Vancouver council continues to update policies and regulations to get more housing built faster. Here are three recent initiatives. 

Homeowners planning to build a laneway home can now access a new interactive digital project requirements exploration tool (PRET). 

As part of the city’s efforts to improve the permitting process, PRET’s digital features help laneway home applicants in residential, single-family zones: 

• explore if a laneway house is allowed on their property; 
• identify required permits; 
• determine if construction of a laneway house is feasible; and 
• ensure their project is consistent with zoning requirements. 

Homeowners planning a residential renovation can now use Vancouver’s residential renovation fast track stream to get a permit within one week. 

Projects must be under $95,000. Eligible renovations include: 

• simple kitchen or bathroom alterations; 
• solar panels; 
• plumbing or electrical updates; 
• restoration work; and 
• some accessibility upgrades. 

Expedited permits now account for 20 per cent of all renovation applications.

Housing applications with the highest numbers of new units (rental, mixed-use, and affordable homeownership) will now recieve priority.  

Council’s actions build on previous commitments to lower permit wait times, ensuring applications: 

• for renovations and single-family homes are completed within three days; 
• for townhomes and multiplexes within three weeks; 
• for low and mid-rise apartments within three months; and  
• major projects within one year. 

View the complete list of the City’s actions to help improve the permitting process.  

Learn about the province's Single Housing Application Service.

Watch how PRET supports laneway home applications.