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Building and Safety Standards Branch

National Energy Efficiency Proposals for Housing and Small Buildings

The Province is considering energy efficiency proposals for housing and small buildings that have been developed by a working group of stakeholders from across the country coordinated by the National Research Council.

A national public review of these proposals is under way from January 9 til March 2, 2012. We encourage you to participate in this review and provide feedback via the link below.  The National Research Council has agreed to share responses from British Columbians with the province’s Building and Safety Standards Branch.  The responses will help to inform the decision-making process for next steps in energy efficiency requirements for housing and small buildings.

NOTE:  The national public review materials include a cost/benefit analysis that projects the impacts of the proposed changes. While this analysis may be valid on a broad national basis, it was not intended to represent the actual costs BC builders would incur to implement these proposals taking into account British Columbia’s circumstances of construction and energy costs, and current levels of energy efficiency.



The Ministry's Building and Safety Standards Branch is responsible for developing and implementing a modern legislative framework for regulating safety in the design, construction and occupancy of buildings. The branch works to balance the safety, economic and social concerns in building regulation for all British Columbians.

Current Building and Safety Standards Branch initiatives include:

Core activities of the Building and Safety Standards Branch include:

  • Governance of aspects of the building regulatory system framework;
  • Stewardship of the development and application of the BC Building Code;
  • Management of the administrative agreements with delegated authorities under the Safety Standards Act;
  • Acting as secretariat to the Building Code Appeal Board, the Province of British Columbia's building code dispute resolution board;
  • Working with the Homeowner Protection Office to strengthen consumer protection for buyers of new homes under the Homeowner Protection Act;
  • Liaising with the BC Safety Authority created under the Safety Authority Act; and
  • Promoting and facilitating British Columbia's interests in national standards while working with stakeholders to balance safety, economic and social priorities.

Key Legislation:

Building Code Enforcement and Building Permits

The Building and Safety Standards Branch does not enforce compliance with the BC Building Code. Local governments are authorized to enforce the BC Building Code through the Local Government Act and the Community Charter. If you have a question regarding building permits or building code enforcement, please contact the local government building department in your area.

You can find contact information for local governments here.