Building Standards Frequently Asked Questions

You can apply for a building permit through the Online Permitting Portal. If you require assistance, please contact the Building Standards department at 905-832-8510 or by email at buildingstandards@vaughan.ca.

Business hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. City Hall Offices are now open, however, individual schedules may vary.  Please ensure you have scheduled an appointment with the individual you are requesting to meet.

Yes. Under the Ontario Building Code there is an exemption for the owner to create their own drawings, provided the design falls within the scope of Division B part 9. However, if the drawings are below standard or missing information, the owner will be asked to complete them or hire a designer who carries the qualifications as required by the Ontario Building Code.

No. You must be the owner of the house before applying for a building permit. If you have bought a house that is in mid-project construction from the previous owner, then you must apply to transfer the permit from the previous owner to yourself.

You have six months after the permit is issued to start construction. Once construction commences, the permit will not expire, although, it can still be revoked as per section 8 of the Building Code Act if construction discontinues for more than one year.

Most types of landscaping, such as hedges and patio stones, do not require permits. Structures greater than 10 square metres require a permit.

A building permit is not required for an uncovered deck maximum 18.6 square metres (about 200 square feet), not exceeding 0.6 metres (about 23.6 inches) above grade and not attached to an existing structure. If an uncovered deck is attached to an existing structure, it will require a permit regardless of size or height, above grade.

Although a building permit may not be required for an uncovered deck, the deck is still required to meet the City of Vaughan Zoning By-law.

For electrical permits and information, contact the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) at 1-877-372-7233. The ESA is the regulatory body responsible for electrical work permits and inspections across Ontario.

A complete building permit application is usually processed within the following number of business days, based on the building classification of the project listed below:

• Single-family dwellings – 10 business days
• Small buildings other than houses – 15 business days
• Large buildings – 20 business days
• Complex buildings – 30 business days

Incomplete applications will not be processed or issued until all zoning and planning approvals and along with all other relevant information and applicable law requirements are completed. These applications are exempt from the timelines listed above.

In general, the following projects do not require a building permit:

• Constructing a detached accessory building less than 10 square metres (about 107 square feet) on the property that does not contain plumbing
• A shed is exempt from the requirement to obtain a permit under section 8 of the Act and is exempt from compliance with this code, provided that the shed,
  • is not more than 15 square metres in gross area
  • is not more than one storey in building height
  • is not attached to a building or any other structure
  • is used only for storage purposes ancillary to principal building on the lot, and
  • does not have plumbing
• Building an uncovered deck maximum 18.6 square metres (about 200 square feet), not exceeding 0.6 metres (about 23.6 inches) above grade and not attached to an existing structure. Although a building permit may not be required for the uncovered deck, the deck is still required to meet the City of Vaughan Zoning By-law
• Damp-proofing basements
• Replacing existing plumbing fixtures
• Replacing an existing furnace or adding air-conditioning units
• Conducting electrical projects (inspected through the Electrical Safety Authority)
• Replacing kitchen or bathroom cupboards and counter tops
• Painting and decorating
• Replacing existing windows and doors
• Replacing roofing or shingles
• Building retaining walls less than one metre (about 39.3 inches) in height
• Constructing sidewalks, planters or interlocking patio stones

For clarification, contact the Building Standards department at 905-832-8510 or read the frequently asked questions.

For all requirements, please see the City of Vaughan Zoning By-law-001-2021 or call 905-832-8510 and ask to speak to the Zoning Examiner on call during regular business hours, or email zoninginfo@vaughan.ca.

Refer to the City of Vaughan Zoning By-law 001-2021 for details. Also, if the property abuts open space conservation lands, refer to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) for any additional restrictions.

No. The City of Vaughan Zoning By-law requires that a percentage of the front exterior yard, not including the driveway, remain soft or contain horticultural elements.

Soft landscaping means an area of land made up of trees, shrubs, flowers, grass or other horticultural elements.

Hard landscaping means an area of land covered by materials like unit pavers, patio stones, concrete, decorative stonework or other architectural elements designed to enhance the property visually. Hard landscaping of this nature does not include areas devoted to parking areas or driveways.

