Updated September 2026
Who issues the permit, and what each authority asks for
Nanaimo Roofers deals with 3 permit authorities on this coast, and we find out which one covers your address before we quote. The City of Nanaimo, the District of Lantzville and the Regional District of Nanaimo each answer the roofing question differently, and only the Regional District exempts a re-roof outright.
Whether you need a permit depends on which authority covers your address. We work that out for you before we quote. Each authority asks for something different, and we spell out exactly what applies to your address.
We pull the permits as part ofhaving a new roof installed.
Finding the authority before anything else
Before we quote, we find out who permits your address. A building permit is the local government's go-ahead to start work. Which government that is depends on where your house sits. The City of Nanaimo and the District of Lantzville each run their own building department, and the Regional District of Nanaimo covers the seven electoral areas around them.
| Authority | Covers | What requires a permit |
|---|---|---|
| City of Nanaimo | Addresses inside city limits | Building Bylaw 2016 No. 7224. No roofing-specific exemption is named in the bylaw. |
| District of Lantzville | Lantzville | New buildings and structures, additions, and renovations. |
| Regional District of Nanaimo | Electoral Areas A, B, C, E, F, G and H | New construction, alteration, addition or demolition — roofing repairs and replacements are exempt if no structural changes are made. |
Current as of August 2026. We confirm the requirements with the authority for the address before we book the work.
City of Nanaimo
The City issues building permits under Building Bylaw 2016 No. 7224. Section 5.2 of that bylaw states it does not apply to buildings or structures exempted by Part 1 of the Building Code, and the bylaw sets out no roofing-specific exemption of its own. We confirm the answer for a re-roof with the City before we quote it.
District of Lantzville
Lantzville is its own local government with its own building department. A building permit is required to construct new buildings and structures, additions and renovations. The exemption the District names is a single-storey standard building up to 55 square metres of gross floor area that contains no sleeping units or dwelling units and will not be used or occupied by members of the broader public, subject to a Schedule 3 declaration signed by the owner. Further exemptions sit in Building Bylaw 182, and energy code requirements in Building Bylaw 341, adopted in 2024.
The rural electoral areas
The Regional District of Nanaimo requires a building permit for any new construction, demolition, alteration or addition to a structure across its building electoral areas. A roofing repair or replacement is exempt from that permit out here, as long as no structural changes are made. A shed of 10 square metres, or 107 square feet, or less also needs no permit but still has to meet setbacks. And farm buildings for farm use with low human occupancy, on properties with agricultural zoning and farm status under the Assessment Act, are exempt from permit requirements. We confirm which of these applies to your address before the work is booked.
Gabriola has one extra step
Gabriola Island is Electoral Area B, and the Regional District of Nanaimo is the permitting authority there, not Islands Trust. The one difference is the paperwork: on Gabriola we complete the RDN Islands Trust Review Declaration instead of the standard Preliminary Planning Review Form. In Cedar, Electoral Area A, we use the standard form.
What the code requires whether or not a permit does
Even where you do not need a permit, we build to the BC Building Code. We hold the minimum slope for every covering, keep head and end laps at not less than 50 mm, and vent to not less than 1/300 of the insulated ceiling area, split at least 25% at the top and 25% at the bottom.
Who's allowed to do the work?
British Columbia issues no trade licence for roofers. We train to the Red Seal standard for the trade — 4,950 hours on the tools and 15 weeks of technical training over three years — we carry insurance and WorkSafeBC coverage, and we apply for the permit where the address needs one.
What the permit answer changes about a quote
Where a permit applies, we build the authority's turnaround into the timeline and say in the scope that we apply for it. Where none applies, we build the roof to the same standard anyway. The written scope says whether your address needs a permit, before we book the work.
Request a free assessment and we'll confirm the permit answer for your address before anything is booked.