Contents 10 sections
Plan on about $30,000 to $50,000 to tear down a typical Vancouver house, before any asbestos removal. On top of that, the City charges a $1,570 permit fee. Most older houses also need a $15,310 deposit. You get it back if you recycle enough of the house. If asbestos turns up, removal can add anywhere from a few thousand dollars to $20,000 or more.
What we found
We looked at every house demolition permit the City of Vancouver issued from January 2017 to October 2, 2026. Then we matched the addresses to the City’s property records.
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5,990
Houses got demolition permits in that time, about 600 a year.
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1946
The typical house torn down was built in 1946, and was 78 years old when it came down.
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62%
Were built before 1950, which means a recycling requirement applies.
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97%
On the 2020 assessment roll, the building itself was worth a median of $43,600. The land under it was worth $1.43 million. In other words, 97% of the value was the land.
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$40,000
The value the City records on a house demolition permit was a flat $15,000 on almost every permit through 2024. Since 2025 it’s been $40,000.
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105 days
Demolition permits are moving faster: a median of 105 days from application to permit in 2026, down from 236 days in 2023.
What a teardown costs, line by line
| Cost | Typical amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Demolition and hauling | $30,000 to $50,000 | Our read of four 2026 cost guides, below. Bigger houses, basements and tight lots cost more |
| Demolition permit | $1,570 | City of Vancouver 2026 fee schedule, for a house that has had anyone living in it since November 1986 |
| Green demolition deposit | $15,310, refundable | For most houses built before 1950. You get it back if you meet the recycling target |
| Hazardous materials survey | $400 to $2,000 | Required before demolishing any building from before 1990 |
| Asbestos or other abatement | $3,000 to $20,000, sometimes more | Depends on what the survey finds. Vermiculite attic insulation is a common costly surprise |
| Disconnecting hydro, gas, water and sewer | Varies | Each utility has its own process |
What the cost guides say
We compared the four Vancouver and BC demolition cost guides published in 2026:
| Source | Whole-house demolition estimate |
|---|---|
| Rhino Demolition (updated March 2026) | $9 to $25 per sq ft. Over $80,000 with hazardous materials |
| Vancouver General Contractors (March 2026) | $20,000 to $45,000, plus $3,000 to $20,000 for hazmat |
| VanPlex (April 2026) | $30,000 to $50,000 |
| Canada Construction Network (March 2026) | $48,000 to $68,000 for a 2,000 sq ft BC house, the top end with vermiculite removal |
Put together, the middle of those estimates lands at about $36,000 for a typical house. That sits close to the $40,000 the City has recorded on demolition permits since 2025.
Do you have to recycle your house?
Very likely, yes. Vancouver’s Green Demolition By-law sets the rules:
- Built before 1950: at least 75% of the materials, by weight, must be reused or recycled.
- A character house built before 1950: 90%. The City decides what counts as a character house. On most R1-1 lots, the City applies the 75% rate without a character assessment.
- Built before 1910, or on the heritage register: you also have to salvage at least 3 tonnes of wood, which means taking parts of the house apart by hand.
- Built in 1950 or later: recycling is voluntary.
In our data, 62% of the houses demolished since 2021 were built before 1950, so most teardowns carry the requirement. The deposit is how the City enforces it. Once the house is gone, you hand in a report with receipts. You can’t book inspections for your new home until you do.
Why asbestos is the cost to plan for
WorkSafeBC requires a hazardous materials survey by a qualified person before any demolition or renovation of a building from before 1990. That covers 97% of the houses torn down in Vancouver since 2021. Asbestos can be in drywall mud, flooring, stucco, pipe wrap and attic insulation. Lead paint is common too.
The survey itself is cheap, but whatever it finds has to be removed before the machines arrive, and that work can’t start until the permit is issued. A clean report keeps you near the low end of the range. Vermiculite in the attic can push you past $60,000.
How many houses come down each year
Demolitions peaked at 871 in 2022, the same year duplex permits peaked. They dipped to 534 in 2024 and rose to 684 in 2025 as multiplex building picked up. With 419 permits issued by October 2, 2026, this year is on pace for about 560.
Most recent teardowns are on the east side and in Dunbar. From 2024 to 2026, Kensington-Cedar Cottage led with 177, then Hastings-Sunrise with 165 and Dunbar-Southlands with 161.
- Peak year, 2022
- 2017 to 2025 average, 619
- 2026 runs to October 2
T-City analysis of City of Vancouver open data: demolition permits for single detached houses, January 2017 to October 2, 2026
The steps, in order
- Hazardous materials survey, by a qualified person.
- Apply for the demolition permit, usually together with your new building permit, with a recycling and reuse plan if the house is from before 1950. See how long the full permit process takes.
- Pay the permit fee and the green demolition deposit.
- Put up tree barriers and pass the City’s pre-demolition inspection.
- Abatement: remove asbestos and other hazardous materials once the permit is issued, then get a clearance report.
- Demolish, after giving the City 24 hours’ notice.
- File the recycling compliance report with receipts, then wait for your deposit refund.
What we expect in 2027
- About 550 to 650 house demolitions, as multiplex and duplex projects keep needing lots. The houses coming down will keep getting a little younger, as the oldest stock is used up.
- Demolition quotes holding near $40,000 for a typical house. Hauling and disposal costs keep rising, and the 75% recycling rule adds sorting time.
- More attention on hazmat. As more 1950s and 1960s houses come down, expect asbestos in more of them, since those decades used it heavily.
Sources
Every outside figure traces to one of these pages, all opened on October 14, 2026. T-City’s own analysis uses the City of Vancouver open datasets. Rates and fee schedules change, so we recheck them for your lot during feasibility.
- City of Vancouver Open Data: Issued building permits
- City of Vancouver Open Data: Property tax report
- City of Vancouver: Demolition permit with recycling and deconstruction requirements
- City of Vancouver 2026 schedule of permit fees
- District of North Vancouver: Hazardous materials bulletin (WorkSafeBC requirements)
- Rhino Demolition: Cost to demolish a house in Vancouver
- Vancouver General Contractors: Teardown and rebuild cost, Vancouver 2026
- VanPlex: Demolish or retain a Vancouver character home
- Canada Construction Network: Demolition costs across Canada, 2026