When Do I Need a Building Permit?

A Building Permit is required if you:

Construct a new home.
Construct a new accessory building or accessory structure greater than 108 sq. ft.
Create a secondary or garden suite.
Repair, renovate or add to an existing building.
Remove, relocate, alter or construct interior walls.
Complete a previously unfinished area in an existing building (basement development, carport, etc.).
Construct, cover or enclose a porch or sundeck.
Construct a swimming pool or any structure for a hot tub.
Demolish, relocate or move a building.
Place mobile/manufactured homes on a private lot or in a Mobile Home Park.
Construct chimneys or install wood or pellet stove appliances.
Construct retaining walls over 1.22m (4.0 ft) in height. (a design by a P. Eng. Is also required)

Exemptions:

Painting, roofing repairs and re-roofing (nothing structural).
Exterior finish repair or replacement.
Landscaping, sidewalks, fences.
Garden shed less than 108 sq. ft.
Temporary construction trailer for a project for which a building permit has been issued.
Maintenance.
No excavation, erection, enlargement, alteration, repair, removal or demolition of any building or structure, or part thereof, shall be commenced or undertaken without a permit being first obtained.