Toronto Building Permit Guide 2026

Toronto charges a base building permit fee of $206.61 plus a per-square-metre rate that varies by occupancy and construction type. New residential single-family construction is charged at $16.60/m² of gross floor area. Additions and renovations are typically charged on the new floor area only. Demolitions are flat-rated based on building size.

Mandatory surcharges add roughly 6–10% on top: the Building Code Act administration fee (currently 4.5% of base permit), the Toronto Construction Surcharge ($3.00/m²), and where applicable the Tree Protection by-law inspection fee. Garden suite permits are capped at a maximum total fee that varies with floor area.

Toronto Building requires a complete drawing set sealed by a qualified designer (BCIN registered or P.Eng for structural). Incomplete submissions are returned with a deficiency notice and reset the timeline clock, about 65% of first submissions get a deficiency notice, almost always for missing items below.

For a typical addition or new build, the package includes: site plan showing setbacks and existing structures (zoning compliance), architectural drawings (plan, elevations, sections at 1:50 or 1/4"=1'), structural drawings sealed by a P.Eng if any new beams, headers, or footings, mechanical/HVAC layouts where applicable, energy efficiency calculations per OBC SB-12, an Ontario Building Code matrix, and a Tree Protection Plan if any tree on or adjacent to the lot exceeds 30 cm DBH.

Garden suites also need an Arborist Report and Designated Substance Survey (asbestos) for renovations of pre-1990 homes. Toronto requires applications via the eServices portal (toronto.ca/eservices), paper submissions are no longer accepted for residential work as of 2024. The portal accepts PDFs sealed digitally with a BCIN- or P.Eng-validated signature.

1. Pre-application zoning review, book a Preliminary Zoning Review through the eServices portal if your project tests setback, height, or coverage limits; this surfaces variance issues before you've spent money on full drawings; typical turnaround is 5 business days.
2. Submit complete application via eServices with all sealed drawings and the Building Permit Application form; pay the deposit (50% of estimated permit fee) at submission.
3. Initial review (5–15 business days), Toronto Building examiners review for OBC, Toronto Zoning By-law 569-2013, Site Plan Control compliance, and Heritage Conservation District requirements where applicable; you receive either a Permit Issued notice or a Deficiency Notice listing required revisions.
4. Address deficiencies (your timeline), resubmit revised drawings; review clock restarts from 0; allow 5–10 business days for re-review.
5. Permit issuance, pay balance of permit fee; download permit card; post permit on site before any work begins.
6. Inspections during construction, book inspections through the eServices portal at each required stage; passing inspection is a prerequisite for the next.
7. Final inspection and occupancy, final inspection signs off the project; for a new dwelling unit, an occupancy permit is issued separately after life-safety items pass.

Toronto Building publishes target turnaround times under the Building Code Act, which sets statutory maximums of 10 business days for houses and 15 business days for small buildings. In practice for 2025–2026, Toronto's average first-review turnaround has been 12–18 business days for residential additions and 15–25 business days for new builds, depending on ward workload and whether a Site Plan Control review is required.

Garden suite permits move faster (typically 8–12 business days first review) because Toronto introduced the Garden Suites As-of-Right By-law (Toronto by-law 88-2022) which removed the Committee of Adjustment hearing for compliant projects. Heritage Conservation District projects add 4–8 weeks for the heritage review on top of the Building Code review. Deficiency cycles add 2–6 weeks on average.

Expect total time from application to permit issuance of 6–12 weeks for an addition with no zoning issues, 4–8 weeks for a garden suite, and 12–24 weeks for a new build subject to Site Plan Control.

Toronto's first-submission rejection rate sits around 60%; almost all rejections fall into a small set of categories.

The biggest issues we see across 500+ Konstruction Group permit applications are:

1. zoning non-compliance, setbacks, height, or lot coverage exceeding what's permitted under by-law 569-2013
2. missing or unsealed structural drawings, Toronto requires P.Eng seals on any new beam, header, or footing
3. inadequate energy compliance, OBC SB-12 calculations either missing or showing assemblies that don't meet Climate Zone 6 minimums
4. site plan errors, missing tree dimensions, incorrect grade elevations, or omitted utility easements
5. Site Plan Control trigger missed, projects over 250 m² gross floor area may trigger Site Plan Control which requires a separate approval before the building permit
6. Heritage Conservation District not flagged, homes within HCDs need heritage review even for minor exterior work
7. drawings not to scale or below required sheet sizes.

The single most common single rejection reason is structural drawings without a P.Eng seal, homeowners often submit drawings prepared by a designer but forget to engage a structural engineer for the load-path review.

Toronto's by-law exempts certain minor work from permit requirements, though many of these still need other approvals (zoning compliance, Tree Protection, electrical safety).

Permit-exempt work includes:

• replacement of finishes (drywall, flooring, paint) where no structural element is changed
• replacement of windows and exterior doors in the same opening size with no header changes
• minor plumbing fixture replacement (like-for-like) under the homeowner provision
• cabinetry installation
• fence construction under 2 m in height in residential rear yards
• sheds under 10 m² with no plumbing or electrical service
• decks at grade with no roof and no attachment to the house

Work that does need a permit but is sometimes assumed not to: any deck more than 600 mm above grade or attached to the house; any roof, cladding, or window that involves the structural opening; basement finishes that create a new dwelling unit (second-suite registration required); plumbing rough-ins beyond fixture replacement; replacement of any load-bearing element. Electrical work always requires a separate Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) notification regardless of whether a building permit applies.