Building Permits

Many of our clients often ask us about the necessity of obtaining a building permit. The following lists some of the benefits and potential drawbacks you should consider prior to making your decision. Although we always encourage our clients to comply with municipal by-laws, note that all of our work is always performed to meet or exceed municipal building code standards.

The reasons for obtaining a building permit are to ensure the following:

  1. Construction budget and schedule are not affected in mid-construction by a “Stop Work Order”
  2. The general contractor and all sub-trades hold valid business licenses to operate in the municipality
  3. All work is performed in accordance with the building code standards by the general contractor
  4. Improvements to the property are reflected in an increased property tax assessment value
  5. If the property is sold, the seller will not be compelled to discount for any non-permitted construction work

Reasons building permits are often not obtained:

  1. Lack of awareness of the municipal by-laws and building code regulations
  2. Costs and fees associated with obtaining building and sub-trade permits
  3. Additional time required for inspections (i.e. building, plumbing, gas and electrical)
  4. Inspectors may require building upgrades due to non-compliance with current building code
  5. Increase in property tax assessed value means higher property taxes in subsequent years

Drawbacks for not obtaining a building permit and being issued a “Stop Work Order”:

  1. Significant construction schedule delays required to draft plans and submit permit application
  2. The contractor or sub-trade can lose its business license to operate in the municipality
  3. Costs associated with building permits and penalties incurred as a result of the “Stop Work Order”:
    1. Building and sub-trade permit fees
    2. Penalties and fines (typically double permit fees)
    3. Site measurement and/or procurement of micro-fiche plans
    4. Drafting of site plan, existing and proposed plans and elevations
    5. Submission of building permit application to the municipality
    6. Inspector requiring construction work to be removed or at least exposed
    7. Increased scrutiny by inspectors of existing non-compliant site conditions