Perimeter drainage permits and inspections in the thirteen Greater Victoria municipalities
For all thirteen Greater Victoria local governments: whether the municipality publishes anything specific to perimeter drainage, whether the drain is inspected before the trench is backfilled, what needs a permit, and who may connect to the municipal system. Read from each municipality's own page, form or bylaw. Three of the thirteen inspect before backfill — that is the column worth having, and no municipality publishes it as a comparison because each states only its own answer. Where a municipality publishes nothing drainage-specific the cell says so; that is a finding, not a missing value.
Verified 2026-09-22 · recheck by 2027-03-22 · compiled from 16 sources: City of Victoria, Permits and Inspections Division, City of Victoria, City of Victoria Open Data Portal, District of Saanich, District of Saanich, Engineering Department, District of Oak Bay, District of North Saanich, District of Central Saanich, Town of View Royal, District of Highlands, District of Sooke, District of Metchosin, Township of Esquimalt, Town of Sidney, City of Colwood, City of Langford
| municipality | publishes drainage rules | inspected before backfill | permit rule | connection to municipal system | what is true only here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| the City of Victoria | specific | yes | Perimeter drain tile and dampproofing must be inspected before the installation is concealed and before backfilling | A plumbing permit is required to install or alter a connection to the stormwater utility. | Victoria is one of only three municipalities in the region that will not let the drain be buried before someone has looked at it, and it is the only one that publishes where your storm lateral runs. |
| the District of Saanich | specific | not published | Anyone may install perimeter foundation drainage, but storm laterals, sanitary sewer lines, rainwater leader systems and water lines may only be done by a certified plumber, a supervised indentured apprentice, or the registered owner-occupant with approved drawings | The storm lateral, the sanitary line, rainwater leader systems and water lines are restricted; perimeter drainage itself is not. | Saanich is the one municipality that states plainly who may do which part: the drain around your footings is open to anyone, the connection at the street is not. |
| Oak Bay | specific | not published | A plumbing permit is required, and the page names it: new or altered plumbing systems include replacing storm drain and sanitary sewer laterals on private property | A plumbing permit covers replacing storm drain and sanitary sewer laterals on private property. | Oak Bay is the only municipality in the region whose permit page names the private-property storm lateral out loud, so there is no argument about whether replacing it needs a permit here. |
| North Saanich | specific | yes | Municipal crews only — all sewer connections to municipal mains or laterals on municipal property or rights-of-way are to be made by municipal crews unless express written permission is given by the Director of Infrastructure Services | Municipal crews only, unless the Director of Infrastructure Services gives written permission. | North Saanich is the strictest in the region and the most useful to a homeowner for exactly that reason: its own crews make the connection, and the drain may not be buried before it is inspected. |
| Central Saanich | specific | not published | In Oak Bay and Central Saanich, yes, on conditions: the homeowner must demonstrate plumbing code knowledge and submit an isometric drawing of the proposed plumbing | A plumbing permit is required for new or altered plumbing systems; the district's engineering department arranges municipal service work. | Central Saanich will issue the plumbing permit to a competent homeowner rather than only to a ticketed plumber, which is unusual, and it asks for something in return: proof you know the code, and a drawing. |
| View Royal | specific | not published | A Drainage Connection Permit, issued under Streets Bylaw No. 980, Section 10.3, to install a storm sewer service connection | A Drainage Connection Permit under Streets Bylaw No. 980, Section 10.3, to install a storm sewer service connection. | View Royal is the only municipality with a permit named after this job: a Drainage Connection Permit, issued under its Streets Bylaw. |
| the District of Highlands | partial | yes | Three publish the rule in their own bylaws: Victoria, Highlands and North Saanich | A plumbing permit is required for installing or altering plumbing systems or sewers; nothing further is published about the storm connection. | Highlands publishes one rule about drainage and it happens to be the most valuable one: the perimeter drain tiles and the dampproofing may not be covered up until a Building Official has accepted them. |
| the District of Sooke | partial | not published | A permit is required to connect to a municipal sanitary or storm sewer system, and to install or alter plumbing within a building or on a property — which Sooke notes applies to piping rather than to changing fixtures | A permit is required to connect to a municipal sanitary or storm sewer system. | Sooke publishes the trigger plainly — connecting to the municipal storm sewer needs a permit — and says nothing at all about the drain around your footings. |
| the District of Metchosin | partial | not published | A plumbing permit item — the application form's own schedule lists “Altering Storm/Sewer”, “Storm/Sewer”, “Sump Pump/Catch Basin”, “Building Drain” and “Floor Drains” | Altering a storm or sewer connection appears on the plumbing permit application's own schedule of items. | Metchosin answers the question sideways: it publishes no drainage guidance, but its plumbing permit form lists altering a storm or sewer connection, and a sump or catch basin, as permitted items. |
| the Township of Esquimalt | partial | not published | The application form's schedule of permitted items includes “AREA SUMP & CATCH BASIN”, “ROOF DRAIN” and “INTERNAL ROOF LEADER/RWL'S”; perimeter drainage itself is not mentioned anywhere the Township publishes | not published | Esquimalt's plumbing permit clearly covers a sump, a catch basin and a roof drain. On the perimeter drain itself the Township publishes nothing, and that gap is worth a phone call rather than an assumption. |
| the Town of Sidney | partial | not published | Applications for new construction, or projects that decrease site permeability, will likely require a storm water management system designed by a professional civil engineer, and a covenant must be registered on the property title before a building permit can be issued | not published | Sidney's published rule is aimed at new construction rather than at a failed drain: a stormwater system designed by an engineer, and a covenant registered on your title. |
| the City of Colwood | nothing | not published | Four municipalities — Esquimalt, Colwood, Langford and Sidney — publish a plumbing permit but nothing about whether perimeter drainage itself is permitted work | not published | Colwood runs building, plumbing, engineering and sewer connection applications as four separate things, and publishes nothing about which one a perimeter drain falls under. |
| the City of Langford | nothing | not published | Four municipalities — Esquimalt, Colwood, Langford and Sidney — publish a plumbing permit but nothing about whether perimeter drainage itself is permitted work | not published | Langford publishes one broad trigger — any installation, alteration or repair of a plumbing system needs a permit — and nothing that says whether a perimeter drain is one. |
Every cell here is read from the document named in its row, on the verification date above. Greater Victoria Drainage publishes no figure it has not read. Rules change: confirm anything you are about to spend money on.