Housing Design Catalogue Permits

The Housing Design Catalogue is a new initiative by the Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation (CMHC) providing freely available, standardized designs to make homebuilding easier. The Housing Design Catalogue has multiple sets of plans for various regions across Canada. Designs were developed by local architecture and engineering professionals to align with regional building codes, planning rules, climate zones, construction methods and materials and architectural styles.

The City of Toronto supports the use of all Ontario region designs from the Housing Design Catalogue. The City has pre-reviewed the drawings in their current format and have confirmed compliance with the Ontario Building Code and Zoning and Applicable Law for those elements which are included in the downloadable packages.

Rendering of three stacked townhouses (Stacked Townhouse 01) from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation's Housing Design Guide. Image includes people coming and going from the house, situated on a street between two homes with a parked car on the opposite side of the street.
Rendering of Stacked Townhouse 01 from the Housing Design Catalogue. Image courtesy of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

The Housing Design Catalogue plans are a cost- and time-effective way to build, as they serve as a baseline design and are freely available to property owners. However, these designs are not pre-approved. If you choose to use a design from the CMHC catalogue, you will still need to apply for a building permit and may require the services of a qualified professional. Building permits may only be issued where the proposed construction complies with the Building Code Act, 1992, the Ontario Building Code, applicable zoning, and other applicable law as defined in the Ontario Building Code. A review will be undertaken with your permit application to verify compliance.

How to use the CMHC Housing Design Catalogue

  • Identify your desired Ontario-specific design.
  • Gather your application requirements by following the Building Permit Application Guide instructions.
  • Retain a qualified professional to help you complete and submit the drawings as part of the regular permit application process if not using a certified plan.
    • Reference the certified plan ID of the design in the Application to Construct or Demolish form as part of your permit application (if using a Certified Plan)
  • A full zoning review and Code review for site-specific elements or any modifications to the original designs is still required as part of the building permit application process. You may apply for a Zoning Applicable Law certificate prior to applying for your building permit to determine whether your project would be compliant with zoning and other applicable laws.

Elements to Finalize with a Qualified Professional Prior to Submission

You will require a qualified professional to finalize the building plans available from the Housing Design Catalogue. The elements to be finalized include, but are not limited to:

  • designing a foundation/basement suitable for your site grading
  • a site-specific site plan to show how the building, parking, walkways, etc. will be laid out to comply with zoning and appropriate setbacks
  • site servicing drawings
  • heat load calculations
  • accessibility features – selected from available options
  • energy efficiency features – selected from available options

For designs falling into the category of “house” – which includes accessory dwelling units and stacked townhouse designs from the Housing Design Catalogue, you may take advantage of the Reliance on Professional Engineer's Seal program by engaging a professional engineer to assume responsibility for the designs, which will expedite the Code review.

Contact Us

If you have questions about how to use the Housing Design Catalogue plans in Toronto, contact Toronto Building Customer Experience by phone at 416-397-5330 Monday to Friday from 8:30a.m. to 4:30p.m., or by email at bldinquiries@toronto.ca.

For questions about the Catalogue itself, please contact Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation.