Building Permit in Toronto

A building permit is your formal permission to begin the construction, demolition, addition or renovation on your property. As part of the building permit process, Toronto Building staff must review your plans to ensure they comply with the Ontario Building Code, local Zoning Bylaws, and other Applicable Law.

Building permits regulate the type of construction allowed in a community and ensure that minimum building standards are met. The permit process protects the owner’s interests, the community, and helps to ensure that any new construction is appropriate and safe.

When is a Permit Required?

Under the Building Code Act, a building permit is required for the construction and/or demolition of a new building, an addition, or material alteration of any building or structure. The following is a list of common projects that require a building permit:

  1. Construct a new building
  2. Construct an addition to an existing building, such as
  • second or third story additions o attached garages, carports
  • sunrooms
  • solariums, porches, decks.
  1. Make structural or material alterations, such as
  • adding or removing walls (i.e., changing room sizes and/or uses)
  • new windows or doors where there were none before o enlarging or relocating existing windows or doors
  • enclosing an existing deck, porch or patio of any size.
  1. Construct an accessory structure larger than 10 square meters* (108 square feet) in area, such as
  • Detached Garage
  • Workshop
  • Garden shed
  • Carport
  • Pool house or cabana

*Note: If you are constructing an accessory structure and it is attached to an existing building and/or has plumbing, regardless of its size, a building permit is required.

  1. Finishing a basement, if the work proposed includes any of the following
  • structural or material alterations
  • installing or modifying heating and or plumbing systems o excavating and/or constructing foundations
  • basement underpinning
  • constructing a basement entrance
  • adding a second suite
  1. Energy and environmental building improvements, such as
  • roof top storm water retention systems
  • green roofs
  • structures used in the support of a wind turbine generator with a rated output of more than 3kW
  • solar projects such as installation of solar collector systems and solar hot water systems
  1. Construct a deck more than 60 centimeters (24 inches) above ground
  2. Construct a retaining wall more than one meter (3 feet 3 inches) in height provided the retaining wall is on or adjacent to public property (including streets), building entrances, and on private property accessible to the public
  3. Constructing a tent that o covers more than 60 meters squared (646 square feet); and/or o is attached to a building; and/or o is within 3 meters (9 feet 10 inches) from another structure.
  4. Demolish or remove all, or a portion of a building
  5. Install or reconstruct a chimney or fireplace
  6. Install a wood burning stove or fireplace
  7. Install or modify heating and or plumbing systems
  8. Install a backwater valve
  9. Install a backflow prevention device
  10. Change a building’s use (i.e. from residential to office or single dwelling unit house to multi-dwelling unit house). Even if no construction is proposed, if a change of use is proposed a building permit is required.

Apply for a Building Permit

Toronto Building requires that all Building Permit applications be submitted in an electronic format. All plans, forms and other documents should be submitted in PDF format on a rewritable DVD at one of our service counters or, if eligible, by email. All submission must adhere to City of Toronto Electronic Submission Guidelines.
When making an application at one of City of Toronto’s service counters, projects not eligible for email submission must be submitted with one reference set of paper drawings in addition to a rewritable DVD.

For more information about email or in person application, please check the website of City of Toronto.

City of Toronto Consists of four planning districts. You can find the address for each district customer service location below and on the provided map:

A.Toronto and East York District
Toronto City Hall
100 Queen Street West
Ground Floor West Tower
Toronto ON  M5H 2N2
Wards Served: 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32		B.North York District
North York Civic Centre
5100 Yonge Street, Ground Floor
Toronto ON  M2N 5V7
Wards Served: 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34
C.Etobicoke York District
Etobicoke
2 Civic Centre Court, 1st Floor
Toronto ON  M9C 2Y2
Wards Served: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 17		D.Scarborough District
Scarborough Civic Centre
150 Borough Drive, 3rd Floor
Toronto ON  M1P 4N7
Wards Served: 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44

Reference:

City of Toronto

http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=e7c14b1c296c0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD