Monitoring & Policy | Permit Uptake
Is the zoning producing permits, or sitting idle?
Bill 44 rezoning is easy to adopt and hard to evaluate. The only honest measure of whether it worked is permits pulled and units delivered — tracked over time, in context, not as a one-off count.
What we track
How many
Total multiplex permit applications and issuances, so you can see real uptake against the zoning you adopted — not assumptions.
What type
Duplex through six-plex, so you can tell whether you are getting the gentle density you intended or just the easiest form.
What stage
Submitted, under review, issued, or stalled — the pipeline, not just the finished count.
How long
Time from application to issuance, the number council asks about and the one that quietly decides whether builders come back.
Where
Which neighbourhoods are absorbing density and which are flat, mapped against transit and lot character.
The trend
Movement over time, so a slow quarter reads as a trend or a blip instead of a guess.
The point of monitoring
- ✓A permit count alone does not tell you whether your policy is working — it needs a baseline and a comparison.
- ✓Pairing permits with feasibility tells you why uptake is high or low, which is what council actually needs.
- ✓Tracked over time, the pipeline becomes an early warning, not a year-end surprise.
The core problem we solve
Low uptake usually traces back to density and cost
Density too low
Nothing gets built
Below a certain number of units, a multiplex can't cover land plus construction. Builders walk. The lot stays a single house and the upzoning produces no housing.
The viable range
Homes actually get built
Enough units that the project clears a builder's return threshold — so permits get pulled and units get delivered. This is the band you're trying to hit.
Density too high
Infrastructure can't take it
Past a point, servicing, traffic, and community capacity can't absorb the density — and council and neighbours push back. The plan stalls for a different reason.
See your multiplex permit pipeline
We track multiplex permits across BC. We'll set up the pipeline for your municipality and pair it with the feasibility context that explains it.
- Permit counts by type and stage, refreshed on a set cadence
- Application-to-issuance timelines
- Uptake mapped against where lots are actually viable
- Trend lines you can take straight to council
Frequently asked questions
Why not just count our own permits?
What does low uptake usually mean?
How current is the data?
Want this for your municipality?
We already track multiplex permit uptake and lot-by-lot feasibility across BC. Tell us your city and we'll show you what your data says — and how a monitoring partnership works.