Burnaby, BC onsite wastewater guide

Septic systems in Burnaby: permits, records, inspections and property checks

Burnaby can provide property-specific sewer connection information through its Engineering Department and publishes a sewer-connection permit route. For a property with an onsite system, Fraser Health and B.C.’s Sewerage System Regulation govern onsite filings; the City’s sewer permit does not substitute for them.

First questionSewer or onsite?
Local lensMetro Vancouver
Before buyingRecords + condition
Before workLocation + capacity

First, confirm this property’s wastewater service

A city-area guide cannot tell whether a specific parcel is connected to sewer or has an onsite system.

Health authority / onsite records route

Use the health authority route below for onsite-system guidance, filings or records. Confirm sewer connection separately with the municipality or utility.

Open health authority onsite-wastewater page →

Onsite system confirmed

Find the parcel’s system approvals and verify current rules with the responsible local authority before work.

Start with provincial guidance →

Service unknown

Check utility bills and permit records; ask the local authority to confirm current service before planning an onsite inspection or repair.

How to confirm service →
Provincial rule: British Columbia’s Sewerage System Regulation requires an authorized person to plan, construct or supervise most onsite sewerage-system work covered by the regulation, with filings made to the health authority before construction and certification after completion. Open provincial / regional onsite-wastewater authority →

Burnaby: verified service and approval steps (October 2026)

Burnaby states registered owners can request sewer connection information from Engineering (604-294-7460); non-owners may need to pay for records. The City separately lists a Sewer Connection Permit for connecting a property to public sewer. Those documents help check actual service, not whether an onsite system is authorized.

Next step: Request the registered property’s service-connection information from Burnaby Engineering, then ask Fraser Health for any available onsite filing and certification before evaluating repair or replacement.

Direct research sources

Verification boundary: Service records and sewer network do not prove a particular building is connected. This page provides a defensible local research route, not approval of an individual system.

Who approves septic work around Burnaby?

British Columbia’s Sewerage System Regulation uses an Authorized Person model. For typical residential systems, an Authorized Person files the required system information with the regional health authority and later files certification after construction.

For records, ask for the filing/record of sewerage system, site plan or as-built information, and any letter/certification on file. The municipality may control building or zoning issues, but the regional health authority is the key onsite-sewerage records route.

Official sources for this guide

If sewage is backing up or surfacing, stop using affected fixtures and contact a qualified professional or the responsible authority. Never enter a septic tank.

Official authority route

Sources rechecked 15 October 2026. Municipality connection/record services are distinct from onsite permits, and property conditions must be confirmed.