Building Services

Building Department Contact Information

Brian Gass - Chief Building Official

Phone: (613)267-3311 x2232
Email: cbo@perth.ca

Nancy Armstrong - Administrative Assistant

Phone:(613)267-3311 x2222

Email: buildingadmin@perth.ca

Building Permit Forms

Listed below are the primary Forms and Guidelines required for the majority of all building projects within the Town of Perth

• Application for a Permit to Construct or Demolish
• Schedule 1 - Designer Information
• How to Fill out a Schedule 1 Form (How to Guide)
• Change of Use Application
• Change of Use Questionnaire
• Energy Efficiency Design Summary - Prescriptive
• Energy Efficiency Design Summary - Performance
• Commitment to General Review Form
• Environmental Services Signoff  (Required for all new builds)
• Sample Grading and Site Plan
• Plumbing Information Sheet- All Buildings 
• Letter of Authorization
• Application for Approval of an Alternative Solution

Building Permit Fees and Development Charges

Please contact the Building Department staff for current fees and charges.

Common Projects and Their Required Documents

Below is a list of common projects, within each link is the minimum documents required to attain a permit for these projects. 

• Building a New Dwelling Unit, Semi Detached or Duplex Unit
• Building a New Detached or Attached Deck, Landing, Verandah or Ramp
• Building a New Detached Garage or Accessory Building
• Finishing a Basement 

Deck Building Information

Looking to build a new deck, or to repair, replace, or add to an existing one?  This is the spot to get all the information you need to make the process as easy as possible.  See the links below for all the details you need to provide and understand for your deck permit.

• Permit Application
• Residential Deck Building Guide - 2022
• Residential Deck Guide with SB-7 Deck Guard Guide
• SB-7 Deck Guard Guide
• How to Properly Splice a Built Up Beam
• Sample of Site Plan for Deck Project

2012 Ontario Building Code and Building Code Act

 Below is a link to E-Laws version of the 2012 Ontario Building Code

• Building Code Act 1992 
• 2012 Ontario Building Code

Tent Guidelines

Below is a link to understanding the requirements of a permit when a tent or a group of tents are erected within the Town of Perth.

• Being Updated - Check Back Soon.  If information is required please contact the Building Department for direction.

Factory-Built Buildings (any structures built off-site, including "Tiny Homes")

Manufactured buildings intended for residential occupancy (limited to Part 9 structures only) must comply with all appropriate Code requirements. Only those building components that are designed and constructed in manufacturing plants in accordance with the specified standards (CSA Z240.2.l and CSA A277) are deemed to comply with the Code. Building components designed and constructed outside the place of manufacture (e.g. masonry chimneys, basement stairs, foundations, etc.) must conform to the requirements of the Code. The Code also applies to the site installation of manufactured buildings in terms of tie-down, spatial separation, grading, plumbing connections to street services, etc.

CSA standard CSA A277, "Procedures for Factory Certification of Buildings", describes a procedure whereby an independent certification agency can review the quality control procedures of a housing factory and make periodic, unannounced inspections of its products and thus, through suitable labelling, provide assurance to authorities at the final site that the components that cannot be inspected on site comply with the code indicated on the label. It is not a building code, only a procedure for certifying compliance of factory-built components with a building code or other standard. If a factory­ built house bears the label of a creditable certification agency indicating that compliance with the National Building Code has been certified using the A277 procedure, the accepting authority will have some assurance that the hidden components do not need to be inspected again on site.

If information is required please contact the Building Department for direction.

What Requires a Building Permit (Residential)

Below are examples of residential projects that require a permit, if unsure please contact the Building Department for direction.

• All new dwellings, duplex, triplex, single detached, semi detached and other similar projects
• All decks, landings, ramps, verandahs, and platforms regardless of size that serve a dwelling unit
• Alteration of deck guard system or handrails on decks and platforms that serve a dwelling or freestanding structure over 10m² (108ft²)
• Detached Sheds, garages and other accessory buildings over 15m² (161ft²)
• Adding an apartment suite
• Converting a home a Bed and Breakfest
• Converting a home to a boarding, lodging or rooming house
• Interior renovations (new walls and framing, insulation and vapour barrier, creation of new rooms and similar projects)
• Alteration of plumbing pipes (movement of pipes, reconfiguration, tie in of new vents, new fixture creation and similar projects)
• Temporary Tent placement on residential property for tents over 60m² (646ft²) in area for special events
• Window and door alterations (enlargement of exterior openings for windows and doors)
• Parging and Waterproofing a foundation (blueskin, dimple board, weeper install, stone over weepers and similar projects)
• Replacing of a sewer line from road to the house
• Exterior Insulation of a house 
• Replacing exterior cladding (ex. Siding, brickwork, etc...) on a building wall that is less then 1.2m (3.9ft) from a property line.
• Basement Finishing 

What Requires a Building Permit (Commercial, Industrial and Institutional)

Below are examples of non-residential projects that require a permit, if unsure please contact the Building Department for direction.

