Once your building permit has been approved and issued, you can commence work on your project.
During the course of construction, it is important to schedule all required inspections of the work, be aware of required supporting documents required, abide by applicable Bylaws, and maintain a safe construction site.
What Inspections are Needed and When
All or some of these inspections may be required before final inspections are performed. Please speak to the inspector for details on which inspections will be required for the work encompassed by a building permit.
Building Permit Inspections:
- Footing Formwork
- Foundation Formwork
- Damproof
- Draintile
- Slab Preparation
- Framing & Sheathing
- Insulation/Vapour Barrier
- Chimney/Fireplace Rough-in
Plumbing Permit Inspections:
- Sewer/Water Line
- Plumbing Underground
- Plumbing Rough-in
- Tub & Shower Test
The following final inspections are required before an Occupancy Permit can be issued:
- Plumbing/Water Meter Final (if Applicable)
- Fireplace Final (if Applicable)
- Building Final
The following final inspections are required before the refund of the Highway Use, Clearing and Inspection Fee:
- Roads Final
- Utilities Final
Note: Building Department staff will schedule the Roads and Utilities inspections on the owner’s behalf, once the Highway Use, Clearing and Inpsection Fee Refund form has been submitted.
Documents Required on Site
A placard issued by the Building Department, showing the four digit street address and building permit number shall be posted in a visible location.
Accepted building permit plans must be on site for all inspections. If a replacement copy is required, submit a Property Information Retrieval Request to request a new site copy.
Prior to the footings inspection, the following documentation is required:
- Structural Engineer’s field report
- Geotechnical Engineer’s report (where required)
- Survey of foundation forms or survey of layout are required
At time of framing inspection, the following documentation is required:
- Gas/electric proof of completion, installation or alteration form
If spray foam is used, the following information must be on site at time of insulation inspection:
- CCMC Number
- Installers ID Card
- Daily Thickness Worksheet
NOTE: The building inspector may refuse to conduct an inspection if the any of the above items are not on site at the time of the inspection.
Booking Inspections
Inspections are booked on a first come, first served basis. The Building Department recommends scheduling inspections at least 48 hours in advance, to ensure you can schedule your inspection on the desired date.
Inspections can be booked online here, using the 8-digit folder number (BPXXXXXX, PLPXXXXX, DEMXXXX, etc.)
When booking an inspection, please have the following information on hand:
- Building or plumbing permit number
- Civic address
- Type of inspection
- Name and phone number of the site contact
Failure to give us this information may result in the inspection being delayed.
A re-inspection fee may be levied where, in the opinion of the building inspector, extra inspections are required due to the fault of the owner or contractor.
Surveyors Certificates for New Construction
Conformance to the setback requirements of RMOW Zoning and Parking Bylaw No. 303, 2015 must be verified both before and after the placing of concrete.
Prior to the placement of concrete in formwork for foundations that require confirmation of setbacks, the Building Inspector must be provided with:
- a siting plan or a survey of the forms produced by a registered BC Land Surveyor; or, alternatively,
- where foundations are 3 cm clear of setbacks as determined by Land Title Office plans, an improvement location plan produced by a Certified Applied Science Technologist.
Where a siting plan is provided, a survey or improvement location plan of the formwork is not required prior to the placement of concrete unless the foundations are located within 3 cm of a setback.
Within 10 working days of the completion of concrete or preserved wood foundations, the owner or the owner’s authorized agent shall submit:
- a survey or improvement location plan showing the setbacks of the closest portions of the foundations to the adjacent property lines.
Where a form survey or improvement location plan has been provided, a survey or improvement location plan of the completed foundations shall be submitted to the Building Inspector prior to the issuance of an Occupancy Permit showing the following:
- the shortest distances from the outer surfaces of the foundations of the building or structure on the property to the property lines, easements or rights of ways; and
- the elevation of the applicable aspects of the floor system in relation to a flood reference where the Municipality’s land use regulations establish requirements related to floor level elevations.
Surveyors Certificates for Additions
Provide a current survey certificate with a building permit application for an addition or alterations to an existing building. Further surveys may be required to verify the location of additions.
Mechanical Ventilation Checklists
Mechanical Ventilation Checklists are required for each dwelling unit to demonstrate compliance with Section 9.32 of the 2018 BC Building Code.
Licencing of Trades
RMOW Business License Bylaw No. 567, 1987, requires any person carrying on business in the RMOW to hold a valid business license. The building and plumbing inspectors have the right to refuse to inspect work performed by an unlicensed contractor.
A contractor, designer/architect, or engineer that is based outside of Whistler, but is performing work in Whistler, is required to obtain a non-resident business licence.
Plumbing contractors are required to possess a Tradesman Qualification Ticket in order to acquire a business license and obtain all plumbing permits.
To obtain a Whistler Business Licence, complete a Business Licence Application.
