Which Home Renovations Require a Permit?
Written by Artisan Contracting on November 2, 2020
In Ontario and Canada, homeowners and renovation companies require permits for several different kinds of renovations. Of course, different cities also require different permits, but starting with the national and provincial permits is wise.
What Home Renovations Require a Permit?
A huge range of home renovation projects require a permit. Essentially, you need to get a building permit any time that you:
- Construct any new building over ten square meters in area
- Change the use of a building
- Excavate or construct a footing
- Construct a seasonal building
- Make renovations or repairs or add to the building
While those first few requirements are very straightforward, the last is not so clear. Do all renovations or repairs really require a permit? The answer is, usually, but not really. In most municipalities, you don’t need a permit to restore minor issues with your home or make cosmetic changes. For example, you likely don’t need a permit to paint your home, to change your kitchen cabinets or to restore your trim.
However, those repairs that make more significant changes to the home likely need a permit. This may include getting a new roof, building a home addition, adding a new bathroom, changing your plumbing pipes, or adding a fence.
There are literally thousands of home improvement projects you might want to start, so how do you know whether they will need a permit or not? Talk to your renovation company and to your municipal building permits and the permit office. They can let you know whether or not you will need a permit.
Why Get a Home Renovation Permit?
Building permits are part of the law, and if you fail to get one when you need one you are breaking the law. If you don’t get a home renovation permit, you are risking fines and could be required to reverse the changes you made to the house or other structure.
If you make changes to your building that violate other, serious laws, like the fire code, you may also be responsible for more fines and penalties. In part, the building permit system is intended to help guide you to make safe decisions for your property. If you apply for a permit and your plans will violate the fire code, the municipality will often let you know.
Your contracting company should be aware of all of these permits and should be willing to take care of the process for you. That’s just another reason to work with a professional company that will make the renovation process so much easier.
From exterior to interior projects, at Artisan Contracting we will build your project right. Get a gorgeous home, call the experts at Artisan Contracting today.
Sources:
https://www.therenopros.ca/do-i-need-permits-for-home-renovation/
https://www.ontario.ca/document/citizens-guide-land-use-planning/building-permits
https://juliekinnear.com/blogs/which-home-improvements-require-permits-in-canada
