Digital Building Permit Review Tools
The City of Burnaby is launching a pilot program to use new digital tools to speed up residential building permit processing.
This program, which is funded in part by the CMHC Housing Accelerator Fund, helps home-builders get timely feedback on zoning regulations, submit permit applications with fewer potential problems, and experience a faster, simpler, and more transparent application process.
There will be 2 new services for residential building permit applicants:
- Explore provides specific zoning requirements and permissions for R1-zoned residential properties, which covers over 98% of all residentially-zoned lots in Burnaby.
- eCheck allows you to upload draft building plans and get an automated zoning compliance report before submitting a building permit application.
While these automated tools will enable faster reviews, Burnaby’s plan checking staff will still review submitted documents to resolve complex issues and ensure compliance with the BC Building Code. Both tools were developed by Archistar, Burnaby’s software vendor for this pilot program.
Be a part of our eCheck pilot program
On March 28, 2025, all applications for single-family dwellings without a suite, and with or without a rear principal building (i.e. laneway home), will be eligible for the eCheck pilot program. Stay tuned for more information on how to participate!
Additional building types will become eligible as the pilot program expands, including:
- single-family dwellings with a suite
- duplexes without suite(s)
- duplexes with suite(s)
All of these building types will be eligible to participate with or without the inclusion of a rear principal building in the proposal.
Benefits
- Early, clear, and accurate zoning information: The Explore platform is available 24/7 and provides specific zoning information for an R1 zoned property. With Explore, most applicants will be able to get answers to zoning questions instantly, without needing to call or email City staff.
- Enhanced transparency and communication: Standardized zoning compliance reports will improve transparency and communication between applicants and staff.
- Cost Savings: Providing more information upfront and ensuring faster responses can minimize the need for costly design revisions. This approach accelerates the construction process, reduces carrying costs, and reduces barriers to new housing development.
- More homes, faster: Faster permitting means more homes can be built in Burnaby, faster.
- More staff support for complex reviews: Automating routine checks on zoning regulations frees up City staff time to support customers on other, more complex reviews and applications.
eCheck program details
eCheck is a digital tool that reviews building plans to check if they comply with zoning rules. You can upload draft PDF plans and get an automated zoning report which identifies zoning deficiencies before you submit your permit application. This allows you to fix any problems, and address design issues in advance, and overall reduces errors, leads to fewer revisions, and speeds up approvals. The eCheck report shows which zoning rules apply to your project, whether your design passes or fails each rule, and offers tips to fix any issues.
eCheck generates a compliance report within 24 hours for PDFs, much faster than manual checks. You can upload drawings to eCheck anytime, 24/7, to fit your schedule.
It is important to note that eCheck doesn't replace professional designers and expertise. It checks objective zoning rules, not ones that need judgment. Applicants are strongly recommended to retain experienced qualified design professionals who are familiar with the Burnaby Zoning bylaw. As this is a the pilot program, City staff will provide close quality control of reviews, and will continue to fully review drawings for Building Code compliance.
If your design fails to meet certain regulations, the report will show what needs to be adjusted. You can modify your plans and resubmit them for a new eCheck. eCheck reviews draft designs for zoning compliance only. Passing does not guarantee approval, but it significantly increases your chances of having a design that meets all zoning regulations, which will speed up overall processing time. A plan checker may still need to review permit drawings to verify the eCheck report. The eCheck system follows strict security protocols to protect your information and the files being uploaded, and the copyright holder of the plans maintains the ownership rights.
Your architectural drawings can be uploaded in the PDF format. For accurate results, professionally drafted plans are highly recommended. Hand-drawn plans are unlikely to provide sufficient detail or accuracy for a thorough assessment. You can submit multiple versions of your design to determine which one meets the compliance requirements most effectively.
For eCheck, ensure that you upload the full architectural plans and complete the submission intake questionnaire. Architectural plans should include: a cover sheet/technical data summary, topographical and survey plans, site plan, floor plans and elevations. Please refer to the Drawing Requirements – R1 SSMUH Information Guide for further details.
Submissions through eCheck are being accepted at no additional costs.