Kamloops Step Code Requirements
Current Step: 3 | ACH Target: 2.5 ACH50 | Climate Zone: 5 | HDD: ~3,600 | CDD: ~600 | Permit Office: kamloops.ca/building | Permit Counter: 7 Victoria Street West
What’s required right now
Step 3 has been the minimum for all new Part 9 residential builds in Kamloops since January 1, 2022, under Building Regulation Bylaw No. 11-84. The airtightness target is 2.5 ACH50, verified by blower door test before occupancy.
Kamloops sits in Climate Zone 5 with HDD around 3,600. On paper that looks similar to the Okanagan. In practice, Kamloops is meaningfully different from Kelowna or Vernon for two reasons: a semi-arid climate with annual precipitation around 280 mm (versus Kelowna’s 380 mm), and significant cooling degree days from 35°C+ summer afternoons.
Cooling load is real here
Step Code modeling in HOT2000 accounts for both heating and cooling demand. In Kamloops the cooling load isn’t a rounding error.
- South-facing glazing without overhangs drives summer cooling load that often dominates the modeled energy use
- East-facing windows in Aberdeen and Sahali catch direct morning sun in summer; design with shading or low-SHGC glass
- Air-source heat pumps need to be sized for cooling-dominant duty, not just heating
- HRV vs ERV decision: in Kamloops’s dry climate, an HRV (sensible recovery only) is usually the right call because adding humidity is rarely needed, and ERVs can over-humidify in winter
If your default specs come from coastal projects, expect to adjust. See HVAC for Step Code for sizing approaches.
Vapor strategy in a dry climate
Kamloops’s lower humidity changes wall assembly thinking. The classic BC coastal worry (interior moisture pushing outward through the wall in winter, condensing on cold sheathing) is less acute here. That doesn’t eliminate vapor management, but it shifts emphasis:
- Class III vapor retarders (latex paint) often perform fine in CZ5 Kamloops; you don’t always need polyethylene
- Exterior insulation thickness needs to keep sheathing above dew point, but the dew point itself is lower here
- Air sealing remains the dominant moisture control strategy because air-borne moisture moves more vapor than diffusion
See wall assemblies for compliant build-ups suited to dry CZ5 climates.
Permit process at the City of Kamloops
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Pre-construction. Submit energy compliance report with permit application at the Building & Engineering Counter, 7 Victoria Street West. Allow 3 to 5 weeks for typical Part 9 issuance.
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Mid-construction (optional). Pre-drywall blower door test isn’t currently incentivized by the City, but a pre-drywall test catches issues before drywall closes them in.
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As-built. Final blower door test plus updated compliance report before occupancy permit.
For Sun Peaks Mountain Resort projects (separate jurisdiction at 1,200 m+ elevation), permits go through the Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality. Treat Sun Peaks builds as Climate Zone 6, with deep snow loads and ~4,800 HDD.
Rebate stack for Kamloops projects
| Source | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FortisBC New Home Program | $9,000 to $15,000 | Step 4 with hybrid heat pump |
| FortisBC New Home Program | $11,000 to $20,000 | Step 5 with hybrid heat pump |
| CleanBC Better Homes | $4,000 to $10,000 | Heat pump rebate, stacks with FortisBC |
| Greener Homes Loan | up to $40,000 | Interest-free for energy upgrades |
Kamloops sits inside FortisBC’s natural gas service area. Combined potential on a single Step 4 home: $15,000+ in straight rebates. See the full Step Code rebates guide for stacking rules.
Common compliance gaps in Kamloops builds
- South-facing penetration sealants. UV exposure on south walls in Brocklehurst and Westsyde degrades sealants faster than in shaded coastal climates. Spec UV-rated polyurethane on exterior penetrations
- Ductwork in unconditioned attics. Common in older Kamloops construction, this single decision can blow your energy model. Move ducts to conditioned space or insulate to R-12 minimum
- Garage-to-house air barrier. Frequent failure point on attached garages; the wall between garage and conditioned space gets short-changed on air sealing
- Window selection. Builders defaulting to coastal-spec windows (high SHGC) can fail the cooling side of the energy model
Run a pre-drywall blower door test on every build. See the air sealing checklist for the full sequence.
What’s coming in 2027
Step 4 is expected provincially in January 2027 at 1.5 ACH50. For Kamloops, the airtightness target is the easier half of the transition; the harder half is balancing heating and cooling loads in a tighter envelope. Builders running pilot Step 4 builds in Kamloops should pay attention to summer overheating risk and design HVAC accordingly.
Next steps for your Kamloops project
- Run the rebate calculator for project-specific numbers
- Compare air sealing methods for tight-envelope builds
- Review the Step 4 readiness checklist