How BC building permits, the BC Building Code and letters of assurance actually work — and where a structural engineer fits in.
Most engineering questions start as permit questions. This section covers how the BC Building Code and the Vancouver Building By-law apply to real projects, when a municipality will ask for sealed structural drawings, what Schedules A, B, C-A and C-B commit each party to, and how field review closes a permit out at occupancy. Requirements are not uniform across Metro Vancouver — Vancouver runs its own by-law, and every other municipality applies the provincial code with its own submission requirements and review timelines. These articles are written to help owners, builders and design teams anticipate what a building department will ask for, assemble the right documents the first time, and avoid the resubmissions that quietly add weeks to a schedule.
Adopted 20 May 2025 and in force since September, Vancouver's by-law is built on BCBC 2024. What it changes for seismic demand, transition dates, mass timber, egress and energy.
Four forms decide whether a BC building gets occupancy. Here is who signs Schedule A, B, C-A and C-B, when each is due, what field review covers, and what holds up sign-off.
A practical BC decision guide: which renovations and builds push a design past Part 9 into engineered territory, what municipalities typically ask for, and how to tell when you do not need one.
