Street Occupation Permit

Prior to starting a demolition, renovation and/or construction project you will require a Street Occupation Permit if you plan to temporarily occupy the area beyond your property line (the boulevard, sidewalk, roadway or public lane) with any of the following equipment or material:

• Disposal bin in roadway or public laneway
• Disposal bin and drop chutes
• Storage of materials and equipment
• Moving containers
• Walk-through/staging scaffold, plywood hoarding or covered-walkway
• Operation of cherry picker, backhoe, fork lift, scissor lift, zoom boom etc.
• Hoisting with mobile crane or boom truck
• Hoisting by means of a tower crane/helicopter
• Swinging of boom and counterweight of tower crane including flying of forms
• Roof hoist
• Pumping of concrete and concrete mixer
• Storage of trailer
• De-watering hose across sidewalk
• Chemical cleaning or sand blasting
• Swing stages
• Rope, tackle and/or ladders
• Temporary asphalt access ramp into construction site

Drawings and/or construction traffic management plans are required for applications and directives. The plans must meet the specifications outlined below:

• All plans (in metric) must be drawn to scale, and the scale must be noted on the plan
• All relevant dimensions (i.e. width of sidewalk, back of sidewalk to street/property lines and to building wall etc.) must be shown
• Tie in measurements to all above grade installations
• All street names and municipal addresses must be noted
• All physical details of the site must be shown i.e. sidewalk, trees, utility/hydro poles, fire hydrants, parking meters. street vendor locations and all street furniture, including bus shelters and publication boxes etc.)
• All parking spaces to be occupied with construction staging area are to be identified on the plans (Green P spaces, Car Share parking spaces, etc.)
• North arrow must be shown
• The location of street/property lines must be noted
• Your proposal must be clearly indicated

For street, sidewalk and/or public lane closures, a detailed letter outlining how the public right of way is to be used, including the duration of the closure, together with a proposed work schedule, must be submitted with your application.

Street occupation permit fees are based on the type of permit required and the duration of the work. Permits must be obtained in person and must be paid for when they are issued. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding the fees which must accompany your application.

You can pay the permit fee by cash or cheque or money order payable to the Treasurer, City of Toronto. We also accept Debit, Visa, MasterCard or American Express.

All fees are subject to an annual inflationary increase based on the City’s User Fee Policy and change without prior notice.

Street occupation permit fees are based on the type of permit required and the duration of the work. Permits must be obtained in person and must be paid for when they are issued. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding the fees which must accompany your application.

You can pay the permit fee by cash or cheque or money order payable to the Treasurer, City of Toronto. We also accept Debit, Visa, MasterCard or American Express.

All fees are subject to an annual inflationary increase based on the City’s User Fee Policy and change without prior notice.

Beginning in 2023, Street Occupation Permits issued within the boundaries of a Construction Hub will be charged a fee that is 25% higher than the standard permit fee. The purpose of this is to enable the City to recover a portion of costs incurred in the delivery of the Construction Hubs program, which provides direct services and benefits to permit holders located within the Hub boundaries.

What is the Construction Hubs Program?

In 2019, the City initiated the Construction Hubs Coordination program to effectively manage access to the right-of-way, with an emphasis on Vision Zero principles, in areas with a dense concentration of construction activity impacting mobility and safety. In 2022, the program grew from one to six Construction Hub locations.

What are the Construction Hub areas?

A Construction Hub is defined as an area of the City with existing residential, school and/or business uses that is experiencing a dense concentration of construction activity in the right-of-way due to planned and/or ongoing capital construction projects (such as utility, water and road works), major transit expansion projects, and/or private development (such as condo building).

The boundaries of these locations are identified on the Construction Hub program webpage, and also defined in the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 743, Streets and Sidewalks, Use of.

What services are provided to permit holders located in Construction Hubs?

The program provides constructors and local stakeholders with a single point of contact for notifications and issues resolution. The designated Construction Hub Coordinator and core program staff identify and implement measures that enhance coordination of construction activities and support the safe and efficient movement of all road and sidewalk users through the area. These measures, which enhance safety and prevent costly construction delays, may include:

• Logistical planning of the right of way
• Coordinating resources to manage work zones
• Supporting developers, constructors, businesses and residents with “single point of contact” resolution
• Reviewing and commenting on Construction Management Plans
• Connecting travellers with real-time information
• Forecasting changes in the neighbourhood and collaborating with enforcement officers
• Communicating impacts early and often and to key neighbourhood stakeholders

What benefits will other stakeholders, such as residents and businesses, receive if they are located in a Construction Hub?

People who live, work, study, recreate in or travel through Construction Hubs will benefit from measures to improve road and sidewalk safety and accessibility, as well as strategies to mitigate traffic congestion. These measures will also improve communication and awareness of construction activities, and ensure that builders vacate the right-of-way in a timely manner.

How do the fees associated with Construction Hubs impact the cost of street occupation permits?

The Construction Hub fees increase the cost of fees for 16 Street Occupation Permit types which allow for long-term occupation of the right-of-way. If the worksite identified on the permit application is located within the boundaries of a Construction Hub, that permit will be charged a fee that is 25% higher than the standard rate.

How will homeowners be impacted by the Construction Hub fees?

The Construction Hub fees apply to longer-term street occupations and right-of-way uses for commercial construction staging, hoarding and hoisting within the boundaries of a Hub. The Construction Hub fees will have no impact on the costs of permits for small-scale construction or renovation projects led by individual homeowners.

Tower Crane (Swing of Boom) Application Requirements

In order to process your Swing of Boom application please submit the following:

1. Completed application form.
2. Drawings in a PDF format that provide the following information, in metric:
   • Radius of swing of boom and counterweight
   • Base of tower crane
   • All property lines, street lines, sidewalk and curb lines, all street names
   • Outline of existing overhead protection, staging area, if any
   • Site location and municipal address(es)
   • Outline of proposed building(s)
   • Cross section drawings with foundation base and counter weight details stamped by a Professional Engineer licensed in the Province of Ontario

For approval of your application, it will be necessary to:

1. Provide a certificate of insurance for $2 million with the City of Toronto identified as an additional insured, and containing a cross-liability clause
2. Obtain a written approval from: Transport Canada, Civil Aviation Services Ontario (CASO)
   • 4900 Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M2N 6A5, 416-952-0215 | 1-877-231-2330, e-mail: aviation.ont@tc.gc.ca
   • Aeronautical Assessment Form English
   • Aeronautical Assessment Form French
3. Obtain a written approval from: Nav Canada, AIS Data Collection Unit and Land Use Office
   • 1601 Tom Roberts Road, P.O. Box 9824, Station T, Ottawa, ON K1G 6R2, Tel: (866) 577-0247, Fax: (613) 248-4094, e-mail: landuse@navcanada.ca
   • Visit Nav Canada Land Use Program Website
4. Tower crane swinging over City sidewalks may be subject to an additional site protection Street Occupation Permit.

2025 Permit Fees

Cost of Tower Crane Swing of Boom Permit:

• Not in a Construction Hub: $79.54 ($70.39 + $9.15 HST) per day.
• In a Construction Hub: $99.42 ($87.98 + $11.44 HST) per day.

Hoisting Permit: A separate permit is required for hoisting by means of a Tower Crane, unless hoisting within an authorized staging area.

• Not in a Construction Hub: $79.54 ($70.39 + $9.15 HST) per day
• In a Construction Hub: $99.42 ($87.98 + $11.44 HST) per day

All fees are to be paid prior to permit issuance and subject to change without prior notice.

Application processing time is approximately 12 weeks upon submission of all required information.