01
Site & zoning
Current survey information, site plan, setbacks, lot area, proposed building area, height, parking, landscape and zoning statistics.
◆ New house permit services
New House Permit Services in Toronto & the GTA
A new detached, semi-detached or row house needs more than a floor plan. iPermit reviews the lot and approval path, prepares and coordinates the permit drawings and supporting documents within the agreed scope, and assists with the municipal application.
A New House Permit Starts With a Lot That Works
For a ground-up house, the building permit is not the first question to solve. The proposed home has to fit the property, comply with zoning and other applicable law, and be supported by a coordinated set of site, architectural, structural, grading, energy, mechanical and plumbing information where those disciplines apply.
That is why a permit-ready custom home drawing set should not be developed in isolation from the lot. Setbacks, building height, gross floor area, lot coverage, grading, protected trees, conservation or heritage constraints and an existing building on the site can all change the design before the municipal building-code review begins.
iPermit starts with the address, survey and intended house. From there, we define what must be resolved before detailed permit drawings are completed and which documents belong in the final application.
◆ Before permit drawings
The Building Permit Is Not Always the First Approval
Before the house is ready for building-code review, the property may need zoning and applicable-law clearance. If the proposed size, height, setbacks or other zoning standards do not comply, the design may have to change or proceed through a variance process. Site grading, trees, conservation or heritage controls and replacement-house demolition can also create earlier dependencies.
The practical goal is to identify those constraints while the design is still flexible, rather than discovering them after a full permit set has been produced.
◆ Permit package
What a New House Permit Package Needs to Coordinate
The exact submission depends on the property and municipality, but a new-house application typically brings four groups of information together. Missing one group can hold up the rest of the file.
02
House drawings
Dimensioned floor plans, roof plan, elevations, building sections, foundation information and construction details describing the proposed house.
03
Structure & systems
Structural information plus engineered trusses or floor systems, HVAC, plumbing, drainage and other technical documents when they form part of the project.
04
Energy, grading & forms
Energy-efficiency documentation, grading information, application forms and project-specific declarations or clearances required by the municipality.
Ready to Define Permit Path?
Send project context first, the next step can then focus on scope, information gaps and the right page or service route.
Toronto’s Current New-House Permit Path: Zoning First, Then the House Stream
Toronto currently places a new detached house, semi-detached house or row house with no more than two dwelling units in its House Stream. For an application to be treated as complete, the City says it must include an issued Zoning Applicable Law Certificate (ZAP), the signed permit application, plans and specifications, confirmation that applicable law identified through the zoning review has been satisfied, and the required fees.
This is an important sequencing point. A new-house file submitted without the issued ZAP is currently treated as incomplete, so the building-code review clock does not start simply because drawings have been uploaded.
Toronto’s New House application guide identifies the core drawing set as site and grading plans, floor plans, a roof plan, elevations, sections and construction details. New Part 9 residential construction also requires energy-efficiency documentation under SB-12.
The City’s current New House guide also lists the Residential Infill Public Notice Declaration and Municipal Road Damage Form among its required forms. A Lot Grading for Infill Housing Letter of Undertaking is required for new housing that is not subject to Subdivision or Site Plan Approval. The Declaration Form for Overhead Electrical Conductors must be submitted with every permit application for a new building, while the Tree Declaration applies where the project has the potential to damage private or City trees.
Review timing is not the same as total project timing. Toronto currently states that complete House Stream applications are reviewed within 10 business days. That period does not include the time required to develop the design, obtain the ZAP, secure a variance or other applicable-law clearance, prepare grading and consultant information, or respond to later review comments.
◆ New house workflow
Move From Lot Feasibility to a Coordinated Permit File
A new-house application works best when zoning, site design and technical disciplines are sequenced instead of being developed as disconnected packages.
01
Establish
Lot & approval path
Review the address, survey, desired house, existing approvals and site constraints. Confirm the zoning/applicable-law route before locking the design.
Feasibility
02
Coordinate
Permit design
Develop the site plan and house drawings while aligning structure, energy, grading, HVAC, plumbing and other required technical inputs.
Design
03
Assemble
Complete application
Bring drawings, forms, declarations and required outside clearances into one current submission set and confirm who is responsible for each document.
