Do You Need a Permit for a Septic System in Campbell River?
Campbell River Septic handles your septic filing through Island Health, which applies across Campbell River, Willow Point, and Oyster River. You need a Strathcona Regional District building permit only if you are in Electoral Area D, not in Area A, B, or C. We finish every job by submitting your signed letter of certification within 30 days.
Updated September 2026
Homeowners often mix up the two distinct types of paperwork needed for a septic job. First, you need a provincial septic filing submitted to Island Health. Second, you may need a local building permit depending on where you live.
We generate your filing directly from the soil assessment and design we complete for your lot.
Which rule covers your septic system?
If your system handles under 22,700 litres per day, it falls under the Sewerage System Regulation. Systems discharging 22,700 litres per day or more fall under the Municipal Wastewater Regulation instead.
When your building has indoor plumbing without a city sewer connection, you must treat your wastewater safely on site. Island Health reviews filings to ensure your system meets provincial standards.
Residential systems under 22,700 litres per day follow the Sewerage System Regulation. This rule applies to single-family homes, duplexes, multi-structure lots, and strata properties. If daily flow hits 22,700 litres per day or more, the Environmental Management Act's Municipal Wastewater Regulation takes over.
Who is allowed to do the work?
Practitioners can hold up to five registration categories with the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians Association of BC.
The regulation requires an Authorized Person to build, alter, or repair your septic system. An Authorized Person means either a Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioner or a professional.
As ROWPs registered with the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians Association of BC, we design and install Type 1 and Type 2 systems under 9,100 litres per day. The Applied Science Technologists and Technicians Association of BC registers practitioners as planners, installers, maintenance providers, commercial inspectors, or residential inspectors. Engineers and geoscientists can design and install Type 1, 2, and 3 systems up to 22,699 litres per day.
What gets filed, and when?
You cannot put the system into use until the letter of certification is submitted to the health authority.
Before building, we submit your filing form, site plans, system specs, and any property covenants directly to Island Health.
We submit a signed letter of certification within 30 days of finishing construction to prove your system meets provincial rules. That document confirms we built the system lawfully, finished construction, kept daily flow under 22,700 litres per day, and ensured it will not pose a health hazard. It carries an as-built diagram and a maintenance plan.
| Where your property is | Building permit | Island Health septic filing |
|---|---|---|
| City of Campbell River | Yes — City of Campbell River | Yes |
| Electoral Area A (Kyuquot/Nootka-Sayward) | No building bylaw | Yes |
| Electoral Area B (Cortes Island) | No building bylaw | Yes |
| Electoral Area C (Discovery Islands-Mainland Inlets) | No building bylaw | Yes |
| Electoral Area D (Oyster Bay-Buttle Lake) | Yes — Strathcona Regional District | Yes |
Building permits cover the structures on your lot. Building permit requirements do not affect your septic filing, which you need regardless of location.
Building permits: Area D yes, Areas A, B and C no
The Strathcona Regional District requires building permits in Electoral Area D only. Local building rules operate completely separately from provincial septic regulations.
The Strathcona Regional District requires building permits for new construction, alteration, addition or demolition of a building or structure in Electoral Area D only. Electoral Areas A, B and C have no building bylaws and require no building permits.
That regulation applies strictly to your building permit. It does not alter how we handle your septic system. Your Island Health filing is provincial, so it applies across all four electoral areas and inside Campbell River. Even if you live in Electoral Area A, B, or C, you must complete the Island Health filing.
What does Island Health actually do with the filing?
Island Health does not approve the design. We take full responsibility for submitting your filing correctly.
Island Health receives your filing and checks that the submission meets minimum criteria. Island Health accepts the filing, but it does not approve the design or take responsibility for whether it suits your lot. We carry that responsibility as the Authorized Person signing your plans.
What the Strathcona Regional District takes, and how long
About one week for planning review, then usually one to three weeks for the building inspector.
When you apply for a building permit, the district checks zoning and community plans before approving construction. That usually takes about one week where there are no concerns. The building inspector then usually takes one to three weeks to review and issue the permit where the paperwork is in order. The Strathcona Regional District enforces the BC Building Code, 2024 edition on permitted builds.
The district includes Area D, Oyster Bay-Buttle Lake alongside Areas A, B, and C, plus Campbell River and four other municipalities.
What about a building permit inside the city?
Inside Campbell River, one municipal form covers all project applications including plumbing.
City building permits ensure your structure meets municipal zoning and safety codes. You use one single city form whether you are doing plumbing, residential work, or placing a mobile home.
The city's building bylaw is Building Bylaw 3899, 2023. The city manages local property developments under Subdivision Bylaw 3419, 2010 and Zoning Bylaw 3250, 2006. Once the city issues your permit number and five-digit code, you can schedule inspections online.
Which repairs need a filing?
A broken distribution box lid needs none. Replacing the whole field does.
Whether you need new filing depends on if we are modifying your system or simply fixing existing parts. A broken lid, a failed pump, a float switch, a filter or ten feet of crushed line all restore it, and none of them needs a new filing.
Replacing the distribution field, replacing the septic tank, or changing from gravity distribution to pressure distribution all change it, and all three do need one. An Authorized Person must complete or directly supervise every septic repair, regardless of size.
What counts as an offence
Grey water is sewage once it leaves the building, and putting it on the surface is illegal.
Working on a septic system without ROWP qualifications or filing documents violates provincial regulations. It is also an offence to discharge sewage onto the ground surface, into a body of water, or into a source of drinking water.
Greywater from sinks and showers falls under these same rules. If you want to reuse greywater in your garden, we must design an underground system filed with Island Health for non-food plants. Discharging grey water to the ground surface is illegal.
How we handle your filing
We include your Island Health filing right in the design fee. It is not a separate line on your invoice.
- 1
Assessment — we log the soil and confirm what your parcel will take.
- 2
Design and file — we design the system and submit the filing package to Island Health before construction.
- 3
Build — we construct your system to match the filed plans, while you secure any required local building permit.
- 4
Certify — we submit your signed certification letter within 30 days of finishing so you can begin using your system.
For pricing, see the price ranges we publish. Out in the electoral areas we work on parcels on Quadra Island and parcels at Oyster River.
We file septic paperwork for properties in Campbell River, Willow Point, Campbellton, Quadra Island and Oyster River, across the Strathcona Regional District.
Tell us where your property sits and what you are building, and we'll come out and give you a free quote.