What is in a building permit set for a new house?

A building permit set for a new house is the complete package of drawings and supporting documents that the municipality reviews to confirm your design complies with the Ontario Building Code, local zoning bylaws, and site conditions. In Toronto and across the GTA, the set typically runs 20 to 40 sheets, depending on the size and complexity of the house. Every sheet serves a specific purpose: the site plan shows where the house sits on the lot, the architectural drawings show what it looks like and how the rooms connect, the structural drawings show how it stands up, and the mechanical, electrical and plumbing drawings show how it works. A complete set prepared by qualified designers with stamped structural and energy calculations usually takes two to four months to finalize after the schematic design is approved.

The Building Code sets review deadlines for complete applications: 10 business days for houses, but incomplete applications and zoning issues stop the clock, which is why most delays happen before the file is deemed complete. Drawings must be prepared by a qualified designer with a BCIN, or by a licensed architect or professional engineer. Structural changes need an engineer's stamp. The set you submit is not a sales brochure; it is a legal document that defines what you are allowed to build and what the inspector will measure against during footings, framing, insulation, plumbing rough-in, HVAC and final occupancy inspections. We walk through each section of the set in the order a reviewer reads it.

Site plan: lot lines, setbacks, grading and drainage

The site plan is drawn over a current survey and shows the house footprint positioned within the lot boundaries, with dimensions to the front, side and rear property lines. The municipality checks that setbacks meet the zoning bylaw minimums and that the building coverage does not exceed the permitted percentage of the lot area. The plan also shows existing features to be retained or removed: trees with their diameters and protection zones, existing structures, driveways, walkways, and any easements or rights-of-way that constrain where you can build. If protected trees sit within the construction zone, an arborist report and tree protection plan become part of the submission.

Grading and drainage are critical on the site plan. The drawing shows existing and proposed contours, spot elevations at the foundation corners, and the direction of surface water flow. In Toronto and most GTA municipalities, the grading must direct water away from the foundation and toward the street or a rear swale, and the lowest floor elevation must sit above the design flood level if the lot is near a ravine or floodplain. A separate lot grading and drainage plan is often required in Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill. If the soil conditions are poor or the water table is high, a geotechnical report confirms the foundation design and may recommend weeping tile details or underslab drainage that appear on this sheet.

Architectural drawings: floor plans, elevations, sections and details

The architectural drawings are the heart of the set. Floor plans show the layout of every level, including the basement, with room labels, dimensions, door swings, window locations, stair runs and ceiling heights. The plans also show the location of every fixture: toilets, sinks, tubs, showers, ranges, ovens, and the furnace and water heater. Wall thicknesses distinguish between load-bearing and partition walls, and the plans note which walls contain plumbing stacks or HVAC chases. Egress windows in bedrooms are dimensioned to prove they meet the 0.35 square metre opening requirement with no dimension less than 380 millimetres.

Elevations show all four exterior faces of the house: front, rear, left side and right side. They include finished grade lines, floor levels, roof slopes, window and door heights, and the materials for every surface (brick, stone, siding, stucco, trim). The elevations are what the inspector sees when standing on the street, and they must match the zoning bylaw's height limits, measured from average grade to the midpoint of the roof or the top of a flat parapet. Sections are vertical cuts through the house, typically one transverse and one longitudinal, showing the relationship between floors, the roof structure, the foundation depth, ceiling heights in sloped-ceiling spaces, and how the building envelope layers stack from inside to outside. Details zoom in on critical junctions: the connection between the foundation wall and the floor system, window head and sill conditions, roof eave and rake details, and any custom millwork or built-in elements that affect structure or weatherproofing.

Structural drawings: foundation, framing and load paths

Structural drawings are stamped by a professional engineer licensed in Ontario and show how loads travel from the roof down through the walls and floors to the foundation and into the soil. The foundation plan shows footing widths and depths, the thickness and reinforcement of the foundation walls, underslab conditions, and any grade beams or piers that carry point loads from columns or posts. The engineer sizes the footings based on the soil bearing capacity, which comes from the geotechnical report; typical GTA clay soils allow 75 to 150 kilopascals, but sandy or filled sites may need deeper footings or piles.

