Updated September 2026
Permits & Locates for Excavation in Nanaimo
Nanaimo Excavators files your locate and pulls your permit before anything gets dug in the Regional District of Nanaimo. BC 1 Call responds to the request within 3 working days, and it costs you nothing. Once a trench reaches 1.2 metres and someone has to get into it, we work to WorkSafeBC's OHS Regulation Part 20.
We file for locates and pull permits before any machine moves, and it's part of the quote.
We pull permits and call locates as part of Site Prep & Grading.
How do you get utilities located before you dig?
We file a BC 1 Call locate request before every job, and it costs you nothing. The table below carries the response window and the two dates that follow it. We file yours against the week you actually want to break ground, so the ticket is live when the machine turns up.
What are the rules for a deep trench?
Any excavation past 1.2 metres that a worker enters has to be sloped, benched, professionally engineered, or protected with a trench box or shoring cage under WorkSafeBC's rules. We also keep spoil piles set back — 60 centimetres from the trench edge, 1.2 metres from any other excavation — so the sides don't take on extra pressure.
Do you need a permit before you dig?
In most cases, yes — the City of Nanaimo and the District of Lantzville each have their own building department, and the Regional District of Nanaimo issues permits for the rural electoral areas. A permit is required before any stage of a project starts, including excavation. We handle figuring out which stage of the process your project needs before we book the dig. A retaining structure under 1.0 metre high, holding back under 1.0 metre of earth, doesn't need one.
What if your property is in the Agricultural Land Reserve?
Moving fill or soil on ALR land needs a Notice of Intent filed with the Agricultural Land Commission at least 60 days before work starts, with a $150 fee. We flag this on the site walk if your property is inside the ALR, so it doesn't hold up your schedule.
What happens when the inspector comes?
If your job needs an inspection, we book it and we are there for it. You do not have to take the day off to meet somebody on our behalf. We get the work to the point the inspector needs to see, and then we stop. Nothing gets backfilled or covered over until it has been looked at and passed, because the alternative is digging it up again to prove it was right. We tidy the site for the visit as well. We make it easy to see what they came for, because a hole full of loose material and offcuts slows the visit down. If the inspector wants something changed, we do it and we get them back out. That is a normal part of the job, and we do not pass the cost of our own mistakes on to you. And we tell you the outcome the same day. You should not have to ring us to find out whether your project can carry on. Ask us at any point how the paperwork is going, and we will tell you where it sits, even when the answer is that we are still waiting.
| Requirement | Authority | Fee | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Locate request | BC 1 Call | Free | 3 working days to respond; 14 days from the request date to start digging; then valid 30 days from that date |
| Building permit | City of Nanaimo, District of Lantzville, or RDN's electoral areas | RDN electoral areas: $150 up to $20,000, $250 above that plus 1% of the value over $20,000. Nanaimo and Lantzville set their own fees. | Per RDN bylaw processing |
| ALR fill/soil Notice of Intent | Agricultural Land Commission | $150 | Filed 60+ days before work |
| Highway access permit | Ministry of Transportation and Transit | — | Before work starts, provincial highway access only |
Building permit fees for the RDN electoral areas, per RDN Building Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 1595.01, 2025, effective 15 May 2025. Nanaimo and Lantzville set their own fees.
Not sure who issues your permit? Request a free assessment and we'll sort out the paperwork with you before anything gets dug.