Permits are the least visible phase of a project and the one that most often wrecks a schedule. Here's how long approvals genuinely take across Metro Vancouver — and the preparation that reliably shortens them.
Typical combined timelines, city by city
The chart shows combined development permit and building permit duration for a new single-family or multiplex project, from complete application to issued permit, under 2026 processing loads:
Why the same house takes 6 months in one city and 14 in another
- Application completeness. The single biggest variable is whether the first submission survives intake review. Rejected-and-resubmitted applications restart queues.
- Zoning conformity. Projects that fit outright zoning move through standard streams; variances and relaxations add board or council cycles.
- Referrals. Trees, creeks, heritage character and steep slopes each trigger specialist review layers.
- Servicing. New water, sewer or Hydro connections are their own approvals, best filed in parallel — not after.
How we compress the calendar
We meet planning staff with a concept before drawings are finished, so the design answers objections that would otherwise surface at month four.
Surveys, arborist and geotech reports, energy compliance and drawings filed together — intake rejection is where most delay is born.
Demolition, servicing and trades permits are filed alongside the building permit, not after it.
When the city asks a question, the clock is ours. We answer revision requests inside two working days.
We'll check zoning, likely streams and current processing times for your specific address — free.
✱ Representative planning figures for Metro Vancouver, mid-2026 — assembled from municipal permitting schedules, the BC Energy Step Code framework and Armacan project records. Every lot and scope is different: treat these as orientation, not a quote, and confirm against your property in a free consultation.
