Building Permits

A New Construction permit is required for the construction of a principal use (main use) building or structure. This includes mobile homes as the principal use.

A Plumbing Permit is required for the installation, major alteration, and additions to a plumbing system. A property owner can install his/her own plumbing provided that the installation is in a single-family dwelling in which he or she resides.

A Licensed Plumber must be hired to do the plumbing work for buildings listed outside of the aforementioned.

An Accessory Structure permit is required for any accessory structure 10 square meters or greater. An accessory structure is a use, separate building, or structure, which is usually incidental, subordinate, exclusively devoted to and located on the same lot as a principal use, building or structure. In the case of a building or structure, it may or may not be attached to the main building on the same lot.

With respect to sheds, in accordance with the Ontario Building Code, Division C, Article 1.3.1.1.:

(6) a shed is exempt from the requirement to obtain a permit under Section 8 of the Act and is exempt from compliance with the Code, provided that the shed,

(a) is not more than 15m² in gross area,

(b) is not more than one storey in building height,

(c) is not attached to a building or any other structure,

(d) is used only for storage purposes ancillary to a principal building on the lot, and

(e)does not have plumbing.

With respect to decks, an Accessory Structure permit is required for all decks greater than 24" above grade (attached or detached) regardless of the size.

Examples of an Accessory Structure include (but are not limited to) garages, decks, sheds, gazebos, greenhouses, pergolas, detached carports, etc.

A Secondary Unit permit is required for the construction of all secondary units (including mobile homes as secondary units).

A secondary dwelling unit is a self-contained unit consisting of a room or rooms in a single detached, semi-detached, row house dwelling, street townhouse, or accessory buildings. The secondary dwelling unit may be contained in any part of the house, not just the basement. It may also be contained within an addition to the existing dwelling or within an accessory structure.

A Demolition Permit is required before you demolish all or part of an existing building.

An Alteration or Renovation permit is required for:

Exterior alterations or renovations including (but not limited to) roof repair or replacement (including structural members, sheathing, and roofing except shingles), addition of new openings for windows and doors to the building envelope, increasing/decreasing the size of existing windows and doors, installing new or repairing existing window wells, demolition of a chimney, etc.

Interior alterations or renovations including (but not limited to) altering or removing partition walls and load-bearing walls, installation of insulation, air/vapour barrier and drywall, installation of a fireplace/woodstove, installation/repair of a chimney, fire protection requirements, addition of rooms such as bedrooms, bathrooms, laundry rooms, etc.

An Additions permit is required for any addition attached to a principal building or structure, or an addition to an accessory building/structure.

Examples of an addition include (but are not limited to) carports, garages, porches, room(s), dormers, roofs over a deck, second storey to an existing building or structure.

A Weeping Tile/Foundation Repair permit is required for the installation of new weeping tiles, repair of existing weeping tiles, or repair of a foundation.

A Cladding permit is required for installing new exterior cladding (on all or part of a building or structure) such as vinyl siding, wood siding, brick veneer, brick, etc.

A Swimming Pool Enclosure permit is required for outdoor swimming pools with a capacity of more than 24 inches (61 cm) of water (including outdoor seasonal pools).

A Private Spa or Hot Tub is deemed to be an Outdoor Swimming Pool and would require a building permit unless, the Private Spa or Hot Tub has a safety cover which is a substantial, structurally adequate cover that is capable of supporting a 200 lbs. (90 kilogram) load and is in compliance with the current American Society for Testing and Materials standard ASTM-F-1346 for Hot Tub and pool safety covers. The safety cover is permanently attached to the Private Spa or Hot Tub or to its supporting structure. The Owner shall ensure the safety cover is securely fastened and locked to prevent access when the Private Spa or Hot Tub is not in use.

For additional information, refer to the Pool Enclosure By-Law (2016-91) and Swimming Pool Enclosure Guide:

View the full Pool Enclosure By-law (2016-91)
Swimming Pool Enclosure Guide

A Permanent Sign permit is required for signs that fall within the City of Greater Sudbury Sign By-Law 2021-110. Ensure to refer to the City of Greater Sudbury Sign By-Law 2021-110 for details related to permanent sign requirements.

A New Tent permit is required for tents falling outside of the below provision.

A tent or group of tents is exempt from the requirement to obtain a permit under Section 8 of the Act and is exempt from compliance with the Code provided that the tent or group of tents are,
(a) not more than 60 m2 in aggregate ground area,
(b) not attached to a building, and
(c) constructed more than 3 m from other structures.

A Designated Structure permit is required for Designated Structures including:
· Retaining wall > 1 m in height
· Pedestrian Bridge appurtenant to a building
· Crane Runway Technical Standards & Safety Act 2000 to TSSA 2000
· Signs regulated by Section 3.15, Division B that are not structurally supported by a building
· Solar Collector that is mounted on a building and a face area equal to or > 5 m2
· Structure that supports a wind turbine generator having a rated output of more than 3kW
· Outdoor Public Pool
· Outdoor Public Spa
· Permanent Solid Nutrient Storage Facility with supporting walls exceeding 1 m in exposed height
· Dish Antenna mounted on a building having a face area equal to or > 5 m2
· Demountable stage
· Demountable support structure

A Fire Suppression permit is required for the installation of any new or alteration of any existing fire suppression systems including (but not limited to) sprinklers and standpipes.

A Change of Use permit is required when there is a change of Major Occupancy in all or part of a building which may result in an increase in hazard to the occupants of the building.

A Site Alteration permit is required for lands requiring:
· excavating, depositing, or stockpiling fill or topsoil and/or;
· removing topsoil and/or;
· altering the grade of land

No person shall commence site alteration or cause site alteration unless a site alteration permit has been issued.