Engineering Permits

• Applications will only be processed upon receipt of a completed (signed) application 
• Applications will not be processed until fees (if applicable) have been received
• Work can only commence upon receipt of an approved permit, and only within the timeframe outlined therein.
• See the benefits of registering for a MySaanich account!

Frequently requested permits and forms:

• Borehole Permits   
• Boulevard Permits 
• Change Property Civic Address
• Fire Hydrant Permit 
• Permit to Occupy the Road Allowance (RAO) - APPLY ONLINE 
• Permit to Work on the Road Allowance (RAW) - APPLY ONLINE
• Special Vehicle Permit (RAV)
  
• Certificate of Insurance form
  
• Fill and Soil Removal Permit
  
• Driveway Access Permit

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 Borehole permit application

 (Note: please download & save the application to your desktop; use Adobe Acrobat Reader to apply an E-Signature)

• Fee:  $50 base fee, plus $200 per borehole, plus $25 per day of work    
• Notice period:  Five (5) working days to process this permit, for review and approval. 
• Work can only commence upon receipt of an approved permit, and only within the timeframe outlined therein.

A borehole is a deep narrow hole made in the ground.  Drilling a borehole is typically used to find or extract water samples (or other liquids), or to obtain soil samples through the various layers for testing purposes.

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Boulevard permit application

(Note: please download & save the application to your desktop; use Adobe Acrobat Reader to apply an E-Signature)

• Fee: None; however, a fine can be levied if works on a boulevard proceed without a valid boulevard permit.
• Notice period: Ten (10) working days to process this permit, for review and approval.  

A boulevard is the land from your property line to the curb of the roadway, or where there is no curb, to the edge of the shoulder; this may or may not include a sidewalk or multi-use pathway.  When purchasing a property in Saanich, the property owner agrees to maintain this area, however, a permit is required to landscape or alter the boulevard.   If you are unsure where your property line ends and the boulevard begins, please go to SaanichMap. Please note: You may only apply for a boulevard permit for the boulevard in front of your own property. 

• The District has a Boulevard Regulation Bylaw which oversees the maintenance and boulevard permitting processes. 
• For more planting tips, click here to go to our Boulevards information page.
• Boulevard permits will NOT be approved for:

• Fences
• Individual rocks set on the boulevard
• Gravel placed on the boulevard
• Parking areas
• Sheds
• Retaining walls
• Hedges on the boulevard

Landscaping plants for boulevards

Any plants for landscaping must come from the Approved List, or with approval from Saanich. 

Boulevard Trees, please contact the Parks Department if requesting:

• To plant a tree on the boulevard
• Removal of a tree
• A new tree

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Change property address form

(Note: please download & save the form to your desktop; use Adobe Acrobat Reader to apply an E-Signature)

• Fee:  $105
• Notice period:  Twenty (20) working days minimum to process this permit, for review and approval. 

A homeowner is able to request that the address of their home is changed, as long as reasonable grounds are provided and proposed numbering makes sense to the houses in the surrounding area. Example: if the address is "1234 Front Street" but the driveway access and deliveries are through "Side Street" causing confusion on how to access the property, the homeowner may opt to request that the address be changed to "5678 Side Street".

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Fire hydrant permit application

(Note: please download & save the application to your desktop; use Adobe Acrobat Reader to apply an E-Signature)

• Fee:  $89.25 per day (2 day maximum)
• Notice period: 24 hours to process this permit, for review and approval.
• Work can only commence upon receipt of an approved permit, and only within the timeframe outlined therein.

Do you operate a construction firm and need a supply of water to keep the dust down in the neighbourhood where you’re working? A permit to access water from the fire hydrant allows you to access bulk water for up to 2 (two) days. 

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Permit to occupy the road allowance (RAO)

• Fee:  $50 base fee (plus $10 per day per 20 square metres) 
• NOTE: only the base fee is payable by credit card at this time; additional payments can be handled in-person at 3500 Blanshard

• Available payment options:

• Credit card
• Online banking (can take up to 3 business days to process)
• Cheque, cash, debit are only accepted in-person at 3500 Blanshard Street
• Notice period:  Five (5) working days to process this permit, for review and approval
• Note: Category 3 Traffic Management Plans may require up to Ten (10) working days to process, review, and approve.

A Permit to Occupy the Road Allowance is required if you plan to temporarily utilize the area beyond your property line (the boulevard, sidewalk, or component of the roadway) for any of the following purposes: 

• Enclosures bound by temporary fencing, hoarding, or otherwise delineated for construction purposes relating to works occurring on private property. Works may include construction, alteration, repair, maintenance, or demolition of a building. 
• Disposal bin and/or drop chutes
• Storage of materials and equipment
• Temporary support structures
• Moving containers
• Walk-through/staging scaffold, including covered walkways
• Operation of cherry picker, backhoe, fork lift, scissor lift, zoom boom etc.
• Hoisting with mobile crane or boom truck
• Hoisting by means of a tower crane
• Pumping of concrete and concrete mixer
• Storage of a trailer
• A swing stage used for window washing
• Chemical cleaning or sand blasting apparatus
• Rope, tackle and/or ladders

 Application requirements:

• Complete and submit the Project Category Determination Form. This helps determine the risk associated with work on the roadway.
• A sketch or diagram showing the object that will be occupying the road allowance, relative to the address, pedestrian traffic or street traffic and indicate the purpose. If your occupation of the road will obstruct pedestrian or street traffic in any way, you will need to provide a Traffic Management Plan.
• Traffic Management Plan (TMP) including signage; indicate signage on sketch for clarification.  At a minimum, this must include: detailed diagrams indicating the exact locations and areas of construction/work for occupancy;

• Dimensions must be indicated on the diagrams of these areas (on the road or boulevard);
• Advance notice construction signage must be indicated on the diagram as well as other traffic control devices, such as cones or barricades used to cordon off these areas of work.
• Any works within the road allowance must provide traffic control in accordance with the most recent edition of the Ministry of Transportation and Transit's Traffic Management Manual for Work on Roadways.
• A Category 3 Traffic Management Plan shall be signed and sealed by a Professional Engineer who is licensed in British Columbia and experienced in traffic management planning and road safety. The Professional Engineer is responsible for approving, and sealing the Traffic Management Plan and Traffic Control Plans, including all drawings and layouts.
• Certificate of Insurance form with minimum $5,000,000 commercial general liability insurance and the District of Saanich to be named as additional insured is required. 

