A Requirement Many Property Owners Discover Too Late
If you’re planning to tear down an older property in Nanaimo, there’s a step in the process that surprises a lot of homeowners and even some contractors: the city requires a documented asbestos survey as part of your demolition permit application. This isn’t a province-wide rule — it’s specific to a small group of BC municipalities, and Nanaimo is one of them.
Which BC Municipalities Have This Rule
Nanaimo requires an asbestos survey to accompany residential demolition permit applications. The same requirement applies in Vancouver, Saanich, Coquitlam, and Port Coquitlam. If you’ve demolished a property in a different BC municipality before without this requirement, don’t assume Nanaimo works the same way.
Why the Requirement Exists
WorkSafeBC officers receive and review demolition permits issued by participating municipalities, giving them advance knowledge of where residential demolitions will take place across the province. In municipalities that also require an asbestos survey — Nanaimo included — that survey is made available to WorkSafeBC officers as well. This creates a direct link between your municipal permit application and provincial worker safety oversight, and it reflects how seriously asbestos exposure is treated in BC’s construction sector.
What the Survey Actually Involves
- A visual inspection of the property identifying materials likely to contain asbestos based on age and material type
- Targeted sampling of suspect materials
- Laboratory analysis of collected samples
- A written report documenting findings, suitable for submission with your permit application
Planning Your Demolition Timeline Around This
The biggest mistake property owners make is leaving the survey until the last minute before submitting their permit application. Laboratory analysis takes several business days, and if asbestos is found, an abatement plan needs to be developed and executed before demolition can proceed. Building the survey into your project timeline from the start — ideally as one of your first steps, not your last — avoids unnecessary delays.
What Happens After the Survey
If no asbestos is found, you have documentation to submit with your permit application and can proceed. If asbestos-containing materials are identified, the report typically includes recommendations for next steps, which generally means hiring a licensed abatement contractor to safely remove the material before demolition continues.
Common Questions from Nanaimo Property Owners
- “My contractor said it’s fine to skip the survey” — Verify this directly with the City of Nanaimo’s permitting department. Permit requirements are not optional based on a contractor’s assessment.
- “My home is too new to have asbestos” — Age is the relevant factor, not how the home looks. Homes built up until 1990 may contain asbestos-containing materials regardless of style or condition.
- “I’ll just deal with it if it comes up during demolition” — This is the scenario the permit requirement exists to prevent. Discovering asbestos mid-demolition halts work and creates far more disruption than addressing it upfront.
Bottom Line
If you’re planning a residential demolition in Nanaimo, build the asbestos survey into your project plan from day one. It’s a legal requirement for your permit application, and addressing it early protects your timeline as much as it protects worker and public safety.