Official sources used:
Frequently asked questions
When can a shed be built without a permit in Port McNeill?
When it’s a storage shed of 10 m² (108 square feet) or less, one storey, no taller than 3 m (9.8 feet) to the peak, and located as the zoning bylaw requires.
How much total shed space is allowed?
Floor area can be up to 8% of the lot, to a maximum of 55 m² (592 square feet), under zoning s.5.10.1(f). R-1 lots are also capped at 35% coverage for all buildings.
How far from the house and the property lines must a shed be?
3.0 m (9.8 feet) from the house, 1.0 m (3.3 feet) from rear and side lot lines, and 3.0 m from the side line on the street side of a corner lot. A shed of up to 13 m² and 3 m tall can skip the lot line setback if it’s 1.5 m (4.9 feet) from the house and other buildings.
Can a shed sit in front of the house?
No. Zoning s.5.10.1(a) says an accessory building can’t be closer to the front property line than the front face of the house.
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 them with the Town of Port McNeill before building.