Framing plans show the layout of floor joists, beams and columns for each level, with member sizes called out: 2×10 joists at 400 millimetre spacing, LVL beams, steel columns, engineered wood I-joists. The roof framing plan shows rafter or truss layout, ridge beams, hip and valley rafters, and the size and spacing of sheathing and strapping. Load-bearing walls are identified, and the structural drawings include beam schedules and connection details that the framing crew and the inspector rely on. On a custom home construction project with long spans, cantilevered floors or large window openings, the structural set becomes more detailed, and the engineer coordinates with the architect to ensure that the structure and the architectural design work together.

Mechanical, electrical and plumbing drawings: what the inspector expects

Mechanical drawings show the HVAC layout: furnace or heat pump location, supply and return duct runs, register locations, and the fresh-air intake for an HRV or ERV if the house is built tight. The drawings specify equipment capacities in BTU or kilowatts, and the designer confirms that the system meets the heating and cooling loads calculated under the Building Code. If the house uses radiant floor heating, the mechanical set includes zone layouts and manifold locations. Gas lines for the furnace, water heater, range and fireplace are shown with pipe sizes, and the drawings note that a TSSA-certified technician will install and test the gas work.

Electrical drawings show the service size (typically 200 amps for a new custom house), the panel location, circuit layouts, switch and receptacle locations, lighting fixtures, smoke and carbon monoxide alarm locations interconnected on a dedicated circuit, and any specialty circuits for EV chargers, hot tubs or workshop equipment. Work done for hire must be carried out by a Licensed Electrical Contractor, and the Electrical Safety Authority inspects the rough-in and final connection separately from the municipal building inspector. Plumbing drawings show the supply and drain lines, the location of cleanouts, the size of the main drain and vent stack, and fixture connections. The drawings confirm that every trap is vented, that the water heater meets code, and that the plumbing rough-in will pass inspection before the walls close.

Energy compliance, truss layouts and the schedules that prevent mistakes

Energy compliance documentation proves that the house meets or exceeds the SB-12 energy provisions of the Ontario Building Code, which came into force with the 2024 code on January 1, 2025. The compliance package includes wall and roof assembly details showing insulation values, window and door schedules with U-factors and SHGC ratings, and an energy model or prescriptive path checklist. Most custom houses in the GTA are designed to exceed code: ICF or double-stud walls, triple glazing, cold-climate heat pumps, and HRV ventilation with heat recovery efficiency above 80 per cent. The energy calculations are prepared by the designer or a specialist and reviewed by the building department as part of the permit.

If the house uses prefabricated roof trusses, a truss layout drawing from the manufacturer shows the placement of every truss, the bearing points, and the bracing and connection requirements. The truss package is usually submitted after the permit is issued but before the framing inspection, and it must be stamped by an engineer. Schedules are tables that prevent mistakes: the door schedule lists every door by number, size, material, hardware and fire rating; the window schedule does the same for windows; the finish schedule lists floor, wall and ceiling finishes for every room; and the room schedule confirms that every bedroom has egress and every bathroom has ventilation. A complete set of schedules means the estimator, the trades and the inspector are all reading from the same page.

Who stamps the drawings and what happens after you submit

The architectural drawings are signed and sealed by the designer, architect or engineer who prepared them, and the structural drawings carry a separate stamp from the structural engineer of record. The mechanical, electrical and plumbing drawings may be stamped by the respective designers or reviewed as part of the building permit application without a separate seal, depending on the municipality and the complexity of the systems. In Toronto, Vaughan, Markham and across the GTA, the permit application includes the complete drawing set, the energy compliance package, the geotechnical report if required, the arborist report if trees are affected, and the zoning review or Committee of Adjustment decision if variances were needed.

Once submitted, the application enters the queue. The Building Code sets a 10-business-day review deadline for houses, but the clock stops if the submission is incomplete or if zoning issues arise. Most applications receive a first-round review with comments and requests for revisions, which the design team addresses and resubmits. A straightforward custom house with no variances and a complete set usually receives a permit in four to eight weeks. On our Bridle Path estate project, the permit took six weeks after the Committee of Adjustment decision was final. Once the permit is issued, construction begins with a footing excavation notice to the building department, and inspections follow the build in stages: footings and foundation, framing, insulation and vapour barrier, plumbing rough-in, HVAC, and final occupancy. Covering work before an inspection is the classic cause of a stop-work order. The permit set is not a static document; it travels with the project, and any changes on site trigger a revision and a supplementary submission before the final inspection.