Soil Deposit (Fill) Permits are required when placing fill on a property, either to raise the geodetic elevation, or fill in a previous excavation, such as a pool in-fill.
Soil Deposit Process & Requirements
In most circumstances a Soil Deposit Permit (also called a Fill Permit) is required before any soil can be deposited on property within the City of New Westminster. A formal review would begin once an application with all accompanying documentation has been submitted and the application fee paid. The requirements under the City's Soil Deposit and Regulation Bylaw must be addressed before a Soil Deposit Permit will be issued.
The following is a summary of the information required when making a Soil Deposit Application, however the City reserves the right to require additional information that may be relevant to any application. Should you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact staff for any clarifications or assistance during the process.
For more information, please contact Engineering and Public Works at 604-527-4592 or at engpost@newwestcity.ca if you would like to set up an appointment to discuss your application.
Geotechnical Report and Soils Investigation* (see Geotechnical Report & Soils Investigation Requirements below)
The application must be accompanied by two sets of plans - A1 size paper and one 11x17 copy drawn to scale*:
Cross-Sections showing property boundaries, existing ground elevations, proposed fill elevations, finish fill grades and side slopes and or proposed retaining walls.
Detailed perimeter drainage design showing the perimeter drainage pipe, cleanouts, ditches, swales, catch basins, and dimensions in relation to the property lines.
Detailed plans showing site details such as the proposed building envelope, location of adjacent buildings and structures within 6.0 meters of the property line, elevations of the existing, proposed and finish fill elevations, location of drainage swales, direction of surface flow, location of ditches, culverts, utilities and other relevant infrastructure.
*must be original, signed and sealed by a Geotechnical Engineer registered in the Province of British Columbia
Effective January 1, 2026
The following fees, insurance and deposits are required in relation to a fill permit application:
$771.00 application fee plus $0.85 per cubic meter of placement
$4,727.00 security deposit for each 5,000 cubic meters of soil deposited or portion thereof
$5,000.00 security deposit towards the cost of completing street cleaning or emergency work arising from the soil deposit
General liability insurance must be provided in the amount of $5 million dollars with the City named as a additional insurer
Written consent is required from any mortgage holders of the property
Report by a Qualified Environment Professional on Riparian Area Regulations (RAR), if applicable (contact Development Services to see if the property in question is affected by this)
The plans noted above must be accompanied by a Geotechnical Report prepared by a Qualified Professional Engineer registered in British Columbia with a background in Geotechnical Engineering. The report will need to address both the soil placement on the property and the technical building issues related to pile foundations, retaining walls, drainage and bearing capacity of soil as applicable. The Geotechnical Report must be site specific.
The following items must be included in the geotechnical report; failure to do so may result in delayed acceptance and/or possible rejection of the report.
legal description of the lot
purpose of the report
site description and proposed development
proposed main floor elevation
identification of the flood construction level (if applicable)
field investigation
soil and groundwater conditions
conclusion and recommendations
confirmation that the proposed development is feasible
fill placement and pre-loading recommendations and any anticipated short and long term settlement
duration of pre-loading as applicable
when the foundation can be constructed following primary consolidation
recommendations for settlement gauge and piezometer installations
recommendations for driveway, sidewalk and site preparation
confirmation that the fill placement can be carried out safely without causing damage to adjoining buildings or structures, utilities, infrastructure or undue settlement of neighbouring lands
adjoining property will not be subject to flooding as a result of fill placement
pile foundation
confirmation that there will be no potential damage to adjacent structures from pile driving
lot grading
methane gas
reference methane gas barrier or ventilation system
methods used to prevent potential damage to services to dwellings
review and inspection services required by the geotechnical engineer
detailed borehole logs and site plan locating the boreholes
The report must be signed and sealed by a Professional Engineer registered in the Province of British Columbia.
If a subsidence covenant is not already registered on the lands, provide a one page summary of the geotechnical report called "Schedule A" and attach it to the subsidence covenant to be registered on title. This summary needs to include the wording;"the subject parcel of the land may be used safely for the intended use" either residential or commercial as applicable to the specific zoning of the land. In addition, it should make reference to the lot grading plan.
