Do I need a plumbing permit to replace a toilet in Metro Vancouver?
Not in Vancouver, Coquitlam or the District of North Vancouver, whose by-laws exempt replacing a toilet (Vancouver and the District only where no piping changes). Surrey's permit page exempts it too, but Surrey's Plumbing By-law No. 6569 does not.
The answer depends on two things: which municipality you are in, and which of its documents you read. Each municipality has a by-law, which is the rule, and a web page, which is what most people and many counter staff see first. In two of the four checked here they agree. In the other two they do not, and they disagree in opposite directions.
| Municipality | What the by-law says | What the City's web page says | Do they match? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | No permit "to repair or replace a valve, sprinkler head, faucet, fixture, fixture outlet pipe or service water heater ... if there is no change to any other piping" | No permit to "repair or replace fixtures (as long as they remain in the same location)" | Yes | 12 |
| Coquitlam | No permit for "the replacement of plumbing fixtures, provided that such replacement fixtures and the installation thereof conform with all other requirements of this Bylaw and the Provincial Code" | The FAQ gives the same exemption, conforming to the Coquitlam Building Bylaw and the B.C. Plumbing Code | Yes | 34 |
| District of North Vancouver | The by-law "does not apply to ... the replacement of tubs, showers, toilets, lavatories or sinks if the work does not involve or require the rearrangement of valves, pipes or fixtures or hot water tanks" | Exempts only clearing stoppages and repairing leaks | No: the page is narrower | 67 |
| Surrey | A permit is needed before any "replacement ... of any plumbing system or any part thereof"; the only exemption is for stoppages and leaks that do not involve replacing pipes, valves or fixtures | Lists "Replacement of plumbing fixtures" among work that needs no permit, provided the fixtures and installation conform | No: the page is broader | 89 |
Read the condition, not just the word "replace"
The exemptions are not identical even where they exist.
- Vancouver allows the replacement only "if there is no change to any other
piping".1 A toilet on the same flange qualifies; moving the flange does not.
- The District of North Vancouver allows it only if the work "does not
involve or require the rearrangement of valves, pipes or fixtures or hot water tanks".6
- Coquitlam's condition is that the replacement fixtures and their
installation conform to the by-law and the code.34 The by-law does not add a same-location wording. It does not follow that you may move the fixture: moving it is work on the plumbing system, which section 48.1 says needs a permit.3
- Surrey's by-law has no fixture-replacement exemption to condition.8
When the page and the by-law disagree
The by-law is the rule. The page is a summary, and in these two cases the summary is off in different directions.
In the District of North Vancouver, the page is stricter than the by-law, so you may be told you need a permit for a like-for-like toilet swap the by-law excludes.67 In Surrey, the page is more generous than the by-law, so a swap the page says needs no permit is one the by-law's text requires a permit for.89
In both places the practical advice is the same: ask the municipality's plumbing section which reading it applies to your job, and get the answer in writing before the work starts.
When you do need a permit, who can take it out
- Vancouver: a plumbing permit goes only to a licensed plumbing contractor,
except that the owner of a residential building with not more than one principal dwelling unit may get one to do the work if the owner lives there.1
- Coquitlam: a homeowner of a detached single-family home may do their own
plumbing if they will live there on completion, get help only from immediate family, are not preparing the home for sale or rent, sign a declaration with a schematic, and satisfy the inspector of their competency.5
- District of North Vancouver: a registered homeowner may apply only for a
detached single-family home with no secondary suite that they live in, or intend to live in; otherwise only a licensed contractor can apply.7
What this page does not cover
Only the four municipalities above were checked against both documents. Burnaby, Richmond, the City of North Vancouver and the Langleys each have their own plumbing rules, which are not covered here. Coquitlam's and the District of North Vancouver's by-law texts come from the municipalities' own consolidations, which both describe as for convenience only; the adopted by-laws govern.
One question per page. The first sentence is the answer. When a figure changes, the page changes and the verified date moves. All answers.