| Group A: Assembly | Permit fee per sq. ft. |
Flat fee |
|---|---|---|
| Assembly building (finished) | $2.52 | — |
| Assembly building (shell only) | $2.20 | — |
| Interior finish (from shell) | $0.39 | — |
| Interior renovation (interior demolition and renovation) | $0.55 | — |
| Outdoor patio | — | $197.00 |
| Outdoor public pool | — | $866.00 |
Check building permit timelines and fees
Check how long your building permit will take and what it will cost.
On this page:
- Check permit timelines
- Check building permit fees
- Important permit details
- Contact the building department
Check permit timelines
The City follows provincially mandated timelines. Permit processing time starts once your application is complete, which means all documents are in and fees are paid.
| Permits for | Timeline |
| New homes, additions, or renovations to single-detached, semi-detached, and townhouse homes | 10 business days |
| Decks, sheds and detached garages for houses | 10 business days |
| Temporary tents | 10 business days |
| New buildings, additions, or renovations up to 3 storeys and 600 m², as long as they are not used for assembly, care or detention, or high-hazard purposes | 15 business days |
| Secondary dwelling units in houses | 15 business days |
| New buildings, additions, or renovations that are more than 3 storeys high or exceed 600 m² in area | 20 business days |
| Assembly, care and detention or high hazard industrial buildings | 20 business days |
| High rise buildings, buildings with interconnected floor space or post-disaster buildings | 30 business days |
Building permit fees
Building permit fees depend on your project type. We will confirm the exact cost after you submit your application.
- permit fees below are grouped by project type in the accordions below)
- be sure to read the permit notes
- view all permit fees in Schedule C of the fees bylaw (PDF)
Group A: Assembly (community centres, restaurants, theatres, churches)
Group B: Institutional (schools, hospitals, care facilities)
| Group B: Institutional | Permit fee per sq. ft. |
Flat fee |
|---|---|---|
| Institutional building (finished) | $2.67 | — |
| Institutional building (shell only) | $2.36 | — |
| Interior finish (from shell) | $0.39 | — |
| Interior Renovation (interior demolition and renovation) | $0.55 | — |
Group C: Residential (houses, apartments, townhomes, condos)
| Group B: Residential | Permit fee per sq. ft. |
Flat fee |
|---|---|---|
| Single family detached, semi-detached, townhouse, duplex | $1.26 | — |
| Garage/carport (per bay) | — | $118.00 |
| Shed | — | $118.00 |
| Deck | — | $118.00 |
| Apartment building | $1.26 | — |
| Hotels/motels (or similar) | $2.12 | — |
| Residential care facility | $1.49 | — |
| Creation of a residential dwelling unit in an existing building (per unit) | — | $350.00 |
| Residential renovation (interior demolition and renovation) | $0.55 | — |
| Finished basement (including renovation) *Check specific project fees | — | $313.60 |
Group D: Business and personal services (offices, studios, service shops)
| Group D: Business and personal services | Permit fee per sq. ft. |
Flat fee |
|---|---|---|
| Office buildings (finished) | $2.12 | — |
| Office buildings (shell only) | $1.81 | — |
| Interior finish (from shell) | $0.39 | — |
| Interior renovation (interior demolition and renovation) | $0.55 | — |
Group E: Mercantile (stores, malls, markets)
| Group E: Mercantile | Permit fee per sq. ft. |
Flat fee |
|---|---|---|
| Retail stores (finished) | $1.49 | — |
| Retail stores (shell only) | $1.18 | — |
| Interior finish (from shell) | $0.39 | — |
| Interior renovation (interior demolition and renovation) | $0.55 |
Group F: Industrial (factories, warehouses)
| Group F: Industrial | Permit fee per sq. ft. |
Flat fee |
|---|---|---|
| Warehouse, factories (finished) | $0.87 | — |
| Warehouse, factories (shell only) | $0.71 | — |
| Interior finish (from shell) | $0.39 | — |
| Interior renovation (interior demolition and renovation) | $0.55 | — |
| Parking garage | $0.79 | — |
| Special categories | Permit fee per sq. ft. |
Flat fee |
|---|---|---|
| Alternative solution (house scope) | — | $281.00 |
| Alternative solution (part 9 scope) | — | $702.00 |
| Alternative solution (part 3 scope) | — | $2108.00 |
|
Special Permit I: construction commenced prior to the issuance of a building permit |
Check additional permit rules and fees. | |
|
Special Permit II: after the fact accessory building permit (including decks, sheds, and any other accessory building) |
— | $315.00 |
| Exterior work (independent of a building permit, including retaining walls, exterior wall modifications and any other accessory work) | — | 1% of construction cost |
| Heritage exterior work | — | $158.00 |
| Farm building | $0.39 | — |
| Foundation only | $0.08 | — |
|
Conditional permit (sq. ft. and flat fee both apply) |
Check additional permit rules and fees. | |
| Minor alterations (includes beam installations, basement walkout stairs, etc.) | — | $118.00 |
| Air supported structures | $0.47 | — |
| Temporary tents (or group of tents) | — | $197.00 |
| Portables on one site (excludes port-a-pak) | — | $157.00 |
| Demolitions (less than 10,000 sq. ft.) | — | $118.00 |
| Demolitions (10,000 to 20,000 sq. ft.) | — | $315.00 |
| Demolitions (greater than 20,000 sq. ft.) | — | $422.00 |
| Interior demolitions (back to shell) | — | 1% of construction cost |
| Change of use | — | $118.00 |
| Miscellaneous work (includes fire restoration and any other work not categorized elsewhere) | — | 1% of construction cost |
| Mechanical work (independent of a building permit) | — | 1% of construction cost |
| Sprinkler systems (commercial kitchen, spray booth, dust collectors) | — | $157.00 |
| Electrical work (independent of a building permit, including adding magnetic locks, fire alarm upgrades and any other electrical work) | — | 1% of construction cost |
| Plumbing work (independent of a building permit, including adding, removing or relocating plumbing fixtures) | — | 1% of construction cost |
| Septic systems (new) | $630.00 | |
| Septic systems (repair) | $197.00 | |
| Solar panels connected to only electrical (small buildings) | — | $118.00 |
| Solar panels connected to water or heating (small buildings) | — | $236.00 |
| Solar panels (large buildings) | — | $393.00 |
| Site service | — | $118.00 |
Penalty fee for starting work before we issue your permit
Special Permit I
We will double the permit fee if construction starts before a permit is issued:
- if this amount exceeds $5,000, the penalty will incrementally decrease from 100% of the original permit fee to 15% of the original permit fee
- the incremental decrease will only apply if the original permit fee amount is between $5,000 and $67,000
- permit fees over $67,000 will pay 15%
Special permits: conditional, shell, foundation and occupancy
Conditional permits
We will charge a fee of $472.00 plus $0.08/sq. ft. of the area for a conditional permit. You must submit an additional deposit in the form of a certified cheque or letter of credit to the Chief Building Official. The Chief Building Official will determine the amount of the deposit.
Shell permits
Shell permits include mechanical and electrical rough-ins.
Foundation permits
Foundation permits limit work to footings and foundation walls, and the installation of underground plumbing, water supply piping and sewers to the property line.
Occupancy Permit
If the Ontario Building Code requires an occupancy permit, the original permit fee will include it. You can request an additional copy of the occupancy permit for $70.
Finished basement fees
The finished basement fee does not include the creation of a new unit.
Fees for transferring a permit or revising plans
Permit transfer
You must pay the minimum fee if ownership of a property changes and the permit is transferred.
Revision to examined plans
If the original building permit fee is more than $235, we will charge a fee for the examination of revised plans. The fee will be $0.01/sq. ft. of the revised floor area or $235, whichever is greater.
Extra costs: minimum, additional inspection and engineering review fees
Minimum Fee
We charge a minimum fee of $118 for any permit application.
Additional Inspections
We may charge a fee of $235 for additional inspections if the inspection is not ready on a second attempt.
Engineering review cost recovery
If the Chief Building Official (CBO) decides a third-party review is needed for Part 4 designs from a designer, the designer will need to pay the full cost of that review. This is on top of the regular building permit fees.
Fee reductions for affordable housing projects
Affordable housing development
The city may offer a grant to cover or offset building permit fees, as approved by council (until the city's Affordable Housing Grant policy, currently under development, comes into effect).
Contact the Building Department
Call 519-747-8712 or email building@waterloo.ca to book an appointment.