Building Permits in Toronto: How Long They Take and What Slows Them Down

By Suren Varatharajan, Vanguard Build Limited · October 28, 2026

“How long will the permit take?” is the first scheduling question almost every client asks us. The official answer is short. The real answer depends on how ready your application is when it goes in. Here are both, from a contractor who files permits with the City of Toronto regularly.

The Official Timelines

Toronto Building sorts permit applications into review streams, and each one has a target time for a complete application:

• House stream (detached, semi-detached and row houses with up to two units, plus garden and laneway suites): reviewed within 10 business days.
• Small building stream (other smaller Part 9 buildings): 15 business days.
• Large and complex buildings: 20 business days for large, 30 for complex.
• Express service: some small projects, such as many interior alterations to a house, can qualify. The City’s goal is to review them within 3 business days after intake.

Those numbers are real, but notice the word complete. That’s where most of the waiting happens.

What “Complete” Means, and Why It Matters

The City treats an application as complete only once all the required pieces are in. For most projects that includes an issued Zoning Applicable Law Certificate (ZAP), which confirms your plans comply with the zoning by-law and other applicable law. Without it, the City considers the application incomplete, and there is no review time limit for incomplete applications.

In practice, the 10-day clock doesn’t start the day you hand in drawings. It starts when the City has everything it needs.

A Real Example: 8 Months Stuck, Then 2 Weeks to Approval

A homeowner came to us after their permit application for a garage addition had been sitting with the City of Toronto for about eight months, with no clear end date. They were simply waiting for the City to move.

Once we were retained, we stopped waiting. We went back to the City and asked directly what was missing from the application, then worked closely with the designer to resolve each item properly rather than patching it. With the gaps closed and the application complete, the permit was issued in about two weeks, and we started construction right away.

See the photos and the full story: Bendale detached garage project.

What Actually Slows a Permit Down

1. Zoning problems. If the design exceeds what zoning allows (height, setbacks, lot coverage, floor area), you can’t simply submit and wait. You either redesign to comply, or apply for a minor variance through the Committee of Adjustment, a separate process with its own hearing that can add significant time.
2. Incomplete or unclear drawings. Missing dimensions, no current survey, or plans that don’t match the site lead to revisions. Each round of comments and resubmission adds time.
3. Structural changes without engineering. Removing a load-bearing wall, adding a second storey or cutting a new opening needs engineered details. If those come in late, the review stalls.
4. Other approvals. Depending on the property, heritage, ravine, tree or other rules can apply and need sign-off before the permit is issued.
5. Nobody following up. As the example above shows, an application can sit for months when no one is actively asking what’s missing.
6. Starting late. If you want to build in spring, the drawings should be underway in winter.

Do You Even Need a Permit?

Not every renovation does. Cosmetic work in the same layout (new cabinets, counters, flooring, paint) usually doesn’t. You usually do need one for:

• Moving or adding plumbing or gas lines
• Structural changes: removing or altering load-bearing walls, new window or door openings
• A basement apartment or secondary suite
• Additions, garages, many decks, and garden and laneway suites

If you’re not sure, ask before work starts. Building without a required permit can mean stop-work orders, opening up finished work for inspection, and problems when you sell or make an insurance claim.

How We Keep Permits Moving

• We confirm what’s needed at the first site visit, before you pay for drawings you don’t need.
• We check zoning early, so a variance, if needed, is planned from day one rather than discovered late.
• We coordinate the survey, drawings and engineering so the application goes in complete.
• We follow up with the City, respond to examiner comments quickly, book inspections at each required stage, and close the permit at the end.

The Bottom Line

A complete house permit can be reviewed in about two weeks. An incomplete one can sit for months. The difference is almost entirely preparation and follow-up.

Timelines are the City of Toronto’s published review standards as of October 2026 and can change. Source: City of Toronto, Building Permit Review Streams.