City of Surrey cuts residential permit processing times from months to weeks | Daily Hive

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Staff with the City of Surrey state development and building permit timelines have improved significantly after a challenging year marked by major housing policy changes and a surge in applications.

According to a new City staff report, the provincial government’s housing legislation and the introduction of small-scale, multi-unit housing options dramatically increased demand on City staff in 2025.

In response, the municipal government hired additional reviewers, reassigned City staff, worked overtime (including on weekends), and introduced new technology to bring approval timelines back in line with targets.

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In late 2023, the provincial government introduced legislation aimed at increasing housing supply and affordability across British Columbia. In accordance with the legislation, the City of Surrey updated its policies to allow a wider range of low-density housing forms, such as secondary suites, laneway houses, and multiplexes.

Those changes were quickly embraced by builders. Residential building permit applications soared by 59 per cent, while the average number of resubmissions per application jumped from 1.7 to 2.9. City staff noted that these projects are often more complex than traditional single-family detached houses, requiring additional review and coordination.

The increase in volume and complexity led to longer wait times for residential rezoning and building permits through early and mid-2025.

By the fourth quarter of 2025, the City launched an effort to clear backlogs and speed up reviews. Measures included hiring four external plan reviewers, adding two residential permit approvals representatives to handle applicant communication, and appointing a building permit solutions manager to resolve stalled files. In addition to City staff working overtime, non-residential reviewers also assisted with residential reviews.

As a result, City staff state timelines have improved sharply. As of early January 2026, new residential building permits were being processed in an average of 2.7 weeks, down from 16 weeks in September 2025 and well below the City’s 10-week target. Residential additions and renovations were averaging five weeks, also within target timelines.

Tenant improvement permits have also returned to normal after a spike earlier in 2025. Minor tenant improvement permits, introduced in September 2025, are now typically reviewed within one day.

Small-scale residential rezoning applications, including those for subdivisions and multi-unit housing, remain slightly above target at an average of 14.4 weeks, compared to a 12-week goal. City staff attribute some of the delay to applicants revising projects mid-stream to take advantage of new housing options, as well as Canada Post’s service disruptions that extended notification periods.

City staff state they expect rezoning timelines to return below target later this winter as additional measures take effect.

Larger multi-family, commercial, and industrial rezonings have remained within target timelines, averaging 14.6 weeks in 2025. However, City staff note that slower market conditions have reduced activity in these categories.

“Last year, the City cut permit processing times, lowered costs for the development community, and delivered real results — 4,280 net new dwellings and over $2 billion in construction value,” said Surrey mayor Brenda Locke in a statement.

“As Surrey continues to grow rapidly, we are committed to creating more homes in every neighbourhood and making it easier to build in our city.”

The municipal government will continue refining its development approval process in 2026, with a focus on reducing incomplete submissions and repeat resubmissions. New digital tools, including artificial intelligence-based zoning checks and enhanced online portals, are being rolled out to help applicants submit more accurate applications.

The City will also continue implementing initiatives under its Housing Accelerator Fund Action Plan, supported by about $100 million in funding from the federal government.

“I would like to acknowledge the incredible work done by staff to reduce the processing times,” said Ron Gill, the City’s general manager of planning and development.

“Now that the timelines are below the target, we will continue improving the process to help deliver homes for residents. It’s important that we celebrate the successes of 2025 and look forward to the improvement opportunities of 2026.”

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