As it works to provide more units of housing, and hit building targets set out by the province, the City of Maple Ridge will use some new technology.
The city has launched a new online building permit application portal designed to improve efficiency, reduce delays, and enhance the experience for builders, developers, and homeowners.
The new online portal allows applicants to submit paperless applications for new home permits, with the ability to save their work and modify submissions later. Multiple city staff teams can now review documents simultaneously, significantly accelerating the approval process.
“We’re committed to improving transparency and efficiency in our building permit process,” said Mayor Dan Ruimy. “This new online portal helps us reach our goals of improving our customer experience and meeting housing and economic needs faster for our growing community.”
Applications are reviewed simultaneously by staff in building, engineering, environmental, parks, and planning departments, reducing permit approval times.
Developers using the city's Certified Professional Program can submit residential or mixed-use permit applications through the portal.
The city will soon publish expected permit processing times to improve accountability and consistency.
“The new paperless online application portal is an efficiency game-changer for our staff and customers while maintaining our rigorous safety standards,” said James Stiver, director of building, development, and planning. “We encourage builders and developers to set up an account, test the new portal, and share their feedback to help us keep improving our processes.”
To get started, applicants can visit MapleRidge.ca/Build, review key information on the New Home Construction Permits page, then select apply to create an account and begin a five-step process. The system conveniently allows applicants to pause, save progress, and return later to modify submissions as needed, all within a single digital platform.
Since June 2024, Maple Ridge has processed 325 residential permit applications, achieving 61% of its year-one provincial-mandated housing target of 612 new homes. With 16,700 residential lots available, the streamlined portal is key to accelerating housing approvals and reaching the city’s 2029 target of 3,954 new homes.
Over 150 rezoning applications and 400 residential building permit applications are currently in progress.