• Interior renovations to any existing units
• Bathroom renovations
• Interior layout changes
• Alterations to sprinkler systems and fire alarm components 
• HVAC alterations
• Removal or addition of new exit doors, fire separations, firewalls, and other similar projects
• Barrier free alterations within existing units
• Changing the use of a space (ex. converting an apartment to an office)
• Tenant fit-up work (including the construction or demolition of non-loadbearing walls)
• Increasing occupant load by 15% (ex. adding more seating to a café)
• All new construction (additions, new builds etc.)
• Placement of a portable or prebuilt building
• Foundation repairs 
• Landing, deck, ramp and other exterior platform renovations, alterations and installations
• Exterior stucco or cladding removal and/or replacement
• Tent or group of tents over 60m² (646ft²) in area
• Wall and ground signs, new or replacement

What Requires a Change of Use Permit

Did you know that the Ontario Building Code regulations apply to proposed new uses of existing buildings?

Any time there is a proposed change in the use of a building or a new use in part of a space or a suite in a building a Change of Use Permit may be required. This requires a change of use permit application to be filed with the Building Department of the Municipality.

A common misperception is that the Building Code only regulates the structural aspects of a building. When in fact the code contains many regulations to ensure buildings are equipped with the appropriate Fire Protection Systems, and Life/Health Safety features as well.

So even if you are not planning any “structural” construction, changing the use of all or part of a building may initiate an extensive remodel or may require no physical changes at all for the new use to comply with the Ontario Building Code.

New and different uses of space inside a building have different Building Code requirements.

The change of use permit application process is intended to verify compliance with the applicable codes for a new use. If a permit is issued and upon completion of a final inspection of any works identified in the permit, a Certificate of Occupancy is issued for new businesses to give to their insurer.  

Due to the complexity of the Building Code Regulations for renovation compliance alternatives, persons wishing to change the use of part or all of a building will hire a designer, licensed in the Province of Ontario, to conduct a review of the existing site/building and discuss with the client their needs and wants. The designer then produces a building code compliance proposal in a report known as a Building Evaluation Report (or OBC Data Matrix) with appropriate floor plan sketches. This document package is submitted with the completed application form to the Town Building Department for review.

For more information, please contact the Building Department.

What Doesn't Require a Permit

Below are examples of projects that do not require a permit, if unsure please contact the Building Department for direction.  Also please be aware that just because a Building Permit is required, that does not exempt owners from complying with Heritage Review and Permit for buildings within the Heritage Conservation District and buildings that are Designated Heritage Buildings.  Please visit the Heritage Page for more information.

• Re-painting
• Replacing siding on a house when the exterior walls are more then 1.2m (3.9ft) away from a property line.
• Shingling a roof, putting steel on a roof (as long as you do not have more than 3 current layers of shingles)
• Changing out a toilet, tap, or sink for a new fixture (using the same pluming piping or very minor alterations)
• A free standing structure that is more then 1.2m (3.9ft) away from another building being built under 15m2 (161ft²)  that does not directly serve a dwelling unit (eg. small shed, freestanding deck in a yard, etc.)
• Painting
• Changing of flooring on top of subfloor, laying carpet or vinyl
• Kitchen cupboard changes and alterations
• Landscaping
• Changing of windows and doors in their existing rough openings

Fence Guidelines

Fences do not require Building Permits but may have limitations or require approvals from the municipality. For more information contact our Development Services Department.

• Fence Guidelines

Pool Permits

Pools In the Town of Perth require a permit for their installation.  As per Town By-law No. 2397, pools also require an adequate fence/guard system to protect children  from potentially entering the pool.  The three (3) main types of pools are:

• In Ground Pool (fully contained below grade and usually terminate at a max of 6" above grade level)

• Hybrid Pool (Normally half in ground and half above but can be different ratio to in and out of ground.  Normally exceeds 6" of pool above established grade)

• On Ground Pool (fully installed on grade and is usually anywhere from 48-52" above ground level to the top of the pool side)

The Pool Permit Application is how you apply for any of the above. This Permit is for your pool and fence installation - (For permit issuance you will need to fill out the form and provide a sketch with the details required on the application.)

Note: Any new decks being constructed with a pool require a separate building permit for deck if it is attached to the house, or attached to a deck that serves the house and has access to the pool.  All Ontario Building Code requirements will apply to that new deck or deck extension.  Please see the Deck Building Info section of this page.

Septic Systems

Effective October 1, 2022, the Town of Perth will begin delivery of Ontario Building Code Part 8 On-site Sewage System Permitting and Inspections services for existing properties not capable of being serviced by the municipal sewer system, which are already serviced by an existing On-site Sewage System. This change comes as Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit will cease providing Part 8 services to area municipalities September 30, 2022.

Please go to the Septic Systems page for more details.

Hot Tub Permits

Hot Tubs in the Town of Perth require a permit when they hold more than 750mm of water.  A hot tub does not require a fenced in area as long as you have a lockable lid for security when the hot tub is not in use.

Hot Tub Permit Application - (For permit issuance you will need to fill out the form and provide a sketch with the details required on the application.)

Note: Any new decks being constructed to support a hot tub require a separate building permit for deck.  All Ontario Building Code requirements will apply to that new deck or deck extension that supports the hot tub and a Professional Engineer will need to review and design the deck due to loading of the hot tub being far in excess of the permitted loading prescribed in the 2012 Ontario Building Code.  Please see the Deck Building Info section of this page if the deck is going to be surrounding but not supporting the hot tub for basic deck building guidelines.

Annual Building Permit Fee Reports

2020 Building Permit Fee Report