For interior and exterior alterations, renovations, additions, tenant space improvements, selective or partial demolitions, changes to business activities (change of use) and/or site changes to commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings.
This also applies to changes to apartments/condos, rowhouses with 5 or more dwelling units, stacked rowhouses, and mixed-used (blend of commercial and residential) buildings.
Do I Need A Permit?
Permits are required for:
Changes in activity in a space
- Change to the business activity or change of use, such as:
- From retail to restaurant
- From residential to office
- From office to residential
- Adding residential units
- Change in intensity of business activity, such as increasing the number of seats in a restaurant
Construction
- First tenant in a new shell building
- Renovating a condominium
- Adding exterior balconies to an apartment building
- Change to exterior doors, windows, walls and roofs
- Change to the interior, such as walls, washrooms, stairs and mezzanines
- Change to building systems: heating and ventilating, plumbing, gas, and electrical systems
- Change to life safety systems such as fire alarm, sprinkler, standpipe, etc.
Equipment
Installation, alteration or upgrade of equipment affecting the building, such as:
- Storage racking
- Commercial cooking equipment
- Vehicle repair equipment such as paint spray booths or hoists
- Charging/fuelling of forklifts
Changes to the existing site
- Change to site access
- Change to existing site layouts, such as to landscape islands or parking aisles
- Change to the parking lot, sidewalk or line striping affecting accessible parking stalls
Permits are not required for:
- Cosmetic interior changes such as painting, changing flooring, or cabinetry
- Re-roofing or re-siding with materials of a similar type and assembly