Before you start any construction in your house, you must find out if you need a building permit. If you do need one, you would submit the application form and other required documents.
You need a building permit if you plan to:
- Construct a new building
- Renovate, repair or add to a building
- Demolish or remove all or a portion of a building
- Change a building's use
- Install, change or remove partitions and load-bearing walls
- Make new openings for, or change the size of, doors and windows
- Build a garage, balcony or deck
- Excavate a basement or construct a foundation
- Install or modify heating, plumbing, air conditioning systems or fireplaces
- Reconstruct a chimney
You do not need a building permit to:
- Replace existing, same-size doors and windows, subject to distance from property lines
- Install siding on small residential buildings, subject to distance from property lines
- Build a roofless deck under two feet (0.61 meters) that is not attached to a building
- Build a utility shed under 100 ft2 (9.29 m2)
- Reshingle a roof, provided there is no structural work
- Install eavestroughs, provided that drainage is contained on your property
- Replace or increase insulation, dry-wall or plaster
- Damp-proof basements
- Paint or decorate
- Install kitchen or bathroom cupboards without plumbing
- Erect a fence (except for swimming pools outside pools require permits)
- Electrical work (the Electrical Safety Authority, however, must inspect electrical installations)
If you start construction but do not have the necessary permits, you may be ordered to stop work, prosecuted, and even ordered to remove work already done. Contact your local civic centre if you are not sure whether you need a permit for your project.
Building inspectors review projects during key stages of construction to ensure work complies with the Building Code and approved plans. Inspectors may visit several times, depending on the project; they must be able to see the part of the work under inspection.
Inspectors require a minimum of 48 hours notice to book an inspection. And the city does not conduct pre-purchase inspections.
(Source of information: http://www.toronto.ca/building/building_permits.htm)
