Do I Need a Building Permit? Toronto & GTA Permit Checker
Answer ten quick questions about the work you are planning. The rules come from the City of Toronto’s published list. Every GTA municipality enforces the same Ontario Building Code, so most answers carry over to Mississauga, Vaughan, Brampton and Oakville, and the result tells you which building department to confirm with.
1.Are you adding or removing a wall, or adding, enlarging or moving a window or door opening?
Replacing a window or door in the same opening, at the same size, does not count.
2.Are you adding or moving plumbing, like a new bathroom, moving a toilet or sink, or adding a laundry?
Repairing or replacing a fixture in the same spot does not count.
3.Are you installing a backwater valve or a backflow prevention device?
A sump pump on its own does not need a permit.
4.Are you changing the heating system, such as new ductwork or adding radiators, or installing a wood-burning fireplace or chimney?
Replacing a furnace or boiler, adding air conditioning, or installing a gas fireplace or water heater does not count.
5.Are you adding floor area: an addition, a second storey, a sunroom, a porch, or enclosing a deck or patio?
6.Are you underpinning or lowering a basement, adding a new basement entrance, or digging new foundations?
7.Will the work create a separate unit, like a basement apartment or a garden suite?
This applies even if very little construction is involved.
8.Are you building a deck with any part of the walking surface more than 60 cm (24 in) above the ground?
9.Are you building a shed, garage, workshop or pool house over 10 m² (107 sq ft), or one that is attached to the house or has plumbing?
A plain storage shed of 15 m² (161 sq ft) or less, not attached and with no plumbing, does not need a permit.
10.Is there any electrical work: new circuits, pot lights, a panel upgrade, an EV charger?
0 of 10 answered. Your result appears here once every question has an answer.