​Residential applications

If you are submitting a residential application, make sure to include:

• Building Permit Application, including Schedule 1 Designer Information.
• EEDS-Performance or EEDS-Prescriptive Energy Efficiency Design Summary Form.
• Owner's Authorization Form (if you are not the owner).

For projects with new on-site sewage systems, please complete Schedule 2.

Include two copies of each of the following drawings and information:

• Construction drawings, including: foundation plan, floor plans, elevations, wall sections, and cross sections.
• Site plan that shows location of the building from property lines.
• Site-specific Grading Plan designed and stamped by a Professional Engineer or Ontario Land Surveyor.
• Heat Loss and Heat Gain Summary including Duct Design by a qualified designer.
• Engineered Roof Truss Design and Layout.
• Engineered Floor System Layout including any engineered beams (LVL, PSL, Paralam).

Industrial, commercial and institutional applications

If you're submitting an industrial, commercial and institutional application, please include:

• Building Permit Application including Schedule 1 Designer Information.
• OBC Data Matrix.
• General Review Commitment Form.
• SB-10 Form.
• Owner's Authorization Form (if you are not the owner).

For projects with new on-site sewage systems, complete Schedule 2.

Include two copies of each of the following drawings and information:

• Architectural Drawings and Structural Drawings designed by a qualified professional (BCIN, P. Eng., Arch., C.E.T. etc.).
• Plumbing, mechanical, and electrical drawings prepared by a professional engineer.
• Project specifications (i.e., architectural, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical).
• Kitchen Exhaust Design (NFPA 96) prepared by a professional engineer, if applicable.
• Data Matrix prepared by qualified designer or architect.
• Sprinkler Drawings and Hydraulic Calculations, if applicable.

Other approvals

Approvals from other agencies may be required before we can process and issue a building permit. Please ensure all other required approvals are complete, such as Conservation Area permits, Planning Approvals, Nutrient Management Plans or Strategies, etc.

Common projects

Some common projects that need a permit include:

• Demolition;
• Adding an attached and detached garage or shed;
• Installing solid-fuel appliances like woodstoves and wood burning fireplaces;
• Adding sunrooms, solariums, and porches;
• Repairing structural foundations and installing of foundation drainage systems;
• Adding a new, private on-site sewage system, including grey water systems and holding tanks;
• Repairing or replacing a septic system or leaching bed;
• Connecting a private septic system to a municipal sewer and decommissioning a septic tank;
• Change of Use (i.e. office use to retail use);
• Structures that support a wind turbine generator with a rated output of more than 3 kilowatts;
• Solar arrays, solar collector systems, and solar hot water systems mounted on a roof;
• Livestock and equipment storage buildings;
• Silos and grain bins;
• Manure storage structures (excluding earthen structures);
• Riding arena;
• Fabric-type structures.

Installing or modifying life safety or fire suppression systems such as fire alarms, sprinklers, standpipe or fixed extinguishing systems, requires a permit. This includes commercial kitchen exhaust hoods and installing electromagnetic locking devices.

Decks

You need a permit for decks that are:

• Adjacent to or attached to the house, and its walking surface is more than 600 millimetres (24 inches) above the adjacent grade;
• Elevated and providing principal access to a building;
• Independent from the house and has a walking surface greater than 10 m² (108 square feet) in area and its walking surface is more than 600 millimetres (24 inches) above the adjacent grade.

Interior and exterior alterations

A permit is required for interior and exterior alterations, including:

• Adding or removing walls, or a new opening in bearing walls;
• Finishing a basement and/or adding a bedroom in a finished basement;
• One- or two-storey additions;
• Adding new windows where none existed before;
• Enlarging or relocating a window or a door;
• Adding new plumbing (e.g., drains, waste or vents);
• Installing a backflow prevention device.

Projects that do not require a permit

Projects that do not require a permit include:

• Replacing or installing asphalt shingles on a roof;
• Minor roof sheathing repairs;
• Repointing brick veneer;
• Damp-proofing of a basement;
• Replacing siding on a house;
• Replacing a window or a door (if same size or smaller opening);
• Kitchen or bathroom cabinets;
• New flooring;
• Installing air conditioning units;
• Replacing an existing furnace;
• Fences that do not enclose a pool;
• Pool heaters;
• Painting or decorating.

Shed that are 15 m2 or less in gross area, are not more than one storey in building height, are not attached to a building or any other structure, do not have plumbing and are used only for storage purposes ancillary to a principal building on the lot, do not require a building permit; however, their placement must still meet zoning requirements.