Dealing with Construction Permits in
Canada
Listed below is detailed summary of the procedures, time and costs to build a warehouse —including obtaining necessary licenses and permits, completing required notifications and inspections and obtaining utility connections.
The information appearing on this page was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 183 economies. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in June 2011.
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Building a warehouse
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Estimated Warehouse Value:
CAD 1,900,000
- City: Toronto
| No. |
Procedure |
Time to Complete |
Associated Costs |
| 1 |
Obtain preliminary review from the municipal authority
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 3 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 2,329.58 + CAD 2.36/sq. m over 500 sq.m
Agency: Toronto Municipal Authority
|
30 days
|
CAD 5,950
|
| 2 |
Obtain building permit
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 10.05 per sq. m..
Agency: Toronto Municipal Authority
|
20 days
|
CAD 13,071
|
| * 3 |
Obtain curb cut permit
A curb cut permit cannot be requested until Site Plan is approved. Actual cutting of the curb is performed by the City.
Agency: Toronto Municipal Authority
|
5 days
|
CAD 661
|
| 4 |
Request and receive frame inspection
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.
Agency: Toronto Municipal Authority
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 5 |
Request and receive drainage inspection
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.
Inspection is done at completion, before back filling and ready for testing.
Agency: Toronto Municipal Authority
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 6 |
Request and receive sanitary inspection
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.
Inspection is done at is completion, could be partial, and ready for testing.
Agency: Toronto Municipal Authority
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 7 |
Request and receive plumbing inspection
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.
Agency: Toronto Municipal Authority
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| * 8 |
Obtain water and sewer service connections
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.
Agency: Toronto Water: Water Renewal Division
|
14 days
|
CAD 7,500
|
| * 9 |
Obtain phone connection
This procedure will not delay construction because it can be started before obtaining the occupancy permit.
Agency: Telephone Authority
|
1 day
|
CAD 100
|
| 10 |
Request and receive fire department inspection
The fire department inspector conducts this inspection.
Agency: Fire department, Toronto Municipal Authority
|
3 days
|
no charge
|
| 11 |
Receive final inspection and occupancy permit
The building inspector conducts the final inspection.
Agency: Toronto Municipal Authority
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 12 |
Receive foundation work inspection
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.
Agency: Toronto Municipal Authority
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.