Toronto permit site plan: what the City asks for.
Toronto wants a to-scale site plan with your lot lines, buildings and every setback for a shed of 15 m² or more, a deck over 60 cm, or a detached garage or other accessory building over 10 m². Here is each item from the City’s guides, and whether the lotmara PDF covers it (6 of 11 fully).
Checked against the City of Toronto’s permit guides as of November 2, 2026.
When you need a permit
- A shed of 15 m² (161 sq ft) or more. Under 15 m², no building permit.
- Any other accessory building over 10 m² (107 sq ft): detached garage, workshop, carport, pool house or cabana.
- Any accessory building attached to your house, or with plumbing, whatever its size.
- A deck more than 60 cm (24 in) above the ground.
Even without a permit, the zoning by-law still applies: setbacks, height and lot coverage.
What the site plan must show
- Property lines and lot areaOn your PDF
Lot lines with their lengths and the lot area. Lengths you typed from your survey print in bold; the rest come from City data.
- Right-of-way or easements, referenced to a current surveyAdd yourself
Copy any easement or right-of-way from your survey onto the PDF. lotmara has no easement data.
- Existing and proposed buildings with overall dimensionsPartly: add the rest
Both are drawn to scale and the new structure is labelled with its size. Write the overall size of your house and garage on them.
- Setbacks to property lines and adjacent buildingsOn your PDF
Every lot-line setback of the new structure, and its distance to the nearest building on your lot.
- Distance between the new structure and other buildings on the lot (accessory buildings and garages)On your PDF
Shown as the nearest-building distance.
- Summary of permitted and proposed zoning: lot area, building area (GFA), coverage, grade elevations to confirm heightPartly: add the rest
Lot area, coverage, height and your zone (with any site-specific exception) are filled in. Fill the “Permitted” column from Zoning By-law 569-2013, and add GFA and grade elevations.
- Dimensioned parking areas and drivewaysOn your PDF
Turn on “Draw my driveway”: the driveway and up to two parking spaces (2.6 × 5.6 m) are drawn to scale with their sizes. Set the width, length and position to match yours.
- Hard and soft landscaping, and other accessory structuresAdd yourself
Mark paved areas, lawn and planting, and any other shed or deck already there.
- To scale, on a standard sheet, fully dimensionedOn your PDF
Letter size at a metric scale (1:250 on a typical lot), with a scale bar and north arrow. Print at 100 %.
- Signed and datedPartly: add the rest
The sheet has signature and date lines; sign and date it.
- Submitted as a PDF, with no personal information such as your name or phone numberOn your PDF
The PDF shows the address only.
The rest of the application
- Deck drawings: footings (size, spacing, depth, frost protection), column and beam sizes and spans, stairs, and guards.
- Shed, garage or other accessory building: floor plan, elevations, sections, construction details including the concrete slab, wall and roof assemblies, guards.
- Forms: Application to Construct or Demolish; Schedule 1 Designer Information (owners claiming the exemption fill it in too); Tree Declaration if trees could be damaged; Declaration for Overhead Electrical Conductors for accessory buildings and garages.
- Fee: $214.79 for residential decks, porches and carports (from 1 January 2026).
- Apply online through Toronto Building’s portal. An attached garage or carport goes by email instead (see the Garages and Carports guide).
- Optional: the City’s Building Permit Application Pre-Check, a one-year pilot launched 27 August 2026, reads your uploaded documents and reports missing or inconsistent items before you apply. It does not approve permits.
Sources
- Decks and Porches, toronto.ca, last modified August 27, 2026
- Accessory Structures (Sheds, Cabanas and other residential accessory buildings), toronto.ca, last modified August 27, 2026
- Garages and Carports, toronto.ca, last modified August 27, 2026
- When Do I Need a Building Permit?, toronto.ca, last modified July 21, 2026
- Building Permit Application Pre-Check, toronto.ca
lotmara isn’t made by or connected to the City of Toronto. Requirements change: check the City’s page before you apply.