RENOVATIONS
Richmond Hill Renovations
Kitchen, bathroom and structural wall changes inside an existing Richmond Hill home.
◆ Richmond Hill permit support
Richmond Hill Building Permit Services for Four-Unit Homes, Additions and Infill Houses
iPermit’s building permit services in Richmond Hill run from the first zoning check to the issued permit, for homeowners and builders alike. Our building permit application services cover the drawings and everything the City asks for around them, and in Richmond Hill that list is longer than the drawings alone: a site alteration permit, a tree declaration and a grading deposit often have to be in place before an infill house or larger addition can be reviewed.
Four Units on One Richmond Hill Lot
Since December 11, 2024, a detached house, semi or townhouse lot in Richmond Hill can hold three additional residential units, four homes in all. That is one more than Ontario’s baseline of three, and it applies to existing houses as well as new ones. Up to two of the extra units can go in a detached accessory building, but the by-law sets tight limits on that building:
- One per lot. Only one accessory residential building is allowed, and only in the rear yard, at least 1.2 m from the lot lines.
- Height and size. Main walls up to 6.0 m, 7.5 m overall, and no more than 80 m² of building coverage.
- Rear yard. At least half of the rear yard has to stay soft landscaping, and a clear path at least 1.0 m wide has to lead to the unit.
- Parking. Requirements range from none to three spaces depending on the area and the number of units, and tandem spaces are allowed.
- No home occupation is allowed on a lot with additional units.
A new building with two to four units can often be treated as a main dwelling plus additional units rather than a multiplex, which changes the zoning rules that apply. We work that out before any drawing is started. Our residential building permits are where to start if you are adding units.
◆ Feasibility first
Richmond Hill's New Zoning By-law 93-25
Richmond Hill has just replaced its patchwork of older zoning by-laws. Council adopted Comprehensive Zoning By-law 93-25 on September 24, 2025, and the Ontario Land Tribunal approved most of it on July 2, 2026. Most of it, not all: 22 appeals are still open, covering sites along Yonge Street, Bayview Avenue, Major Mackenzie Drive and elsewhere.
Any building permit consultant Richmond Hill homeowners retain should look up the appeal status for the lot first, and only then test setbacks, height, coverage and parking against the rules actually in force. Designs that miss a rule need a Committee of Adjustment variance, and the permit cannot be issued until that decision stands. Our zoning review starts there.
Trees, Site Alteration and the Oak Ridges Moraine
In Richmond Hill, the approvals around the Building Code tend to take longer than the building review itself.
Trees. Richmond Hill rewrote its tree by-law in April 2025, and By-law 19-25 now protects private trees 15 cm (about 6 in.) or more in diameter, down from 20 cm. A tree declaration goes in with the building permit application, replacement trees are secured with a deposit or cash in lieu, and fines can reach $100,000. Removals tied to an approved site alteration permit are handled through that permit instead.
Site alteration. A new infill house needs a site alteration permit ($1,121.42) with a grading and servicing plan from a professional engineer or Ontario Land Surveyor, a video inspection ($808.49) and a refundable security of $20,000 to $55,000, based on lot frontage. An addition or additional unit pays $673.06, but additions under 400 sq ft that do not change drainage onto neighbouring lots are exempt.
Oak Ridges Moraine and conservation land. Properties in the moraine area in the north of the city need a pre-consultation meeting and may need studies such as a Natural Heritage Evaluation before the permit. Where TRCA regulates the lot, its clearance is needed, and work beside the CN rail corridor needs CN’s approval; the City checks both before issuing the permit.
◆ Our Richmond Hill workflow
The Richmond Hill Permit Path, Step by Step
In Richmond Hill, grading and tree approvals run alongside the building permit, and agency clearances are checked again at issuance, so the order is planned before the drawings are prepared.
01
Assess
Property, moraine and TRCA check
Check the permit history, heritage designation, moraine mapping and TRCA mapping for the address.
Intake
02
Check
By-law 93-25 review
Check the lot against By-law 93-25 and its appeal status, then flag what has to come first: a variance, site alteration permit, tree permit or TRCA review.
Feasibility
03
Prepare
Grading plan and drawings
Have the engineer or surveyor prepare the grading and servicing plan, complete the tree declaration, and draw the house around both.
Drawings
04
File
Submission and clearances
Submit the complete package with the deposits the file needs, answer examiner comments, and collect the agency clearances the City checks before it issues the permit.
