Yes, an inspection of the short-term rental space is required. The inspection is to confirm the rental space meets regulations and to confirm there is no illegal suite on the property. 

If the short-term rental is located on a property containing a secondary suite (or if the suite is the rental), the suite must be legal. A legal suite is constructed or upgraded under a valid building permit, ensuring all safety requirements, such as smoke alarms and egress, are met. Secondary suites that have been installed without a building permit are considered illegal and must either be legalized or decommissioned. 

A legal suite is constructed or upgraded under a valid building permit. Constructing under a building permit ensures all life safety requirements, such as smoke alarms and egress, are met. If you did not construct your suite under the building permit process, the suite is considered illegal. 

The process for legalizing a suite may involve renovations or upgrading to meet Building Code requirements. If a suite is deemed illegal upon an inspection, it must either be legalized or decommissioned. 

Learn more about residential suites and view the Secondary Suite Construction Requirements Guide.

The approved building plans, along with the building permit, form an important element of the building permit inspection process. The plans are likely to have been amended during the processing and approval processes, in order to reflect the requirements of City of Kamloops' bylaws. It is important that the approved plans are available to the Building Official on site when they conduct their inspection, as they may be different from the initial plans.

The City of Kamloops Building Regulation Bylaw No. 11-84 also requires the approved plans to be on site until the inspection is passed. You are asked to have the approved plans on site before the Building Official arrives for their inspection. The Building Official will not perform the inspection unless the approved plans are on site.

It is our policy to apply a re-inspection fee if work is not ready for inspection more than once, or if plans are not available at the time of inspection. The re-inspection fee must be paid before the inspection will be carried out. 

Please see Part 13.56 of the City of Kamloops Building Regulation Bylaw No. 11-84.  

There are two different costs for a permit: the application fee and the actual permit fee. The permit application fee is based on the type of application, and the actual building permit fee is based on the value of construction. Please see City of the Kamloops Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 44-14, Schedule "C", for a list of application and permit fees. 

Please see Part 6 of the City of Kamloops Building Regulation Bylaw No. 11-84 to determine exemptions from requiring a building permit, and Part 13 of the same bylaw to determine when a permit is required.