Driveway widths and curb cuts are controlled by the City of Vaughan's Zoning By-Law.

To widen a driveway or obtain a curb cut, submit an application to the Transportation Services, Parks and Forestry Operations Roads division. For further information, view the Curb Cut and Driveway Widening Application Process and Information Brochure (PDF).

For information about the width allowed for a driveway widening or curb cut, please contact the Building Standards department at 905-832-8510 and request to speak to a Zoning Plans Examiner.

On-lot parking

If driveway widening is not an option or the driveway is already at the maximum width permitted under the City’s Zoning By-law, parking might be allowed on a portion in front of a home, on hard landscaping or next to a driveway.

On-lot parking is only allowed on properties with lot frontages that measure six metres (about 19.6 feet) or greater. Soft landscaping requirements will still apply.

Questions about on-lot parking requirements for a property should be directed to the Building Standards department at 905-832-8510. Request to speak to a Zoning Plans Examiner.

No. Artificial turf is not considered soft landscaping. Soft landscaping must contain natural horticultural elements.

A pool is not considered to be either soft or hard landscaping, nor is a pool included in your lot coverage calculations.

A Compliance Letter Request may be submitted to the City of Vaughan's Building Standards Department in the following ways:

Using the Online Permitting Portal - click here

The following information must be included in your request to obtain a compliance report:

• Municipal address of property
• Legal description of property
• Instrument numbers and copies of agreements
• Vacant land requests, required maps and reference plans
• Who can request a compliance letter?
• The owner of the property
• The solicitor for the vendor
• The solicitor for the purchaser
• The tenant, agent or client, only if there is authorization from the current owner

It takes 3 to 5 business days to process a compliance letter request.

The City does not offer fast-track service for compliance letters.

No. A zoning compliance response will show what is active, but will not disclose these details. This information must be obtained by calling the Building Standards department at 905-832-8510 or by email at zoninginfo@vaughan.ca. If an inspection is required, an appointment can be scheduled with a building inspector.

Yes. A compliance response will indicate information regarding special conditions such as the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), heritage districts, greenbelt conservation areas, oak ridges moraine and any other special conditions affecting the property you seek information on.

The Building Standards department charges a fee per unit, as updated. Building Standards will grant occupancy certificates based on each specific use within a multi-tenant industrial or commercial building and each individual unit within a residential apartment or condominium complex.

No. These details are included in the standard fee and on the original compliance response as needed.

The following information is needed when requesting an inspection for your project:

• Building permit number
• Municipal street address of the project
• Type of inspection being requested
• Preferred inspection date
• Contact name and telephone number of the person meeting the inspector on site for the inspection

It is the responsibility of the owner or their authorized agent to call and request all required inspections.

Read more about building inspections to learn about required inspection timelines.

Specific inspection times are not provided when an inspection is requested. To request a specific inspection time, contact your inspector between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. on the day of the scheduled inspection to arrange a time.

The following information is needed on site during all scheduled inspections:

• All original permit documentation
• A City of Vaughan building permit card – the inspector will sign the back of the card at each approved inspection stage

Original permit documentation is acceptable for inspector reference.

Additional project-specific documents and reports may be required during inspections. Examples include:

• Professional engineer reports
• Manufacturer product specifications
• CSA approval documents, etc.
• Please refer to your permit documents to verify if you require any additional documents for your project. Contact your inspector if you have any further questions relating to this matter.

Inspectors can be contacted by calling the Building Standards department at 905-832-8511

or by email at buildinginspections@vaughan.ca.

Yes. You may plant vegetation that has a shallow root system that will not affect the operation of the leaching bed. It is recommended that you call the Building Standards department for guidance at 905-832-8511 or by email at buildinginspections@vaughan.ca.

Notify the Building Standards department if you suspect you have a faulty onsite sewage system by phone at 905-832-8511 or by email at buildinginspections@vaughan.ca.

Yes. The City has a Backflow Prevention By-law and a Commercial Backflow Prevention Program.

Please contact the Environmental Services Department for further information.