Do I need a permit for a ground-level deck under 2 feet high in Dieppe NB?

A ground-level deck under 2 feet high in Dieppe may be exempt from a building permit, but only if it is freestanding and sits under 600 millimetres above finished grade. The critical factors are whether the deck is attached to the house and how far the deck surface sits above the surrounding ground, and you should always verify with the municipality before starting construction.

The New Brunswick Building Code, which Dieppe enforces through its building inspection department, uses the 600-millimetre threshold as the primary dividing line for permit requirements on decks. Two feet is approximately 610 millimetres, which actually puts your deck right at or slightly above that threshold. If your deck surface measures even a few centimetres above 600 millimetres from finished grade at any point, it crosses into permit-required territory. This measurement is taken from the lowest point of the adjacent finished grade to the top of the deck surface, so if your yard slopes and one side of the deck ends up higher than the other, the highest point determines whether you meet the exemption.

Even more importantly, the exemption for low decks typically applies only to freestanding structures. If your deck is attached to the house using a ledger board, a building permit is required regardless of the deck's height above grade. The reason for this distinction is that a ledger-mounted deck transfers loads into the house structure, creating structural dependencies that need to be verified through the permit and inspection process. An improperly attached ledger board is one of the leading causes of deck collapses across Canada, which is why the code treats attached and freestanding decks differently.

For a truly freestanding ground-level deck in Dieppe that sits below 600 millimetres, you are generally exempt from the building permit requirement. However, you are still bound by zoning setback rules. Even an exempt deck cannot be built within the required setback distances from your property lines, which are typically 1 to 3 metres in Dieppe's residential zones. You are also still responsible for ensuring the deck does not interfere with drainage patterns, lot grading, or utility easements on your property.

It is worth noting that building permit exemption does not mean you can ignore the building code entirely. The NB Building Code still governs how the deck is constructed, including the quality of materials, fastener requirements, and guard rails if the grade drops away on any side creating a fall height over 600 millimetres. If your ground-level deck sits on a flat yard and is only 300 or 400 millimetres high, guards are generally not required. But if the yard slopes sharply on one side, creating a drop of more than 600 millimetres from the deck surface to the ground below, guards are mandatory on that side regardless of the deck's height on the uphill side.

The safest course of action is to contact Dieppe's building inspection office before beginning work. A quick conversation with a building inspector can confirm whether your specific situation qualifies for the exemption, sparing you the risk of fines that range from $500 to $5,000 for unpermitted construction, or the more serious consequence of being ordered to remove a completed deck that does not comply.

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