Reading Five BC Permit Mixes Side by Side: A Trades Comparison Guide
A side-by-side read of permit-type mixes across Vancouver, Surrey, New Westminster, Victoria and Maple Ridge, and what the differences mean for trades deciding where to focus.
PermitRadius Research · Published Nov 2, 2026 · Updated Nov 2, 2026
In short
Aggregate permit counts for five live BC cities — Vancouver, Surrey, New Westminster, Victoria and Maple Ridge — show very different mixes of commercial, addition/alteration, demolition and residential project types. Vancouver's baseline is dominated by commercial and alteration work, Surrey leans toward alterations plus a broad spread of house types, and the smaller cities show thinner but more specific patterns. This guide explains how to compare those mixes without over-reading them, how to pair the comparison with permit volume already visible in your own pipeline, and where the same approach will apply to cities that are coming soon. It stays with aggregate counts only; per-permit details, timing and project scope need to be checked in the underlying permit records and with the relevant authority.
01 · Why compare mixes instead of totals
A single total tells you a city is busy. A mix tells you what kind of work is generating the paperwork — and that is usually the more useful question for a trade. A city with a large commercial share and a smaller new-house share is producing different conversations than one where new houses and duplexes sit near the top of the list. Comparing mixes across the five live cities helps you decide where your trade's project type is most represented, rather than defaulting to the biggest city on the map.
Keep the frame modest. These are aggregate counts, not a forecast, and a mix that looks thin this period can shift. Treat the comparison as a prioritisation aid alongside your own quoting history, then check individual permit records before committing effort. Data sources explains where the aggregates come from.
02 · Vancouver: commercial and alteration heavy
Vancouver's listed counts are led by Commercial at 327 and Addition / alteration at 256, well ahead of the next cluster. Demolition sits at 156 and Multiplex at 121. Below that, Laneway (50), Duplex (48), New house (29) and Pool / backyard (18) are smaller, with Townhouse at 5 and Other at 2.
For trades tied to fit-outs, renovation and commercial upgrading, Vancouver's mix is where the weight sits. If your work is confined to new single-family builds or pools, the same city will look much quieter in these aggregates — not absent, just a smaller slice. The practical move is to match your trade to the category with volume rather than assume the largest city is the best fit for every trade.
03 · Surrey: alteration-led with a wide spread
Surrey's largest listed category is Addition / alteration at 113, followed by Other at 106. Demolition (78), New house (76), Laneway (68) and Commercial (65) form a fairly even middle band, with Duplex at 41, Pool / backyard at 15, Multiplex at 10 and Townhouse at 9.
The shape here is breadth: several categories carry meaningful counts rather than one dominant type. For trades that serve multiple project kinds — say, exterior work that applies to additions, new houses and laneway builds alike — Surrey's spread may offer more entry points than a city concentrated in a single category. Compare it against Vancouver's narrower top end when deciding where your specific scope appears most often.
7000 blk 135 Pl
Killarney · Vancouver
$4.1M
Townhouse
Brightwater Builders Ltd.
17 permits this year · repeat builder
04 · The smaller live cities: thinner but specific
Victoria's listed counts are led by Addition / alteration at 94, with Commercial at 35, Demolition at 17 and smaller figures for Multiplex (5), Pool / backyard (5), New house (4) and Duplex (1). New Westminster shows Addition / alteration at 32 and Commercial at 29, then Other at 9, Demolition at 7 and single figures for Duplex, Laneway and New house. Maple Ridge runs New house at 17 and Commercial at 15, with Addition / alteration at 12, Other at 9, Demolition at 5, Duplex at 2 and Laneway and Pool / backyard at 1 each.
Lower counts are not a reason to skip a city; they are a reason to read the mix with more care. A trade that specialises in new houses may find Maple Ridge's mix more relevant than its total suggests, while alteration-focused trades will see Victoria and New Westminster's tilt toward additions and alterations.
05 · Building the comparison into a routine
A workable routine: pick the two or three project types your trade actually serves, look at where those types carry the most weight across the five live cities, then check recent records in those cities before assigning time to outreach. Repeat on a regular cadence rather than once, so you notice when a mix shifts.
The same reading approach is designed to extend as coverage grows. Cities outside the current five are coming soon, so treat any comparison outside Vancouver, Surrey, New Westminster, Victoria and Maple Ridge as provisional. Try the demo to see how records are presented before committing a review block to the routine, and View plans if you want to set coverage against a regular schedule.
06 · What the comparison cannot tell you
Aggregate counts say nothing about project timing, scope, budget or who is engaged. Two cities with identical alteration counts can differ enormously in the size and stage of those projects. Nor do counts indicate whether a permit is actively progressing or already closed.
Use the comparison to narrow where to look, not to conclude what you will find. Individual permit records are the next step, and the city or district that issued the permit is the authority on its status. Keep expectations proportional to what the data covers, and revisit the mix when new aggregates arrive — especially for cities currently listed as coming soon.
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