THE City of Surrey is taking further strides to streamline the development and permitting process. This month, Council approved a pre-application pilot program and amendments to the Building Bylaw to clarify the early building permit application submission requirements. These improvements are designed to enhance transparency, reduce timelines, and allow for quicker project initiation.

“The pilot program and Bylaw amendments approved by Council demonstrates our commitment to simplifying and accelerating the development and permitting process,” said Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke on Wednesday. “Through innovation, data-driven solutions, and progressive reviews of our policies and procedures, the improvements being made are another step Surrey is taking to drive development and create more housing options. The changes are expected to lead to improved application submissions which will support our goal in reducing approval times by a minimum of 30%.”

* Pre-Application Pilot Program:

The pilot program aims to improve application submissions. After a comprehensive review, staff proposed process changes in key areas aimed at clearly defining submission requirements, strengthening communication between applicants and staff and standardizing the review process. The changes to the pre-application process include:

• Expansion of our online services to include pre-application features such as the capability for applicants to view their scheduled pre-application meeting date, view staff comments related to their proposal, and easily find who to contact about their proposal.
• Clarifying minimum submission requirements and review scope, based on project type, to ensure consistency in the pre-application review.
• Establish a review timeline target of five weeks from receiving a complete pre-application package.

The enhanced pre-application process will be assessed after four months to confirm its effectiveness and opportunities for further enhancements.

* Early Building Permit Application Submissions:

The bylaw amendments for early building permit application submissions help staff efficiently process applications, reduce repeated reviews, and promote completion of development and building permit applications. To submit an early building permit application for commercial, industrial, or multiple-residential projects, the following conditions must be satisfied:

• Conditional Approval from Council;
• Payment by the owner of the Engineering servicing agreement processing fee;
• Acceptance of finalized architectural drawings, for commercial, industrial, or multiple-residential development as required for the development permit;
• Acceptance of finalized landscape drawings for commercial, industrial, or multiple-residential development as required for the development permit.

The amendments will ensure that criteria will be consistently applied by staff and clearly communicated to applicants. Once these conditions are met, an applicant would be permitted to submit a building permit application. 

“These updates are about more than just efficiency—they’re about supporting Surrey’s future,” said Councillor Pardeep Kooner, Chair of the Development Approval Process Improvement Task Force. “This pilot program and amendments to the Building Bylaw will provide applicants with a predictive and structured review process along with clear and consistent expectations. By engaging with applicants early, we can reduce delays, ensure better submissions, and support our goal of faster approvals—helping to create more housing and economic opportunities for our community.”

Learn more about development and permitting improvements in Surrey at surrey.ca/development.