Building Permit Application Documents in Ontario: The Checklist That Gets You Through the Counter

Permits and code Ontario Checklist

Building Permit Application Documents in Ontario: The Checklist That Gets You Through the Counter

The Building Code gives the department ten business days to decide on a house permit. The clock starts when the application is complete, and “complete” is a longer list than most people think. Here it is.

Short version: A complete application for a new house in Ontario has four groups of documents: the forms (the provincial application, Schedule 1 for every designer, applicable law checklist), the drawings (site plan, architectural set, structural and truss engineering, mechanical and energy compliance), the approvals from other authorities (zoning, septic, conservation, entrance, MTO or Niagara Escarpment where they apply), and the fees and deposits. Missing any one of them stops the clock.

The forms

  • Application for a Permit to Construct or Demolish. The provincial form every Ontario municipality uses, with the owner, the property, the project description, the value of construction and the applicable law section. Signed by the owner or an authorized agent.
  • Schedule 1, Designer Information. One for every person who prepared design documents: the house designer, the HVAC designer, the engineer. Each with their BCIN or professional registration, or the exemption basis (an owner designing their own house declares the exemption here).
  • Applicable law checklist. The list of other approvals that have to be in place before a permit can be issued: conservation authority, septic, site plan control, Niagara Escarpment, heritage and the rest. Your answers tell the department what else it needs to see.
  • Energy efficiency design summary. The SB-12 compliance form (prescriptive package or performance path) showing the insulation, window and mechanical values the house is designed to. SB-12 explained says what the choices mean.
  • Municipal forms. Many municipalities add their own: an owner authorization, a tree or lot grading agreement, a development charges declaration. The department’s website lists them.

The drawings

  • Site plan. Lot lines from the survey, the house and garage with setbacks dimensioned, driveway and entrance, septic and well with clearances, grading and drainage, easements, and the conservation regulation limit where it applies. Often the first thing rejected. Lot grading and drainage explains what the grading part has to show.
  • Architectural set. Foundation plan, floor plans, elevations, building sections, wall sections, stair and guard details, window and door schedule, and the construction notes. Building permit drawings in Ontario lists the content in detail.
  • Structural. Engineered truss layout and truss drawings, engineered floor layouts, beam and lintel schedules, and an engineer’s stamp on anything outside the Part 9 tables: tall walls, long spans, walkouts, unusual loads.
  • Mechanical. The heat loss and heat gain calculation (CSA F280), the HVAC design with duct or radiant layout, and the ventilation design including the HRV. Most municipalities now require these with the application rather than before the mechanical inspection. Do I need a heat loss calculation explains.
  • Septic design. Where the sewage system permit is handled by the building department under Part 8, the system design and the site evaluation go in with the house application.

Approvals from other authorities

  • Zoning. Some municipalities issue a zoning certificate or compliance review as a separate step; others do it inside the permit review. Either way the site plan has to show compliance, and a minor variance has to be final before the permit issues. Minor variances.
  • Conservation authority. A permit or a clearance letter for any lot in a regulated area. Conservation authority approvals explains the timing, which is the usual cause of a stalled application.
  • Entrance permit. From the road authority for a new driveway. The entrance permit.
  • Septic. Where the sewage permit is issued by a health unit or conservation authority rather than the municipality, the approval or the permit number.
  • Others where they apply: MTO for lots on provincial highways, Niagara Escarpment Commission development permit, heritage approval, site plan control agreement, and the water or sewer connection approval on serviced lots.

Fees, deposits and the value of construction

Permit fees are set by each municipality’s by-law, usually per square foot or per thousand dollars of construction value, plus development charges, education levies and sometimes a lot grading or damage deposit. The value of construction you declare is used for the fee; understating it is a false declaration, not a saving. The permit cost calculator gives a range, and development charges explained covers the big one.

How to submit so it moves

  1. Book a pre-consultation with the building department before you submit. Fifteen minutes with the examiner saves a rejection letter.
  2. Submit everything at once. Departments will often not start the review on a partial application, and the ten-day clock does not start.
  3. Use the portal if the municipality has one; paper sets get lost and scanned badly.
  4. Name the files the way the department asks. It sounds petty; it is the difference between a reviewer opening your set and putting it in the pile.
  5. When a deficiency letter comes, answer every item in one resubmission, not three.
  6. Why permit applications get rejected is the list of what the letter usually says.

Related guides on this site

How to get a building permitBuilding permit drawingsWhy permit applications get rejectedDo I need a building permit?How long a permit takesPermit cost calculatorConservation authority approvalssb 12 energy efficiency explained

Sources and further reading

Questions people ask

What documents do I need for a building permit in Ontario?

The provincial application form, Schedule 1 for each designer, the applicable law checklist, the energy compliance form, a site plan, the architectural drawings, structural and truss engineering, the heat loss and HVAC design, septic design where applicable, approvals from the conservation authority and road authority where they apply, and the fees.

How long does a building permit take in Ontario?

The Building Code sets a 10 business day target for a house once the application is complete. Incomplete applications and outstanding approvals from other authorities are what make it take months.

Do I need a heat loss calculation to get a building permit?

In most Ontario municipalities, yes: the CSA F280 heat loss and the HVAC design are required with the application or before the mechanical inspection. Check the department's list; most now want it up front.

What is Schedule 1 on a building permit application?

The designer information form. Every person who prepared design documents signs one with their BCIN or professional registration, or declares the exemption that applies, such as an owner designing their own house.

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Reviewed and updated October 2026. Costs are Ontario ranges, not quotes; code references are to the Ontario Building Code in force at that date.