Do You Need a Permit to Replace a Roof in Courtenay?

When a permit is NOT required

The job we do most, tearing off old shingles and installing new shingles of the same type, usually needs no building permit in BC. The same goes for most of the repairs we make: replacing damaged shingles, fixing flashing, patching leaks, and clearing moss. That's maintenance, not new construction, so you need no permit.

When a permit IS required

You generally need a permit when the work changes more than the surface: switching materials (for example shingles to metal, which changes the roof load), replacing or altering the roof sheathing or framing, changing the slope or shape, adding skylights or solar, or converting attic space. In short: if it changes the structure or the load, you need a permit.

City of Courtenay vs. rural Comox Valley

Inside Courtenay, the City's building department is the authority and its building bylaw sets the requirements. On rural and unincorporated properties, the Comox Valley Regional District handles building permits, and the Town of Comox or Village of Cumberland for those municipalities. We check which authority covers your property before the work starts, and we tell you what it needs from you.

Who pulls the permit

When a permit is needed, you're responsible for it as the property owner, but we prepare and handle the application. Getting it right matters for your insurance and your resale, because unpermitted structural work can complicate both.

How permits fit into a roof job

1. 1

   Assess the scope — We confirm whether your job is a like-for-like re-roof (no permit) or a material or structural change (permit).

2. 2

   Apply where needed — Where a permit applies, we prepare the application and any drawings for the City of Courtenay or the Comox Valley Regional District.

3. 3

   Roof once cleared — We start right away on a straight re-roof, or once the permit is approved where one is required.