Burnaby Step Code Requirements
Current Step: 3 + EL-4 (Zero Carbon Performance) | ACH Target: 2.5 ACH50 | Climate Zone: 4 | HDD: ~2,950 | Effective: January 1, 2025 | Permit Office: burnaby.ca/building | Permit Counter: 4949 Canada Way
What’s required right now
Burnaby requires Step 3 plus Zero Carbon Step Code Emissions Level 4 (EL-4, “Zero Carbon Performance”) for all new Part 9 residential builds since January 1, 2025. This makes Burnaby one of the most aggressive municipalities in BC on building emissions, ahead of the provincial timeline.
The airtightness target is 2.5 ACH50. The bigger story is EL-4, which effectively rules out fossil fuels in new construction.
What EL-4 actually means
Zero Carbon Step Code EL-4 sets a building emissions cap of 0 kgCO₂e/m²/yr for space heating and domestic hot water. In practice this requires electrification.
| System | Allowed under EL-4? |
|---|---|
| Air-source heat pump (heating + DHW) | Yes |
| Ground-source heat pump | Yes |
| Electric resistance heating (limited) | Yes for backup, not primary |
| Natural gas furnace | No |
| Natural gas boiler | No |
| Natural gas water heater | No |
| Gas cooktop / range | No |
| Wood-burning fireplace (primary) | No |
| Connection to qualifying district energy system | Yes (e.g., Burnaby Mountain DEU exemption) |
Builders coming from older Burnaby neighborhoods or from cities that still allow gas need to redesign mechanical from the ground up. See HVAC for Step Code for compliant electric configurations.
Climate Zone 4: easier energy, harder emissions
Burnaby sits in Climate Zone 4 with HDD around 2,950, well below Interior BC’s CZ5. The energy side of Step Code is straightforward here:
- Wall assemblies that need R-22 cavity plus R-7.5 exterior in Kelowna often pass Step 3 in Burnaby with R-22 cavity alone
- Window U-value 1.6 W/m²K is workable
- Coastal humidity (annual ~1,500 mm precip) makes vapor management more important than insulation thickness; vapor-open assemblies typically outperform vapor-closed ones in this climate
What makes Burnaby harder than Surrey or Vancouver isn’t the energy model. It’s the EL-4 cap on emissions, which forces the mechanical redesign.
Burnaby’s Part 9 build context
Most of Burnaby’s residential development is Part 3 (apartments, mid-rise, high-rise) in Brentwood, Metrotown, Edmonds, and Lougheed. Part 9 single-family construction remains active in:
- Capitol Hill / Burnaby Heights. Established neighborhoods, mostly infill and rebuilds
- South Slope. Single family with view-lot considerations
- Parts of Big Bend. Lower density, agricultural-edge zoning
- Buckingham Heights. Premium custom builds
For multi-family Part 3 work, EL-4 compliance pathways are more flexible (energy modeling rather than prescriptive). For Part 9, the prescriptive electrification rule applies directly.
Permit process at the City of Burnaby
- Pre-construction. Submit energy compliance report plus Zero Carbon EL-4 mechanical confirmation with permit application at 4949 Canada Way. Allow 6 to 10 weeks for permit issuance for typical Part 9 builds; Burnaby’s review queue runs longer than most Metro Vancouver cities
- Mid-construction (optional). No municipal blower door requirement, but pre-drywall testing catches air barrier issues before drywall closes them in
- As-built. Final blower door test at 2.5 ACH50, updated compliance report, plus Zero Carbon EL-4 mechanical commissioning before occupancy
Rebate stack for Burnaby projects
Because Burnaby effectively requires all-electric mechanical, the rebate stack favors BC Hydro over FortisBC.
| Source | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| BC Hydro New Construction | up to $15,000 | High-performance all-electric homes |
| CleanBC Better Homes | $4,000 to $10,000 | Heat pump rebate |
| Greener Homes Loan | up to $40,000 | Interest-free for energy upgrades |
| FortisBC | Limited | Most Burnaby new builds won’t qualify under EL-4 |
See the full Step Code rebates guide for current eligibility and stacking rules.
Common compliance gaps in Burnaby Part 9 builds
- Garage-to-house air barrier. Detached and attached garages frequently get short-changed on the wall between garage and conditioned space
- Heat pump duct insulation. Coastal humidity plus insufficiently insulated supply ducts in unconditioned spaces drives sweating and energy loss
- Window flashing in coastal exposure. Wind-driven rain at southwest-facing elevations stresses sealants harder than Interior BC
- Bathroom and laundry exhaust. EL-4 doesn’t eliminate ventilation requirements; HRV/ERV sizing needs to handle moisture in tight envelopes
See the air sealing checklist for the full sequence and common air leaks for the recurring patterns.
What’s coming in 2027
Step 4 is expected provincially in January 2027 at 1.5 ACH50. Burnaby will likely advance to Step 4 + EL-4 simultaneously or shortly after. Builders here should plan their air sealing approach now, not in late 2026. Most Step 4 builds in coastal BC require aerosol air sealing to land 1.5 ACH50 reliably.
Next steps for your Burnaby project
- Confirm your mechanical design meets EL-4 before permit submission
- Run the rebate calculator for project-specific numbers
- Compare air sealing methods for tight-envelope builds