Building Permits for Home Renovations in Ottawa
Most homeowners search this before they call anyone: does my project need a permit? For a lot of everyday renovation work the City's answer is no. This guide sets out the City's own list of what needs one and what doesn't, how review and inspections work, and the separate electrical permit that catches people out.
Guidance only, not a building-code ruling. The City of Ottawa's Building Code Services and its inspectors decide whether your project needs a permit; confirm with them before you start. Building Code Services: 613-580-2424 ext. 29312 (buildingpermits@ottawa.ca).
One threshold, and one catch
Under the Building Code Act, a building permit is required for the construction of a new building, an addition, or an alteration of any building or structure with a building area of over 10 square metres (about 108 square feet). Everything in the next section is an exception carved out of that rule.
The City then carves out a list of projects that are exempt. The catch is that exempt does not mean unregulated. In the City’s words, an exempted project “must still comply with the Ontario Building Code and any applicable law, such as the Zoning By-law.” No permit means no paperwork and no inspection, not no rules.
What needs a permit, and what doesn’t
Built from the City's own list of projects not requiring a building permit.
The three exemptions that matter most for a renovation are the first three in the “No permit needed” list. A like-for-like kitchen or bathroom refit where the plumbing stays put, new flooring, and window and door swaps in the same size opening all need no permit. Move a fixture, change an opening or take out a wall and you are on the City’s other list, the one of projects that do need a permit.
Needs a permit, or needs checking first
- Finishing a basement. The City has a dedicated permit page for it, with a published review target and inspection sequence.
- Moving a plumbing fixture in a kitchen or bathroom. The cabinet exemption applies only where fixtures stay in the same location, and the City lists plumbing alterations, additions and extensions as needing a permit (replacing existing fixtures excepted).
- Changing the size of a window or door opening. The exemption covers replacements in the same size opening only. The City lists enlarging or relocating a window or door, and new windows where there were none, as needing a permit.
- Opening or removing a wall. The City's list of projects requiring a permit names adding or removing walls, including creating different room sizes or uses.
- An addition or a new building over 10 m². The general rule: a new building, an addition or an alteration over about 108 sq ft.
- Any work on a designated heritage building, or inside a Heritage District Overlay. No exemptions apply at all; the owner contacts a Building Client Service Centre first.
No permit needed
- Replacing kitchen or bathroom cabinets (provided plumbing fixtures remain in same location)
- New flooring
- Replacing doors or windows (provided they are in the same size opening)
- Installing asphalt shingles on a roof
- Damp proofing of existing basements
- Installation of air conditioning units or heat pumps
- Replacing an existing hot water tank
- Fences (not enclosing a pool)
- Pool heaters
- Painting and decorating
- Landscaping
- Deck less than 24 inches above grade, except main entrance
Heritage buildings get no exemptions
Designated heritage buildings, and buildings within a Heritage District Overlay, are not subject to any of the exemptions above. If your house is one of them, work that is normally permit-free is no longer exempt, and the owner must contact a Building Client Service Centre.
How a permit actually works
Applications go through the Building, Planning and Land Development portal in My ServiceOttawa. Email submissions are no longer accepted, and application and permit fees are paid by cheque or Interac only.
For a finished basement, the City’s Council-approved service level for the first review is 5 business days. That is the first review of that project type, not the date your permit is issued, so don’t read it as a general promise for every job.
Once work starts, it must be inspected at key stages. Book each inspection 48 hours in advance; skip one and you may have to uncover the work, or face other orders. For a finished basement the City publishes this sequence:
- 01Excavation (where required)
- 02Plumbing underground (test required)
- 03Plumbing rough-in (test required)
- 04Framing
- 05Insulation and vapour barrier
- 06Plumbing final
- 07Final
Electrical is a separate permit
The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) requires almost all electrical work in Ontario to be reported through a notification of work, informally an “electrical permit”. It should be filed before the work starts; ESA’s property-owner page describes it as due before, or within 48 hours of, the start.
ESA states it plainly: having a building permit isn’t the same as filing an electrical notification, and you may need both. Treat them as two separate questions: a project may need a building permit, an electrical notification, both, or neither.
There is a narrow carve-out. ESA says you may not need a notification if you are the owner of an owner-occupied single-family home, can legally do the work yourself, and are replacing certain light fixtures and switches. It asks you to call 1-877-ESA-SAFE (372-7233) to check your case rather than assume.
Ask the people who decide
City of Ottawa Building Code Services
613-580-2424 ext. 29312
buildingpermits@ottawa.ca
City of Ottawa Development Information Officer (DIO)
613-580-2424 ext. 23434
dioinquiry@ottawa.ca
Electrical Safety Authority (ESA)
1-877-ESA-SAFE (372-7233)
If your project isn’t on either list, the City says to ask rather than guess. Building Code Services answers permit questions. The Development Information Officer handles zoning and feasibility, and promises a reply within two to three business days.
Where the basement guide takes over
Turning a basement into a legal secondary dwelling unit is a different question from the ones above: it brings zoning, egress, ceiling height and fire separation into play. That is covered in our legal basement guide, and we build them under legal basements.
Permit questions, answered
Not if the plumbing fixtures stay where they are. The City of Ottawa lists replacing kitchen or bathroom cabinets as exempt from a building permit, provided plumbing fixtures remain in the same location. Move the sink and the exemption no longer applies, so ask Building Code Services first. Exempt work must still comply with the Ontario Building Code.
