The District is creating a Wildfire Development Permit Area (DPA) for Squamish to help reduce the risk to public safety, property and the District’s forests from wildfire hazards.
Identified as one of the recommendations from the District's Community Wildfire Protection Plan, the Wildfire DPA would apply to properties that are at risk for wildfire. Development occurring within the Wildfire DPA would be required to obtain a Development Permit and meet a set of guidelines focused on fire-resistive building materials and landscaping.
Two virtual workshops and a survey were run in November to get feedback from the community on the proposed Wildfire DPA.
Following the workshops, 14 people completed the Wildfire DPA survey. View the results from the survey here.
Staff are now in the process of revising the Wildfire DPA based on community feedback and survey input received. The previous version of the Wildfire DPA Guidelines and Map are linked below. Staff will post the revised Wildfire DPA here when it is ready. This Wildfire page will continue to be updated with information on the project in 2021.
Questions? Please contact our Planning Department at planning@squamish.ca.
In general, under Provincial legislation, local governments can use Development Permit Areas to identify locations where special requirements and guidelines for development apply, to protect development from natural hazards.
The Wildfire Development Permit Area includes forests and properties that are at risk for wildfire. Development occurring within the Wildfire DPA would need to get a permit and meet a set of guidelines that specify accepted materials and methods to limit the development's vulnerability to wildfires and ember showers.
Wildfire risk continues to increase in the District with:
A Wildfire DPA will:
The Wildfire DPA will apply to most lands within the District of Squamish, given the large amount of forested areas and the close proximity of our neighbourhoods to these forests (as well as the strong winds that can spread wildfires and embers).
Review the Wildfire DPA Map.
A Development Permit would be required for all development activity (some exemptions will apply) within the Wildfire DPA.
The first focus of the DPA guidelines is on building materials, with fire resistant materials used for roofs, cladding/exterior walls, and decks/porches/balconies.
The second focus is on covering external building openings, including eaves, soffits, and vents. Chimneys should have spark arrestors.
The third focus is on landscaping adjacent to the building, with landscaping guidelines based on FireSmart best practices.
If your property is within the Wildfire DPA and you are planning to do any construction, addition to or alteration of a building or structure, or you are planning to do a subdivision which would create two or more new lots, then a Wildfire Development Permit would be triggered. Note that some exemptions will apply (see exemption FAQ section for more on this).
This wildfire DPA has guidelines that apply to the construction of, addition to or alteration of a building or structure.
Buildings must generally be constructed using fire-resistant materials and methods.
Building construction guidelines include:
The DPA guidelines for landscaping are based on FireSmart principles about how to create defensible space around homes and structures, to reduce the possibility of fire ignition.
Landscaping modifications apply to the area within 10 meters of a proposed building site or existing building footprint.
Landscaping guidelines include:
The Wildfire DPA has guidelines for subdivision development and design, which include specifications for:
If your property is included within the Wildfire DPA, discuss your proposed work with District staff early in the process. You will be advised whether the proposed work is exempt from the DPA, or whether a Wildfire Development Permit (DP) is needed.
If a Wildfire DP is needed, a Land Development Application would be completed and fee paid. A site plan, building materials and landscape plan would be submitted with the application. District staff would review the application for conformance with the DPA guidelines. If the proposed work meets the guidelines, staff would recommend approval of the DP by the Director of Community Planning (who has delegated authority for permit approval and issuance). The permit would also be registered on the title of your property. You would then proceed through the building permit and construction process, following the terms and conditions of the permit.
Note that a Development Permit is NOT a Building Permit. A Development Permit must be obtained before a Building Permit or subdivision approval can occur.
Development Permit processing time varies depending on whether or not there are any other DPs required, the completeness and accuracy of the application information submitted, and the overall complexity of the project. Once all information is received, the processing generally takes 4 – 8 weeks, but is dependent on current staff capacity and whether additional information is required to process the application.
Yes, there are exemptions proposed.
Firstly, no guidelines will be applied to existing homes (that are not proposing or undergoing new construction, renovations or additions) within the Wildfire DPA.
A Development Permit will not be required for the following uses within the Wildfire DPA (note this is a condensed list, refer to the draft DPA for full verbatim list):
While there is no date set for the Wildfire DPA to come into effect, the project timeline is as follows:
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