Municipal
◆ Richmond Hill services
Richmond Hill Permit Services
Richmond Hill’s rules shift with the type of work. These are the projects we see most.
SECOND UNITS
Legal Second and Third Units
Basement units planned around Richmond Hill’s four-unit rules, parking by area and the access path the zoning requires.
ADDITIONS
Richmond Hill Additions
Rear, side and second-storey additions, with the site alteration permit and deposits required once an addition passes 400 sq ft.
DECKS
Decks Near Protected Trees
Decks, porches and walkouts, including tree protection where the work falls inside a tree protection zone.
GARAGES
Accessory Buildings and Garages
Detached garages and accessory buildings, including one with up to two additional units above or beside it.
ZONING
By-law 93-25 Zoning Review
A read of By-law 93-25 and its open appeals as they apply to your address.
Richmond Hill Permit Fees and Deposits
Under Fee By-law 19-24 most house permits are priced by the square metre, and the site alteration permit brings separate fees and securities. These are the rates on the City’s current residential checklists:
Item | City fee |
New house or addition | $27.37 per m² |
Residential alteration | $10.40 per m² |
Finished basement | $6.56 per m² |
Minimum residential permit fee | $210.12 |
Site alteration permit: new infill house / addition or unit | $1,121.42 / $673.06 |
Site alteration security, new infill house | $20,000 to $55,000 |
Grading and road deposits, addition over 400 sq ft | $7,000 + $3,000 |
Two details are worth noticing. The per-square-metre rate for a new house is well above the rates in Vaughan or Toronto, so the building permit fee on a large infill home is a real line in the budget. And the securities are refundable, but only once the City signs off the grading, which makes the final grading certificate as important as the final building inspection. We quote our own work separately once we have seen the lot.
Lining Up Clearances in Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill works to the Ontario Building Code review targets, counted in business days once a complete application is received:
Permit type | Review target (business days) |
Houses | 10 |
Small buildings | 15 |
Large buildings | 20 |
Complex buildings | 30 |
Here, complete means more than a drawing set. The site alteration permit is a pre-approval at application for infill houses and larger additions, the tree declaration has to be signed, and TRCA or CN clearance has to arrive before the permit can be issued. A permit expediter Richmond Hill builders trust lines those up in parallel, so the building review and the agency clearances finish together instead of one after the other.
Examiner comments usually arrive with the first review. We answer them in one response, with every affected sheet revised, so the file does not wait in a second queue over something small. Final decisions and dates rest with the City of Richmond Hill.
Ready to Start in Richmond Hill?
Tell us the address and the scope, and we’ll check the new zoning, moraine and site alteration rules before quoting.
◆ Why iPermit?
Choosing a Richmond Hill Permit Partner
The useful questions for any building permit company in Richmond Hill are practical ones: who prepares the site alteration and tree paperwork, whose name is on the drawings, and who replies to the examiner. We’re one city over in Vaughan, with Ontario permit experience going back to 2006. Richmond Hill jobs on our list include the Willet Residence, a load-bearing wall removal with mechanical permits, and renovations at the Don Head Residence and the Canyon Hill Residence. We coordinate the drawings and the file; the City of Richmond Hill reviews it, issues the permit and inspects the work.
◆ Richmond Hill owners ask
Richmond Hill Homeowner FAQs
Richmond Hill owners mostly ask about unit limits, grading and tree approvals, and whether the new zoning applies to their house. Our short answers are below.
Can I add a fourth unit to my Richmond Hill house?
Yes. Since December 2024 the zoning allows the main home plus three additional units on most detached, semi and townhouse lots, with up to two of them in a detached accessory building. Parking and the rear yard rules still have to work for your lot.
Does my addition need a site alteration permit?
Only if it is 400 sq ft or larger, or if a smaller addition changes drainage onto neighbouring properties. A permit for an addition or additional unit costs $673.06, plus the grading and road deposits.
Which trees need a permit now?
Private trees with a trunk of 15 cm or more at chest height (1.4 m). The threshold dropped from 20 cm when By-law 19-25 took effect in April 2025, and replacement trees planted under a permit are protected too.
Is my lot on the Oak Ridges Moraine?
Much of northern Richmond Hill is. If yours is, a pre-consultation with the City comes first, and it may lead to studies such as a Natural Heritage Evaluation before the building permit can move ahead.
Is the new zoning by-law in force on my street?
For most lots, yes. The Ontario Land Tribunal approved By-law 93-25 on July 2, 2026, but 22 appeals are still open. We check the appeal status for your address before relying on the new rules.