Do I need a permit to replace my perimeter drain in District of Metchosin?

For the drain itself, see what the municipality publishes above. For the connection to the municipal system, the answer is more often yes than no, and that is the part worth confirming in writing.

My contractor says no permit is needed. Is that a red flag?

Not on its own. In several municipalities the trench beside your house genuinely is not named as permitted work while the connection to the storm system is. It becomes a red flag when they cannot say which rule they are relying on.

Nobody inspects it here. What can I do instead?

Ask for photographs of the open trench before it is filled: the pipe in place, the stone over it, and the wall. A contractor who does good work will not mind, and one who minds has told you something.

Does perimeter drain work need a permit in Metchosin, and who is allowed to do it?

Perimeter drain permits in Metchosin

Direct answer · reviewed 2026-09-29

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. Nothing published here requires the drain to be inspected before it is buried, which means the only person who will ever see the work is the person doing it. On the connection at the street: altering a storm or sewer connection appears on the plumbing permit application's own schedule of items.

Conditions and exceptions

This reports what the municipality publishes, read from its own page, form or bylaw. It is not legal advice and it does not replace a call to the municipal office.
Three of the thirteen municipalities do inspect before backfill. That yours does not is a reason to ask the contractor for photographs of the open trench.
Bylaws are amended. Every rule here was read on 29 September 2026; if you find one out of date, tell us and we will check it.

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Local evidence

Every figure below is quoted from the source shown or is our labelled estimate. Verified dates are the day we last checked the source; a figure whose check is overdue is withheld rather than shown.

Metchosin: altering a storm connection: 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”; Metchosin publishes no separate guidance on perimeter drainage itself; District of Metchosin · quoted · verified 2026-09-22

What the District of Metchosin publishes

These are the rules as the District of Metchosin states them, quoted rather than summarised.

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”

Much of Metchosin is rural and unsewered, so the drain's destination is usually a ditch or a dry well rather than a storm main.

What to settle before you accept a quote

A quote that is silent on the permit is a quote with an open question in it. These are the three that close it.

Does replacing perimeter drain tile need a plumbing or a building permit here?
Does the connection to the storm system need a separate permit, and who is allowed to make it?
Is there an inspection before the trench is backfilled, and will I get the result?

What does not change between municipalities

The Building Code is provincial, so the pipe, the stone, the depth and the legal destinations for the water are identical in all thirteen places. 100 mm (4 inches) At least 150 mm of crushed stone or other coarse clean granular material, with no more than 10% passing a 4 mm sieve To a sewer, a drainage ditch or a dry well

So is the honest limit on what anyone can tell you: until a camera has been down the pipe, nobody knows whether it is blocked, broken or fine — and that includes us.

Questions homeowners ask

Do I need a permit to replace my perimeter drain in District of Metchosin?: For the drain itself, see what the municipality publishes above. For the connection to the municipal system, the answer is more often yes than no, and that is the part worth confirming in writing.
My contractor says no permit is needed. Is that a red flag?: Not on its own. In several municipalities the trench beside your house genuinely is not named as permitted work while the connection to the storm system is. It becomes a red flag when they cannot say which rule they are relying on.
Nobody inspects it here. What can I do instead?: Ask for photographs of the open trench before it is filled: the pipe in place, the stone over it, and the wall. A contractor who does good work will not mind, and one who minds has told you something.

Your next step

Who pulls the permit is a line most quotes leave out, and the tool reports silence as silence.

Check whether your quotes cover the permit

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Sources

Plumbing Permit Application (November 2024) — District of Metchosin, accessed 2026-09-22

Code and municipal requirements are quoted from the sources above; price ranges are what named local companies publish, and the companies that publish them sell the work. Nothing here is a diagnosis of a particular house: only a camera in your own drain can tell you what is wrong with it. Report a correction.