Building & Construction

Types of Permits

The City of Coquitlam has several permits types:

Development Permits — When you are building on any property, check if the property is within a Development Permit Area to determine if your type of construction requires a Development Permit. Contact the Planning and Development Department at 604-927-3430 for more information.

Building Permit Applications

To make a minor project building permit application, please attend the building permit Division’s front counter no later than 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday (except holidays).

For major project building permit applications (including large tenant improvement and mechanical applications), please contact your Building Permit File Manager ("BP File Manager") to make an appointment. You may ask your Planner (from your Development Permit) to provide you with the name of your BP File Manager. 

If you do not have a BP File Manager, please contact email Building Permits.

Summaries of issued building permits over $200,000, along with building permit applications currently under review are available at the links below.  Please note, this information is updated monthly and is provided for convenience only. 

Additional Information

For more information on development applications, please refer to the  How Development Happens page on our website.

  1. Digital Submission & QFile File Transfer
  2. Courier Deliveries & Pick-up
  3. Payments

QFile File Transfer

Files Over 5MB in Size  - For Minor Tenant Improvement Building Permit Applications Only

The City of Coquitlam is currently accepting QFile applications for minor tenant improvement building permits only.  All other building permit applications need to be made in person at the Building Permits Division front counter Monday to Friday (except holidays). Please see the Types of Permits and Basic Requirements section above for information on application timeframes. 

To submit your minor tenant improvement application through the City’s file transfer service, Coquitlam QFile:

  • Enter either permits@coquitlam.ca or your file manager email’s address (if known) into Recipient Email field.
  • Name the document with your site address.
  • Please compress/zip multiple files into one folder prior to sending.

To re-submit documents for the existing project, see our video tutorial.

Building on My Property

The Building Permits Division is responsible for ensuring that buildings are healthy and safe for people. The Division is also available to provide education and assistance prior to building or making changes to your property.

Find important information on:

  • Obtaining building permits and inspections
  • Building and Construction Guides which are updates and advisories to help you interpret building, electrical, and trades’ bylaws, as well as City processes and regulations
  • Zoning and Property Information
  • Key City Bylaws related to building on your property
  • Building a Secondary Suite
  • Permit Fees (PDF)

Building Bylaw

The Building Bylaw regulates the construction, alteration, repair, demolition or moving of buildings and pools and the installation, alteration or repair of plumbing, sprinkler and heating and gas systems in the City of Coquitlam.

Noise Bylaw - Construction

Regular Hours:

  • Monday to Friday – 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Saturdays – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Restricted Hours:

  • Sunday and Holidays – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday and Holiday hours are permitted for not for profit construction only (such as a homeowner building a deck). 

  • Holiday schedule for 2023:
    • New Year's Day Sunday, Jan. 1
    • Family Day Monday, Feb. 20
    • Good Friday Friday, April 7
    • Easter Monday Monday, April 10
    • Victoria Day Monday, May 22 
    • Canada Day Saturday, July 1
    • BC Day Monday, Aug. 7
    • Labour Day Monday, Sept. 4
    • National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Saturday, Sept. 30
    • Thanksgiving Day Monday, Oct. 9
    • Remembrance Day Saturday, Nov. 11
    • Christmas Day Monday, Dec. 25
    • Boxing Day Tuesday, Dec. 26
    • New Year's Day 2024 Monday, Jan. 1 2024

Owners and professional builders constructing new homes through BC Housing’s Licensing and Consumer Services are deemed to be working for profit or gain and are therefore prohibited from creating construction noise on Sundays and Holidays.

Hourly restrictions relate to loud work that is a nuisance to neighbours only.

Construction activities that take place quietly indoors and don’t disturb neighbours, such as painting or electrical installations, are permitted at any time.

Look over the Noise Regulation Bylaw for more information.  Please visit our Good Neighbour Construction page for more details on these and other Good Neighbour Development practices and policies.

What to Know When Building on Your Property

Property Lines & Infrastructure

You may be able to obtain a Form Survey from City Hall, (depending on the age of your house can purchase a Form Survey at the Building Permits Division counter at City Hall, if:

  • You are a homeowners and can show proof of ownership
  • Your are a realtors or prospective buyers, and can show a purchase agreement

View the records about your sanitary, storm or water service at the property line, at the Engineering and Public Works customer service counter at City Hall.

Legal Lot Documents

View legal lot plans, legal documents shown on the title of a property and property encumbrances such as Rights-of-Way and easements, at the Engineering and Public Works customer service counter at City Hall. You can not copy plans, duplicates can be obtained from the Land Title and Survey Authority of BC.

Land Title & Survey Authority of BC
New Westminster Land Title Office
Anvil Centre Office Tower
Suite 500 - 11 Eighth Street
New Westminster, BC, V3M 3N7
Phone: 604-630-9630
Toll Free Phone: 877-577-5872

Right of Way

A Right-of-Way is an allowance given by a private property owner to the municipality or government to enter onto their private property for a municipal purpose such as water, sewer, road access and other utility services. For more information, see our Guidelines for Rights-of-Way (PDF).

Covenant

A Covenant is an agreement between two parties that would normally put restrictions on land and its use.

Easement

An easement is an agreement between two private property owners whose properties adjoin; it grants access to each other’s property for a predetermined purpose. If an easement is required due to work being done through the City, we will assist you with the procedure. If the easement relates to a private arrangement between two neighbours, we recommend you consult a private lawyer.