Determine if a Building Permit is Required

Starting construction without the required permits is unlawful. You may receive a stop‑work order, be required to remove work already completed and/or face prosecution for contravening the Ontario Building Code.

Review the information below to confirm if your project needs a building permit or contact a Building Section Permit Clerk at 613-967-3200 ext. 3230.

When is a Building Permit required?

Apply for and receive your permit before you:

• Construct a new residential or non‑residential building
• Renovate, repair, or add to an existing building
• Demolish or remove all or part of a building
  • Exception: certain farm buildings (not including any dwelling or other residential occupancy on the farm property)
• Finish a basement or convert a room to a bedroom
• Construct or register an accessory dwelling unit (ADU)
• Change a building’s use
• Install a septic system
  • Exception: Class 1 septic system
• Install water or sewer connections to municipal services
• Construct, alter, or remove interior, exterior, or load‑bearing walls
• Create new openings for doors or windows, or change their size
• Build a garage, balcony, or deck, or enclose an existing deck
• Construct a structure larger than 10 m² (108 sq. ft.), except as noted below for storage sheds
• Construct a storage shed larger than 15 m² (161 sq. ft.)
• Excavate a basement or construct a foundation
• Erect a swimming pool or hot tub
  • Applies to any pool capable of holding 0.61 m (24 in.) of water at any point
  • Hot tubs are exempt from enclosure requirements if they have a rigid, lockable, prefabricated cover that is kept locked when not in use
• Install or modify any life‑safety or fire‑suppression system
  • Examples: fire alarms, sprinklers, standpipes, fixed extinguishing systems, commercial kitchen exhaust hoods, electromagnetic locking devices
• Install or modify heating, plumbing, or air‑conditioning systems; fireplaces, fireplace inserts, or wood stoves
• Install kitchen or bathroom cupboards when plumbing is involved
• Construct a chimney
• Build a deck that is:
  • Attached to a building, or
  • Supporting a roof structure, or
  • Larger than 55 m² (592 sq. ft.), or
  • More than 600 mm (23 5/8 in.) above grade at any point
• Construct a farm building that:
  • Has no residential occupancy, and
  • Is on land used for farming, and
  • Is used for equipment or livestock housing, or for the production, storage, or processing of agricultural or horticultural produce or feed, and
  • Is “low human occupancy” (no more than one person per 40 m²/430 sq. ft. of floor area)
  • Examples: manure storage facilities, grain bins, silos, barns, shops, similar structures
• Erect a tent when any of the following apply:
  • The tent area is greater than 60 m² (645 sq. ft.), or
  • The combined area of tents in a group is greater than 60 m² (645 sq. ft.), or
  • The tent is attached to a building, or
  • The tent is within 3 m (approx. 10 ft.) of another structure
• Erect a permanent sign

Septic systems: If your project will use an existing private sewage disposal system, the system may need to be evaluated for capacity. Additional bedrooms, larger floor area, or added plumbing fixtures can trigger upgrades. If changes are required, submit a building permit application.

When is a Building Permit not required?

The list provided is a list of work that does not require a Building Permit. However, we do advise that you check with our Planning Department to ensure that the work is compliance with the Zoning Bylaw. We advise that you reach out to the Building Department to confirm if the proposed scope of work does or does not require a building permit.

• build a structure under 108 sq ft (10 sq m), with the exception listed below
• build a shed under 161 sq ft (15 sq m) that is:
  
  • only 1 storey in height, and
  • not attached to another structure, and
  • used only for storage purposes, and
  • does not have plumbing
• paint or decorate
• erect a fence, unless it serves as an enclosure of a swimming pool or outside hot tub that requires a permit
• demolish a farm building, located on a farm
• install Class 1 sewage system
• erect a tent or group of tents, provided the tent(s) are:
  
  • under 645 sq ft (60 sq m) in total ground area, and
  • not attached to a building, and
  • located more than approximately 10 ft (3 m) from other structures