Which Toronto renovations need a building permit
You need a City of Toronto building permit when the work changes the structure of the house, adds or moves plumbing or heating, changes the size or location of an opening or creates a new dwelling unit. You do not need one for like-for-like work: cabinets and counters in the same layout, flooring, paint and replacing a toilet or a faucet where the old one sat.
One part of that surprises people. The city counts adding or removing walls as permit work whether or not the wall holds anything up.
Work that needs a building permit in Toronto
Removing, adding or moving interior walls, including partitions that change room sizes
Structural work: new beams, altered joists, cutting into a load-bearing wall, roof changes
New windows or doors where there were none and enlarging or relocating an opening
Additions of any kind: a second storey, a sunroom, a porch, an attached garage
New or relocated plumbing: a new bathroom, a moved drain, a laundry in a new room
Installing or modifying a heating system and installing a backwater valve
Basement underpinning or benching, excavation and a new entrance or walkout
A second suite or any additional dwelling unit
A deck more than 60 centimetres above the adjacent grade, roughly 24 inches and any deck attached to the house
A change of use, even with no construction
Work that usually does not need a permit
Painting, wallpaper, trim and decorating
Flooring in a room that keeps its layout
Kitchen cabinets and counters in the existing footprint
Repairing or replacing plumbing fixtures where they already sit
Replacing a furnace or a boiler
Replacing windows and doors in a single-family house when the opening does not change size or move
Re-shingling a roof with no structural work
Adding insulation
Finishing a basement with no structural change, no new plumbing and no additional dwelling unit
Two things sit outside the building permit. Electrical work in Ontario goes through the Electrical Safety Authority and your electrician files it. Zoning is a separate test: an addition can be structurally sound and still fail on setback or lot coverage, which sends you to the Committee of Adjustment first.
Do I need a permit for a bathroom renovation?
Usually no, if the fixtures stay where they are. Strip it to the studs, waterproof it, tile it and set the new vanity and toilet where the old ones were. That is exempt work.
You cross into permit territory the moment the layout moves. Moving the toilet or the tub means moving a drain. Adding a bathroom where there was none means new plumbing and often a joist that has to be cut and headed off.
Do I need a permit for a kitchen renovation?
New cabinets, counters, appliances and flooring in the existing footprint are exempt work.
The permit shows up when the kitchen opens into the next room. Taking down the wall between the kitchen and the dining room in a 1920s semi is almost always structural, because those walls tend to carry the floor above. That job needs a beam and a beam needs an engineer. Moving the sink to an island is new plumbing.
Do I need a permit to finish a basement in Toronto?
Not if there is no structural change, no new plumbing and no new dwelling unit. In real Toronto houses that is rare, because most basement projects include at least one of the three.
Underpinning to gain ceiling height is structural. A bathroom down there is new plumbing. A separate entrance is an excavation and a new opening. See our basement renovation page.
Who applies and what drawings you need
The owner is the applicant. A contractor or designer files as the owner's agent, which is how it normally works. We handle the filing, the revisions and the inspection bookings. You sign the application.
An application generally needs a site plan, floor plans of existing and proposed conditions, elevations where the outside changes, cross-sections with construction details and specifications for the assemblies. Drawings have to be prepared by someone qualified under the Building Code: a designer registered under the BCIN system or a professional engineer.
When you need an engineer
You need an engineer when the load path changes or when soil is involved. Removing a load-bearing wall, sizing a beam, adding a storey, underpinning, benching and excavating for a walkout all sit in that group. In a semi, underpinning beside a party wall brings your neighbour's foundation into the design.
How the process runs and why timelines vary
The application goes to the district office for the property. Toronto and East York covers the Beaches, Riverdale and the Danforth. North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke York cover the rest. The file gets a zoning review and a plans examination and comments from either one send the drawings back for revision.
We do not publish a number of weeks, because it depends on the file. A complete application for a straightforward interior alteration clears far faster than a second suite with a minor variance. What stretches it: incomplete drawings, a zoning issue, heritage designation and revision rounds. Plan the permit as its own phase and expect our 2 to 4 week design phase to run ahead of it.
What gets inspected during the build
Inspections happen at set points and the work stops at each one until it passes.
Footing and foundation, before backfill, on underpinning and additions
Framing, once the structure is up and before anything covers it
Plumbing and HVAC rough-in and electrical rough-in through the ESA, before the walls close
Insulation and air barrier, before drywall
Final, plus occupancy where it applies
Drywall cannot go on until the rough-ins pass, so an inspection that slips a few days can move a finish date by a week.
The real cost of skipping a permit
The city can issue an order to comply or a stop work order. The job halts until a permit is obtained after the fact and getting that permit often means opening finished work so an inspector can see behind it. New tile, new drywall and new flooring come off.
Your insurer can also decline a claim tied to unpermitted work. A fire that starts in unpermitted wiring is a hard conversation with an adjuster.
Then it surfaces at sale. A buyer's lawyer runs a building records search, an outstanding order shows up and the price moves or the deal dies on a condition. An unpermitted basement apartment is worse again, because a lender will not count rent from a suite the city does not recognize.
We coordinate this for you
Permits are part of the job on every project we run. Harvey has been pulling them in Toronto since 1997 and First Place Homes is a City of Toronto licensed renovation contractor. We work out what your project needs, get the drawings prepared, file and book every inspection.
Get a free consultation or call Harvey at (416) 489-4083. He will tell you straight, including when the answer is that you do not need one. See our Toronto home renovation page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to renovate in Toronto? You need a building permit if the work changes the structure, adds or removes walls, adds or relocates plumbing or heating, changes the size or position of a window or door opening or creates a new dwelling unit. Cosmetic and like-for-like work is exempt.
Do I need a permit for a bathroom renovation in Toronto? No, if the fixtures stay where they are. Moving a toilet, tub or sink means moving drains, which requires a permit. Adding a bathroom where there was none also requires one.
Do I need a permit for a kitchen renovation? Not for cabinets, counters, appliances and flooring in the existing layout. You do need one to remove a wall, move the drain or cut a new exterior opening for a range hood.
Do I need a permit to finish my basement in Toronto? Not if there is no structural change, no new plumbing and no new dwelling unit. Underpinning, a basement bathroom, a separate entrance and a second suite each require a permit.
How long does a building permit take in Toronto? It depends on the file. A complete application for a simple interior alteration is processed far faster than a second suite that needs a minor variance. Zoning issues, heritage designation and revision rounds are what stretch it.
What happens if I renovate without a permit in Toronto? The city can issue an order to comply or a stop work order and you may have to open finished work for inspection. Your insurer can decline a related claim and it shows up in a building records search when you sell.