Noise Control
As per Section 4 (f) and (g) of RMOW Noise Control Bylaw No. 1660, 2004 permits construction, equipment and/or machinery noise in residential zones between the hours of 8:00 am and 8:00 pm only.
Water Supply
Connection to the municipal water service, whether temporary or permanent, is subject to installation of an appropriate backflow preventer selected in accordance with CSA B64.10, with consideration to the associated potential cross connection hazard level. The minimum requirement for a water service pipe that represents a minor hazard (MH) is a check valve as per Article 2.6.1.5 of the 2012 BC Plumbing Code. Temporary water usage for typical construction related activities is not subject to metering.
Fire Hydrant Use Permits may be obtained for temporary water in accordance with the RMOW Fire Protection and Fireworks Bylaw No. 2046, 2014. Note that a RMOW issued Backflow Preventer will be provided and attached to the hydrant by an RMOW Utilities Staff Member.
To apply for a Hydrant Use Permit and to look up Backflow Preventer rental fees, visit: https://www.whistler.ca/services/permits-and-licences/hydrant-use-permits.
Parking Regulations
As per RMOW Parking and Traffic Bylaw No. 1512, 2001, parking is generally permitted on the public roadway in any neighbourhood except:
- on the odd-numbered side of the street at any time,
- on the even-numbered side of the street from November 1 to March 31, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday (excluding holidays) for snow clearing purposes,
- if a sign is posted stating otherwise,
- on all public streets, roads, ways, trails, lanes, bridges, and approaches and any other public way for longer than 72 hours, and
- in a “fire lane”, or within six (6) metres of a fire hydrant.
NOTE: Detached trailers, construction bins or chattel require approval and permits from the Engineering Department.
Commercial Parking Decals
Vehicles with a valid commercial parking decal may park on the even side any time during the year while the operator of the commercial vehicle is actually engaged in providing a tradesman’s service nearby.
For information about commercial parking decals go to www.whistler.ca/parking and click “Commercial vehicle permits”.
The Infrastructure Services Department specifies design standards for connections to municipal services, including but not limited to:
- Residential Water Service
- Metered Connections
- Sanitary & Storm Service Connection
- Sanitary Service Inspection Chamber
- Storm Sump Details
- Driveway Culvert & Headwall
To ensure any connections to municipal services required for your project are done correctly, review the Standard Drawings.
In the summer months, there will be restrictions on High-Risk Construction Activity during “High” and “Extreme” fire danger ratings. This is to minimize the risk of construction activity in the wild land urban interface becoming a source of ignition resulting in wildfire. Specifically, High-Risk Construction Activity (eg. blasting, excavating, drilling, grinding, hot works, etc.), in the interface area (within 10 metres of the forest) will be banned during High and Extreme fire danger ratings.
If the owner would like to continue High-Risk Construction Activity during the restrictions, then the owner or their authorized representative must apply for an Exemption. The Exemption process requires a site inspection and the implementation of mitigating measures, such as site wet-down requirements and fire watches. For more information about the fire department’s Interface Construction and Maintenance Regulations and Exemptions, please refer to the Fire Department web page.
Application of Fire Smart national standards proves to be the most effective means to reduce wildfires loss by managing the fuels within the home ignition zone (the house and immediate surroundings within 30 to 100 m, and other structures such as garages, decks, porches, or fences that come in contact with the house).
Recommendations:
FireSmart Building Standards:
- Non-combustible roofing materials
- Non- combustible exterior classing
- Closed eaves
- Screened vents <3mm openings
- Enclosed and non-combustible decks/balconies/porches
- Tempered or double pane windows
FireSmart Landscaping Standards:
- 10m vegetation (fuel) free zone around building (deciduous trees not counted)
- Forest (conifer tree) composition 10m – 30m beyond building: 3m spacing between conifer crowns, removal of smaller trees, prune all stems >2m upwards, remove surface fuels.
For more information about the FireSmart program, visit www.whistler.ca/firesmart.
Whistler is a provincially-designated Bear Smart Community and the RMOW is committed to reducing conflict between humans and wildlife.
Bear attractants
Bears can be attracted to construction sites by:
- discarded food,
- garbage,
- petroleum products, and
- certain plant species.
Learn more about wildlife attractants.
Keep your construction site safe
Keep people and bears safe on construction sites by:
- storing all attractants inside a secure building or bear-proof container, and
- disposing of all food waste, including packaging and drink containers, immediately into bear-proof garbage or recyling containers.
All garbage enclosures must meet the Solid Waste Wildlife-Proof Enclosure Guidelines.
Bear encounters
If a bear enters your work site:
- never approach the bear,
- ensure the bear has an unobstructed escape route from the site, and
- once the bear has left, remove any food sources that may have attracted it.
Before starting construction, learn more about Bear smart practices for construction sites.