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Permit to construct works on the public road allowance or municipal right of way (RAW)

• Fee:  $50 base fee plus $25 per day of work (or $500 per month)
• Available payment options:
• Credit card
• Online banking (can take up to 3 business days to process)
• Cheque, cash, debit are only accepted in-person at 3500 Blanshard Street
• Notice period:  Five (5) working days to process this permit, for review and approval
• Note: Category 3 Traffic Management Plans may require up to Ten (10) working days to process, review, and approve.

A Permit To Construct Works on A Public Road Allowance or Municipal Right of Way is required to construct anything on the public road way or within municipal rights-of-way on private property.  Examples of this would be: 

• Sidewalks, curbs, and gutters
• Water, sewer, or drain infrastructure alterations
• New telephone and hydro poles on the road allowance
• Third party utility installations

Application requirements:

For Engineering staff to properly review your application, please include the following: 

• Complete and submit the Project Category Determination Form. This helps determine the risk associated with work on the roadway.
• Dimensioned diagrams indicating the exact locations and areas of construction/work for occupancy and any bylaw protected trees affected by the works;
• Advance notice construction signage must be indicated on the diagram as well as other traffic control devices, such as cones or barricades used to cordon off these areas of work;
• A traffic management plan (TMP) for any works within the road allowance must:
• Provide traffic control in accordance with Saanich Hours of Work on District Roadways Operating Procedure and the most recent edition of the Ministry of Transportation and Transit's Traffic Management Manual for Work on Roadways. All work must adhere to WorksafeBC requirements.
• A Category 3 Traffic Management Plan shall be signed and sealed by a Professional Engineer who is licensed in British Columbia and experienced in traffic management planning and road safety. The Professional Engineer is responsible for approving, and sealing the Traffic Management Plan and Traffic Control Plans, including all drawings and layouts.
• Certificate of Insurance form with minimum $5,000,000 commercial general liability insurance and the District of Saanich to be named as additional insured is required. 

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Special vehicle permit application (RAV)

(Note: please download & save the application to your desktop; use Adobe Acrobat Reader to apply an E-Signature)

• Fee: $50
• Notice period: Up to ten (10) working days may be required to process this permit for review and approval
• Note: If infrastructure relocation or tree work is required, fifteen (15) working days notice is required.

An Oversized Vehicle Permit is required for all loads exceeding the following dimensions:

• Overall Length – 31.00m
• Overall Width – 3.80m
• Overall Height – 4.30m

Permits are required for any load exceeding the weight guidelines outlined by the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) found here.

Permit requirements

• A completed CVSE 1052 available from The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
• A route map:
• Certify that adequate clearances and protection of overhead and underground infrastructure exists to be submitted by a Professional Engineer registered in the Province of BC. 
• Certify that there is adequate clearance for trees on the route. 
• Identify all infrastructure that requires relocation or any tree removals or trimming.  If needed, a certified arborist must be obtained to develop a tree trimming plan.  
• Saanich will provide an estimate for this work and payment must be received in full before issuing the permit. 
• Certificate of insurance with a minimum of $5,000,000 commercial general liability insurance.
• Detailed move timeline
• Scheduled or anticipated move date
• Outline the permit in which any infrastructure, such as streetlights and traffic poles, need to be removed 
• Saanich Public Works stand-by rates will apply beyond initial hours outlined
• Detailed traffic management plan is required for each move, as well as providing any trafic control or flag persons. 
• Lane closures must be completed in accordance with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) manual for work on roadways. 

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Fill and Soil Removal permit application

(Note: please download & save the application to your desktop; use Adobe Acrobat Reader to apply an E-Signature)

• Permit requirements (outlined in Section 8) must include:
• Drawings signed and sealed by a qualified professional
• A signed and sealed estimate prepared by the qualified professional
• A title search with copies of all registered covenants, statutory rights of way and easements
• Any relevant reports or memos
• Permit application fees
• $500 permit application fee
• $1.00/m³ permit fee
• The larger of $1,000 or 10% of the estimated cost of the works for a refundable deposit

This District of Saanich adopted the Deposit and Removal of Soil Bylaw on October 24, 2022 (view here). The new bylaw consolidated the Deposit of Fill Bylaw and Soil Removal Bylaw into one comprehensive, modernized bylaw.

Key points of the new bylaw include:

• All soil activities, regardless of whether they require a permit or not, must adhere to performance standards as set out in Schedule A.
• Soil placement, relocation, and removal volumes that can take place without a permit are proportional to lot area, allowing 1.5m³/100m² to be placed, removed, and relocated annually.
• Prohibition of the placement of non-soil materials, including construction waste, on any lot not authorized to accept such waste (Hartland Landfill), unless in accordance with section 36(2) and 36(3) of the ALR Use Regulation (Section 4).
• Exemptions where another municipal permit includes the soil activities or a provincial authority has granted permission and does not require municipal approval (Section 7).
• New fees, with certain exemptions (Schedule B), see permit application fees

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Driveway Access Permit application