A building permit for a new additional self-contained living accommodation, usually located in the rear yard, but not on a public lane, and is separate or detached from the main house on a residential lot.
Where there is a potential for damage to private or City trees due to the proposal of a Garden suite, the applicant is advised to contact City Planning and Urban Forestry staff to discuss how the design of the suite can be accomplished to protect the healthy tree(s) in question.
All Garden Suites must be provided with principal access as per the Ontario Building Code (Div. B. 9.9.2.4.) and fire access as per (Div. B. 9.10.20.3).
Building Permit
All drawings to be drawn on standardized sized sheets, drawn to scale, fully dimensioned, signed and dated.
If drawings were prepared by a qualified designer (as defined under Div. C, Part 3, Section 3.2 of the Ontario Building Code), drawings must include the designer’s name, registration number, qualification identification number, signature, and stamp/statement that the person has reviewed and taken responsibility for the design activities.
All drawings, reports, and forms, including the completed Application for a Permit to Construct or Demolish, must be provided in a PDF format.
Access for emergency services must be provided from the street that the existing house faces. The travel distance to the proposed garden suite must not exceed Toronto Fire Services requirements for firefighting access.
To ensure access to a garden suite in the case of an emergency, Toronto Fire Services, Emergency Services and the Building Code require a firefighting access with:
For more information about required emergency access to a new Garden Suite, please see Providing Emergency Access to a new Garden Suite.
Submit a plan showing the proposed grading of the lot, designed in a manner that will result in no new instances of ponding on existing adjacent properties and the subject property as a result of construction, in conformance with the Lot Grading Criteria for Infill Housing.
Fully dimensioned, for each level showing existing & proposed uses of all spaces, including location of smoke alarms & carbon monoxide detectors and all plumbing fixtures.
Provide existing/proposed construction with foundation & exterior wall information, showing interior partitions and structural framing above.
If your project includes an HVAC elements please review the Residential Mechanical (HVAC) Guide for additional requirement
If your project includes a plumbing or drain and water service elements, please submit a Plumbing Data Sheet (below) with your building permit application. For one- and two-unit houses or garden suites, no plans are required unless the project includes a reverse-sloping driveway. If the project includes a reverse sloped driveway then drawings must be submitted showing details of reverse sloped driveway and drain plan. All other residential plumbing and drain permit applications must include drawings showing layout of plumbing and related fixtures on each floor level.
All new Garden Suites must comply with (Div B. 7.1.5.4 (4) Separate Services) of the Ontario Building Code for Separate Services:
(4) No plumbing serving a dwelling unit shall be installed in or under another unit of the building unless the piping is located in a tunnel, pipe corridor, common basement or parking garage, so that the piping is accessible for servicing and maintenance throughout its length without encroachment on any private living space, but this Sentence does not prevent plumbing serving a unit located above another unit from being installed in or under the lower unit. OBC Div B 7.1.5.4
To submit an application by email please use the ‘Email’ button on top of the Application for a Permit to Construct or Demolish.
Detailed steps for the email submission process are also available to assist in making your application.
Building permit application form required for all submissions
Application to Construct or Demolish form
Energy Efficiency Design Summary – Part 9 Residential
Required when applying to construct a new Part 9 residential building or an addition to an existing Part 9 residential building, to establish compliance with the energy efficiency requirements stipulated in Supplemental Standard SB-12 of the Ontario Building Code.
Compliance using prescriptive method:
Prescriptive Energy Efficiency Design Summary Form
Compliance using performance and other acceptable compliance methods:
Performance Compliance Methods Form
This is a declaration form to be submitted to Toronto Building in order for the Owner or authorized agent of the owner to request an electronic copy of the Residential Infill Public Notice from Toronto Building.
Required for all designers, except Engineers and Architects when applying for any Construction Permit. Property Owners, if exempted, from Qualification / Certification must fill-in the form to specify the reason for exemption.
Schedule 1: Designer Information Form
Required for all projects where there is a potential for damage to private or City trees. Applicant is also responsible to comply with other tree protection bylaws.
| Type | Fee (per m², unless otherwise stated) Effective Jan. 1, 2024 |
| Residential Unit Fee
Each new residential unit included in an application |
$52.08/unit |
| Single Family Dwellings, Semis, Townhouses, Duplexes, Live/Work Units | $17.16 |
| (i) For Certification of Plans | $8.59 |
| (ii) Permits for Certified Plans | $14.56 |
| All other multiple unit buildings and any other residential occupancies | $17.16 |
The permit fees shown above are shown as as Service Index per square metre of proposed work, unless otherwise specified. For full details of permit fee calculation and a complete list of fee rates, please see the Building Permit Fees page.
Please do not include any personal information on your Building Plans (e.g., the homeowner’s name or phone number). Building Plans submitted for Permit are subject to disclosure in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).