Dealing with Construction Permits in Canada

The table below summarizes the procedures, time, and costs to build a warehouse in Canada.

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Building a warehouse

Data as of: January 2009
Estimated Warehouse Value: CAD 1,900,000
City: Toronto

Requirements Summary:


  Procedure Time to complete: Cost to complete:
1 Obtain site plan approval from the municipal authority 30 days CAD 4,132
2 Obtain building permit 20 days CAD 12,538
*3 Obtain road cut permit 5 days CAD 614
4 Request and receive frame inspection 1 day no charge
5 Request and receive drainage inspection 1 day no charge
6 Request and receive electriicty inspection 1 day no charge
7 Request and receive sanitary inspection 1 day no charge
8 Request and receive plumbing inspection 1 day no charge
*9 Obtain electric power connection 14 days CAD 20,000
*10 Obtain water and sewer service connections 14 days CAD 7,500
*11 Obtain phone connection 1 day CAD 100
12 Request and receive fire department inspection 3 days no charge
13 Receive final inspection and occupancy permit 1 day no charge
14 Receive foundation work inspection 1 day no charge
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.

Requirement Details

Procedure 1.
Obtain site plan approval from the municipal authority
Time to complete:
30 days
Cost to complete:
CAD 4,132
Name of Agency:
Toronto Municipal Authority
Comment:
A pre-consultation with City Staff (Planning Department) is advised. This step will help save time later on in the process. Several documents are needed in this application, including Site Plans, Floor Plans, Elevations, and SWM Plan . The municipality forwards the site plan to the fire department for approval. On some occasions, a City councillor will get involved in the review of the site plan and community consultation may be requested by the Planner. The process can take anywhere from 1 month to 9 months depending on the complexity of the site plan, political interests, and on how often the applicant needs to revise the plan to meet the City's desired revisions. Once approved, the City often has conditions that need to be met before building permit can be obtained. The cost is: CAD 2, 283.90 + CAD 2.31 per sq. m (over 500 sq. m.)= CAD 4,131.9.
Procedure 2.
Obtain building permit
Time to complete:
20 days
Cost to complete:
CAD 12,538
Name of Agency:
Toronto Municipal Authority
Comment:
The building permit is issued by the City of Toronto. BuildCo must post the building permit on the construction site. In certain cases, the process of reviewing the building permit application can be started by the City before the site plan is approved. However, the building permit will not be issued before the site approval is granted. The building permit and the site plan approval are granted by different municipal departments. The site plan approval entails verifying planning compliance with the city bylaws (for instance, if enough parking spaces are included in the plans). In contrast, the building permit application review analyzes technical issues. For simple cases, obtaining site plan approval and a building permit takes 1 to 3 months.

The Ontario Building Code was revised in July 2005. The new building code prescribes the time frame for the authority’s building permit review. Permits must be issued within 20 days for large buildings and 30 days for complex buildings (previously, this could take 6–12 months).
Standard forms must be used for all authorities. The fee is calculated at CAD 9,64 per sq. m..
Procedure 3.
Obtain road cut permit
Time to complete:
5 days
Cost to complete:
CAD 614
Name of Agency:
Toronto Municipal Authority
Comment:
A curb cut permit cannot be requested until Site Plan is approved. Actual cutting of the curb is performed by the City.
Procedure 4.
Request and receive frame inspection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Toronto Municipal Authority
Comment:
To conduct a frame inspection, building inspectors review projects during key stages of construction. This is required to ensure that the work complies with the building code and approved plans. Inspectors may visit several times, depending on the project; they must be able to see the part of the work under inspection. Inspectors require a minimum of 48 hours notice to book an inspection.
Procedure 5.
Request and receive drainage inspection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Toronto Municipal Authority
Comment:
Building inspectors review projects during key stages of construction. This is required to ensure that work complies with the building code and approved plans. Inspectors may visit several times, depending on the project; they must be able to see the part of the work under inspection. Inspectors require a minimum of 48 hours notice to book an inspection.
Procedure 6.
Request and receive electriicty inspection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Electrical Authority
Comment:

Building inspectors review projects during key stages of construction. This is required to ensure that work complies with the building code and approved plans. Inspectors may visit several times. Depending on the project; they must be able to see the part of the work under inspection. Inspectors require a minimum of 48 hours notice to book an inspection.
Procedure 7.
Request and receive sanitary inspection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Toronto Municipal Authority
Comment:
Building inspectors review projects during key stages of construction. This is required to ensure that work complies with the building code and approved plans. Inspectors may visit several times. Depending on the project; they must be able to see the part of the work under inspection. Inspectors require a minimum of 48 hours notice to book an inspection.
Procedure 8.
Request and receive plumbing inspection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Toronto Municipal Authority
Comment:
Building inspectors review projects during key stages of construction. This is required to ensure that work complies with the building code and approved plans. Inspectors may visit several times. Depending on the project; they must be able to see the part of the work under inspection. Inspectors require a minimum of 48 hours notice to book an inspection.
Procedure 9.
Obtain electric power connection
Time to complete:
14 days
Cost to complete:
CAD 20,000
Name of Agency:
Electricity Company
Comment:
This procedure will not delay construction because it can be started before obtaining the occupancy permit.
Procedure 10.
Obtain water and sewer service connections
Time to complete:
14 days
Cost to complete:
CAD 7,500
Name of Agency:
Toronto Water: Water Renewal Division
Comment:
This procedure can only be completed after the site plan approval has been granted. The City has implemented a new process (2008) by which the connection work is carried out by any one of 8 listed contractors. Once the application has been submitted, the City sends out a Request For Quotations (RFQ) from the contractors. The desired contractor is chosen based on the list of quotes and a deposit is collected.
Procedure 11.
Obtain phone connection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
CAD 100
Name of Agency:
Telephone Authority
Comment:
This procedure will not delay construction because it can be started before obtaining the occupancy permit.
Procedure 12.
Request and receive fire department inspection
Time to complete:
3 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Fire department, Toronto Municipal Authority
Comment:
The fire department inspector conducts this inspection.
Procedure 13.
Receive final inspection and occupancy permit
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Toronto Municipal Authority
Comment:
The building inspector conducts the final inspection.
Procedure 14.
Receive foundation work inspection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Toronto Municipal Authority
Comment:
Building inspectors review projects during key stages of construction to ensure that work complies with the building code and approved plans. Inspectors may visit several times, depending on the project; they must be able to see the part of the work under inspection. Inspectors require a minimum of 48 hours notice to book an inspection.