No. “New flooring” is on the City of Ottawa's list of projects not requiring a building permit. The work must still comply with the Ontario Building Code and any applicable law, and a heritage-designated building or a building in a Heritage District Overlay gets no exemptions at all.
Yes, if they go into the same size opening: the City lists replacing doors or windows as exempt provided they are in the same size opening. Enlarging, shrinking or moving an opening is outside that exemption, so check with Building Code Services before you cut.
No. In the City's words, exempt projects “must still comply with the Ontario Building Code and any applicable law, such as the Zoning By-law.” The exemption removes the application and the inspections, not the rules the work has to meet.
Yes. Almost all electrical work must be reported to the Electrical Safety Authority through a notification of work, and ESA states that having a building permit isn't the same as filing an electrical notification: you may need both. It should be filed before the work starts. ESA also notes that some owner-occupiers may not need one when replacing certain light fixtures and switches; call 1-877-ESA-SAFE (1-877-372-7233) to check your case.
For a finished basement the City's published service level for the first review is 5 business days. That is a first review for that project type, not a promise for every job or the date the permit is issued. During construction the work is inspected at key stages, and you should book each inspection 48 hours ahead.
Every figure, with its source
No figure on this page is published from memory. Each one links to the official page it was read from, on the date shown. Guide last reviewed September 27, 2026.
| Ref | Claim | Primary source | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| THRESHOLD-10M2 Building Code Act | Under the Building Code Act, a building permit is required for the construction of a new building, an addition, or alteration of any building or structure with a building area of over 10 square metres (approximately 108 square feet). | City of Ottawa: Finishing a basement, do I need a building permit? (opens in a new tab) | |
| EXEMPT-STILL-CODE | Some projects are exempt from needing a building permit, but the project must still comply with the Ontario Building Code and any applicable law, such as the Zoning By-law. | City of Ottawa: Projects not requiring building permits (opens in a new tab) | |
| EXEMPT-LIST | The City's exempt list includes: replacing doors or windows in the same size opening; replacing kitchen or bathroom cabinets where plumbing fixtures remain in the same location; new flooring; installing air conditioning units or heat pumps; replacing an existing hot water tank; damp proofing existing basements; installing asphalt shingles; painting and decorating; landscaping; fences not enclosing a pool; pool heaters; and a deck less than 24 inches above grade, except at the main entrance. | City of Ottawa: Projects not requiring building permits (opens in a new tab) | |
| EXEMPT-HERITAGE | Designated heritage buildings, and buildings within a Heritage District Overlay, are not subject to the exemptions; their owners must contact a Building Client Service Centre. | City of Ottawa: Projects not requiring building permits (opens in a new tab) | |
| PERMIT-REQUIRED-LIST | The City's own list of common projects that require a building permit includes: adding or removing walls (creating different room sizes or uses); enlarging or relocating a window or door; new windows where there were none before; plumbing alterations, additions or extensions (except replacing existing fixtures); and structural repairs or alterations. The City says to contact its Client Service Centre or 3-1-1 if your project is not on the list or you are unsure. | City of Ottawa: Building permit projects (opens in a new tab) | |
| REVIEW-5-DAYS | For a finished-basement permit application, the City's Council-approved enhanced service level for the first review is 5 business days. This is the first review, not permit issuance. | City of Ottawa: Finishing a basement, do I need a building permit? (opens in a new tab) | |
| INSPECT-48H | At key stages of construction the work must be inspected. Book inspections 48 hours in advance. Skipping a required inspection may mean uncovering the work for inspection, or other orders being issued. | City of Ottawa: Finishing a basement, do I need a building permit? (opens in a new tab) | |
| INSPECT-SEQUENCE | The City's published inspection sequence for a finished basement is: excavation (where required), plumbing underground (test required), plumbing rough-in (test required), framing, insulation and vapour barrier, plumbing final, and final. | City of Ottawa: Finishing a basement, do I need a building permit? (opens in a new tab) | |
| APPLY-PORTAL | Building permit applications go through the Building, Planning and Land Development portal in My ServiceOttawa; email submissions are no longer accepted. Application and permit payments are by cheque or Interac only. | City of Ottawa: Submitting building permit applications (opens in a new tab) | |
| CONTACT-BCS-DIO | Building Code Services: 613-580-2424 ext. 29312, buildingpermits@ottawa.ca. For zoning and feasibility questions, the Development Information Officer: 613-580-2424 ext. 23434, dioinquiry@ottawa.ca, with a reply promised within two to three business days. | City of Ottawa: Submitting building permit applications (opens in a new tab) | |
| ESA-NOTIFICATION | Almost all electrical work in Ontario must be reported to the Electrical Safety Authority by a notification of work, which should be filed before the work starts. “Having a building permit isn't the same as filing an electrical notification. You may need both.” | Electrical Safety Authority: What you need to know (opens in a new tab) | |
| ESA-48H | ESA's property-owner page describes the notification as due before, or within 48 hours of, the start of the electrical work. | Electrical Safety Authority: Property owner obligations (opens in a new tab) | |
| ESA-OWNER-EXCEPTION | ESA says you may not need a notification if you are the property owner, living in your owner-occupied single family dwelling, can legally complete electrical work there, and are replacing certain light fixtures and switches. ESA asks you to call 1-877-ESA-SAFE (1-877-372-7233) to check. | Electrical Safety Authority: What type of inspection do I need? (opens in a new tab) |
Planning a renovation? Ask us first.
We build the work; the permit decision is the City's. Tell us what you're planning and we'll quote the work itself, with fixed itemised pricing.