Development permit areas for climateaction

Local governments may designate development permit areas in an official community plan for purposes supporting climate action.

The three climate action objectives that can be supported through a development permit area are:

• Energy conservation
• Water conservation
• Greenhouse gas emissions reduction

Learn more about development permit areas and the other purposes for which they can be used.

This development permit authority supports the provincial government’s broader action on climate change, including the requirement for local governments to have greenhouse gas reduction targets and policies and actions in official community plans and regional growth strategies. This authority can also be used by local governments to help meet their B.C. Climate Action Charter commitments.

• Official Community Plans for Local Governments
• Regional Growth Strategies for Local Governments
• B.C. Climate Action Charter

For development permit area purposes related to energy conservation, water conservation and greenhouse gas emissions reduction, local governments can make requirements on elements that are exterior to buildings, such as:

• Landscaping, for example, requiring drought-tolerant plantings
• Siting of buildings and other structures, for example, building orientation to capture solar energy
• Form and exterior design of buildings and other structures, for example, provision of deep overhangs for shade
• Specific features in the development, for example, naturalized ponds that capture and store rainwater runoff
• Machinery, equipment and systems external to buildings and other structures, for example, rainwater collection systems and geothermal systems

Development permit areas for climate action

Local governments in B.C. can make strategic choices about how to effectively use development permit areas to conserve energy and water and to help achieve their greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

• Development Permit Areas for Climate Action: A Guide for Energy Conservation, Water Conservation and GHG Emissions Reduction (PDF)