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

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 Saanich, and who is allowed to do it?

Perimeter drain permits in Saanich

Direct answer · reviewed 2026-09-29

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. 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: the storm lateral, the sanitary line, rainwater leader systems and water lines are restricted; perimeter drainage itself is not.

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 Every rule here was read on 29 September 2026; if you find one out of date, tell us and we will check it.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.

Saanich: who is allowed to do which part of the work: 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 drain itself and the pipe that carries its water away are governed differently — a quote can be legitimate for one and not the other; District of Saanich · quoted · verified 2026-09-22
Saanich: the plumbing permit's own line items: The application form lists Storm Drain Lateral, Sewer Lateral, Water Service, Manhole and Replace Drain Tile; District of Saanich · quoted · verified 2026-09-22
How far from the wall Saanich says a downspout should discharge: About 1.2 metres, or four feet, away from basement walls — and not onto a neighbour's property; This is guidance on the district's own page, not a bylaw requirement · It is the cheapest thing on any of these pages to act on; District of Saanich, Engineering Department · quoted · verified 2026-09-22
Whose problem is a blockage past the property line, in Saanich?: The homeowner's to locate: Saanich tells homeowners they must determine where the blockage is within the sewer connection, and that it does not matter whether it is on private or public property; Many homeowners assume the municipality deals with anything past the property line · Locating the blockage is what a camera inspection does; District of Saanich, Engineering Department · quoted · verified 2026-09-22

What the District of Saanich publishes

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

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 application form lists Storm Drain Lateral, Sewer Lateral, Water Service, Manhole and Replace Drain Tile

About 1.2 metres, or four feet, away from basement walls — and not onto a neighbour's property

The homeowner's to locate: Saanich tells homeowners they must determine where the blockage is within the sewer connection, and that it does not matter whether it is on private or public property

Saanich also tells homeowners the blockage is theirs to locate whether it sits on private or public property — a surprise to most people.

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 Saanich?: 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 permits — what needs one and who may do the work — District of Saanich, accessed 2026-09-22
Stormwater: homeowner responsibilities — District of Saanich, Engineering Department, 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.