Requesting Building Plans

The City maintains building plans for many properties within Nanaimo. Property owners may request electronic copies of building plans on file, provided they were the registered owner at the time the plans were issued under permit.

Fees for plan requests are outlined in the Plan Request Form.

Please note that processing times may vary and requests can take several weeks to complete, depending on request volumes and staff availability.

Important: The City may not have plans on file for older buildings or for properties that were located outside City boundaries before amalgamation in the mid-1970s.

Not the Property Owner?

If you are requesting building plans on behalf of the property owner, you must provide written authorization from the owner before plans can be released.

Please complete the Plan Request Authorization Form and submit it with your Plan Request Form. Requests submitted without owner authorization cannot be processed.

Property Owned by a Company?

If the property is owned by a company, a current Company Search from BC Registry Services must be provided to verify the signing authority of the person requesting the plans.

Important: The Company Search must be obtained within two weeks of submitting the building plan request. Requests submitted with a Company Search older than two weeks will not be accepted.

Property Owned by a Strata?

If building plans are being requested on behalf of a strata corporation, a copy of the strata council meeting minutes confirming the appointment of the current Strata President must be provided.

Requests submitted by an individual or Strata President without documentation confirming signing authority cannot be processed.

If the City does not have the building plans you are seeking, you may wish to contact the Nanaimo Archives, which maintains historical records and may have information or documents related to properties in the Nanaimo area.