Submit
04
Respond
Municipal review
Track review comments, route technical questions to the responsible discipline and coordinate revised documents within the agreed project scope.
Review
◆ Municipality matters
The GTA Does Not Use One Identical Approval Sequence
The Ontario Building Code provides the provincial framework, but the order of zoning, grading, site-alteration and other pre-approvals changes by municipality. We confirm the current sequence from the property address.
Toronto
ZAP before a complete House Stream file
Toronto currently requires an issued Zoning Applicable Law Certificate for a complete new-house House Stream application.
Vaughan
Infill grading is an earlier permit
For a new infill residential home, Vaughan requires the applicable grading permit before the associated building permit application.
Richmond Hill
Pre-approvals can come first
Depending on the site, Richmond Hill identifies pre-approvals such as site alteration, planning, conservation authority and urban-planning review before building permit issuance.
◆ Before submission
Four Conditions That Can Change the Permit Path
These issues do not apply to every new house, but when they do, they can change the sequence, drawings or approvals required before the building permit can be issued.
Replacing an existing house?
A replacement build normally creates a linked demolition-permit track. In Toronto, the current process requires the New House building-permit application to be submitted before the associated residential demolition application. Demolition cannot be treated as an informal site-clearing step.
Does the design exceed zoning permissions?
If the proposed height, setbacks, building area or another zoning standard is not permitted as-of-right, the house may need to be redesigned or proceed through a minor-variance process before the permit path can be completed.
Are trees, ravine or conservation constraints involved?
Protected trees, ravine controls, conservation authority regulation, heritage matters or another applicable law can require separate review or clearance. These constraints are best identified before the full house design is fixed.
Is there a party wall or difficult excavation condition?
Semis, row houses, close excavation and shared structural conditions can introduce party-wall, shoring or professional-review requirements that are not present on a simple detached infill lot. The scope has to be established from the actual site condition.
Ready to Define Permit Path?
Send project context first, the next step can then focus on scope, information gaps and the right page or service route.
◆ Start with the lot
What to Send Before the Design Goes Too Far
You do not need a finished custom-home drawing set to begin. The most useful first review combines the property information with the house you are trying to achieve.
- Property address: Identifies the municipality and lets us start with the correct zoning and approval framework.
- Current survey: Shows the property boundaries and provides the base information for setbacks, site planning, grading and proposed building placement.
- House goals or concept: Share sketches, reference plans, desired floor area, number of storeys, garage needs and other priorities already decided.
- Existing site records: Previous permits, demolition information, tree or conservation correspondence and municipal comments can change the starting approval path.
◆ New house permit questions
New House Permit FAQs
These answers cover the questions that affect the permit decision before a homeowner or builder commits to a complete custom-home drawing package.
Do I need a building permit to build a new house?
Yes. A new detached house, semi-detached house or row house requires a building permit before regulated construction begins. Other approvals may also need to be resolved before the permit can be issued.
What drawings are normally required for a new house permit?
A typical package includes a site plan, grading information, floor plans, roof plan, elevations, sections and construction details, plus structural, HVAC, plumbing, energy-efficiency and other supporting information where required by the project and municipality.
Is a custom home permit different from a new house permit?
Not as a separate municipal permit category. “Custom home permit drawings” is common project language, while the municipality generally reviews the work as a permit for a new house or new dwelling. The design can be custom; the approval path still follows the applicable new-house requirements.
Does Toronto require zoning approval before the building permit?
Under Toronto’s current House Stream rules, an issued Zoning Applicable Law Certificate is required for the building-permit application to be considered complete. If a variance or another applicable-law approval is needed, that issue has to be resolved through the appropriate process.
How long does Toronto review a complete new-house application?
Toronto currently states that a complete House Stream application is reviewed within 10 business days. That is not the total project schedule: zoning/ZAP, design, other approvals, revisions and applicant response time sit outside that review target. See the Building Permit Process page for the broader timeline.
Do I need a separate demolition permit for a replacement house?
If an existing house is being removed for the new build, a demolition permit is generally required as a separate but related approval. Toronto’s current replacement-house process links the demolition application to the New House permit file. See our Residential Demolition Permit page.