Shoring, anchors and deep excavations: BC rules
Deep excavations next to streets and buildings bring two sets of rules: worker safety from WorkSafeBC, and permission from the city for anything that reaches under its land.
When an engineer is required
Under section 20.78 of the OHS Regulation, excavation work must follow a qualified registered professional’s written instructions if the excavation is more than 6 m deep, an improvement or structure is adjacent, vibration or hydrostatic pressure could cause hazardous ground movement, or the ground slopes away steeper than 3 horizontal to 1 vertical. Where support structures are used, the instructions must come from a professional engineer.
City permits for shoring and anchors
| City | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | Construction street use permit for shoring or excavation into City property (after the building permit); anchor rods under Encroachment By-law 4243 s.3A; fiberglass anchors near transit below 4 m | City of Vancouver |
| Burnaby | Hoarding and shoring plans with the building permit; per-m² fee for anchor-supported excavation faces next to City rights-of-way (since Jan 1, 2025) | City of Burnaby |
| Richmond | Underpinning Works Permit for tie-backs, sheet piles, anchor rods or soldier piles encroaching on City property | Bylaw 9833 (PDF) |
| Coquitlam | Temporary Encroachment Agreement for construction uses including shoring | City of Coquitlam |
| City of Langley | Independent review of excavation and shoring plans 3 m or deeper (non-single-family) | Policy CO-87 (PDF) |
| Surrey | ESC authorization for underground parking excavations deeper than 3 m | By-law 21181 |
How PCE fits in
PCE does the excavation inside shored sites — bulk digging as the shoring goes down, then the detail work at the bottom — working alongside the shoring contractor and to the engineer’s sequence. See the high-rise excavation for Matcon.
Checked October 2026 against the sources linked on this page. Rules change, so confirm with the authority before work starts. General information only, not engineering or legal advice.
Got a big job coming up?
Tell us where it is, what needs to come out of the ground and when. We’ll tell you how we would do it.