Posted: Wednesday May 03, 2023
Obtaining a building permit is an important step to ensure that your project is built properly and safely, and that it adheres to any additional city policies. To assist you, staff have compiled a list of common building and renovation projects to help you determine if your project requires a building permit.
A Building Permit is required prior to building, demolishing, or installing any of the following:
Additions and Accessory Structures:
- Storage shed greater than 15 square metres, or any size if it contains plumbing. (Please note that even if your shed is less than 15 square metres and a Building Permit is not required, certain Planning Regulations must still be met).
- Building or structure greater than 10 square metres, or any size that contains plumbing
- Addition to an existing building
- Communication or transmission tower or antenna greater than 16.6 metres high above ground level
- Deck greater than 10 square metres in area or 0.61 metres (2 feet) high
- Detached garage
- Attached Garage
- A stationary dock greater than 10 square metres
- Boathouses
- Temporary tents greater than 60 square metres
- Satellite dish attached to a building, or a dish with an area equal to or greater than 5 square metres
- Solar panels mounted to a building
- Stage (outdoor demoutable stages)
- Swimming Pool or Hot Tub
- Patio for a restaurant
- Parking structure, like a multi level parking garage
- Pylon Signs & Fascia Signs
Repairs & Renovations:
- Balcony: either constructing one on a house, apartment, or condo, or replacing or repairing guards on an apartment or condo
- Porch that is covered
Basement including:
- Finishing a basement to create rooms or living space
- Basement apartment (also known as second unit)
- Excavating a basement to increase existing headroom
- Below grade entrance or basement walkout
- Interior alterations
- Fire damage repair
- Removing Interior walls
- Loading dock
- Mezzanine
- Re-cladding a building with new material, for example changing siding to brick
- Roof extensions or alterations to increase the height or change the slope
- Skylights
- Underpinning foundation walls
- Weeping tile repairs or changes on a property in the Foundation Drainage Collection (FDC) System area
- Windows: either new or increasing the size of an existing window
- Wood burning fireplace
- Doors: either adding a new door or increasing the size of an existing one
- Dormers
- Shoring and excavation
- Weeping tile repairs or changes on a property in the Foundation Drainage Collection System area
- Change the use of a building
Fire Safety Systems, Plumbing, Mechanical & Heating Alterations including:
- Backflow preventers
- Backwater Valves
- Furnace ducts being altered
- Gas fireplace used for heating
- Geothermal system
- Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system
- Kitchen exhaust
- Plumbing fixture like a sink, tub, toilet, or shower that is added, removed, or relocated
- Plumbing drainage: install, replace or repair
- Private sewage system: install, replace or repair
- Rooftop HVAC replacements
- Sewer systems: install, repair, or replace
- Site servicing
- Sump pumps
- Wood burning appliances fireplace
- Spray booths
- Sprinkler systems
- Dust Collection Systems
- Fire alarm system
- Fire damage repair
- Fire suppression system
- Generator connected to life safety equipment like fire alarms or emergency lighting
- Maglocks
A Building Permit is not required prior to building, demolishing, or installing any of the following:
- Accessory structure like a Storage Shed less than 15 square metres that does not contain plumbing. (Please note that even though a Building Permit is not required, certain Planning Regulations must still be met).
- Cabinetry or cupboards
- Concrete pad
- Deck less 10 square metres that is less than 600 mm (2 feet) in height. (Please note that even though a Building Permit is not required, certain Planning Regulations must still be met).
- Decorations
- Docks floating on the water
- Doors: replacing an existing one with the same size
- Driveway: either widening or resurfacing. (Please note that even though a Building Permit is not required, certain Planning Regulations must still be met)
- Eavestrough
- Fireplace that’s decorative gas
- Gazebo less than 10 square metres, that does not have plumbing
- Landscaping work
- Minor masonry repairs
- Painting
- Plumbing fixture replacement in the same location, for example a sink, tub, toilet, or shower
- Re-cladding a building with the same material, for example siding to siding, or brick to brick
- Re-shingling a roof
- Retaining wall less than one metre high
- Shed less than 15 square metres with no plumbing. (Please note that even though a Building Permit is not required, certain Planning Regulations must still be met).
- Windows: replacing an existing one with the same size
If you don’t see your project type on the list, please reach out and we will let you know what is required.
For more information on what kind of information you will need to include with your permit application, click here to read more about the supporting documents and information you will need for your permit.
For additional information, please contact the Building Department
Please note that even when a Building Permit is not required, certain Planning Regulations must still be met. When in doubt, please check with staff.