Excavation and shoring in Vancouver
Vancouver has specific rules for shoring into City property, anchor rods, street use and sediment control.
Local rules that affect excavation
Checked October 2026. Each point below links to Vancouver’s own bylaw or web page. Bylaws change, so confirm with Vancouver before work starts. General information, not legal advice.
Shoring, anchors and street use
- New buildings that need shoring, excavation, hoarding or scaffolding into City property need a construction street use permit, and you must apply for a building permit before applying for it. Examples include sheet piles, anchor rods and shotcrete. Source: City of Vancouver: Construction street use permits
- Encroachment By-law No. 4243, section 3A, covers anchor rods used to shore an excavation face, and lets the City cut or remove them under the terms of the agreement. Source: By-law No. 4243 (PDF)
- Where a development encroaches into a mapped future rapid transit corridor, a fiberglass anchor is required when any portion of the anchor is below 4 m of final grade. Source: City of Vancouver: Construction street use permits
Erosion and sediment control
- Under the Sewer and Watercourse By-law No. 8093, sites of 1,000 m² or more, or with an excavation deeper than one storey, must submit an ESC plan as part of the building permit application. Source: City of Vancouver Bulletin 2002-003-EV (PDF)
Tree protection
- Protection of Trees By-law No. 9958: a permit is needed to remove a private-property tree 20 cm or more in diameter at 1.4 m, and all retained trees must be protected during construction. Source: City of Vancouver: Protection of Trees By-law
Provincial and federal rules apply too
Municipal bylaws sit on top of provincial and federal rules: BC 1 Call locates and WorkSafeBC requirements on every dig, the Agricultural Land Commission for fill in the ALR, soil relocation notifications for some commercial and industrial sites, and the Water Sustainability Act and Fisheries Act near streams. Our Excavation permits checklist for BC projects links each one to its source.
PCE in Vancouver
PCE is based in Langley and works across Metro Vancouver. Services we take on here:
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