Building Permits

The Municipality of South Bruce issues building permits, septic permits and conducts building inspections for all properties in the community. Whether you are putting on an addition, building a deck or adding a pool to your property, you need to apply for a building permit.

You need a building permit before you can begin a variety of building and renovating projects. Learn how to get a septic permit or book an inspection.

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What is Required

What Projects Don’t Require a Building Permit?

The following construction projects don’t require a building permit:

Structures under 15 square metres in size
New roofing shingles
Minor roof sheathing repairs
Replacing siding
Replacing doors and windows
Kitchen and bathroom cabinets
New flooring
Boundary fences
Pool heaters
Painting and decorating
Landscaping

Apply for a Permit

The Municipality of South Bruce now offers Cloudpermit, an online system that allows you to apply for and to see the status of your application anywhere, at any time. You can start an application and finish it later, and receive email updates on the status of your permit application.

Apply for a Building Permit

Fees and Permits

Building Fees

View our Fees By-law for a complete list of building permit fees.

Fees By-law

Environmental Protections

At the Municipality of South Bruce, we are committed to protecting our drinking water source to ensure the supply of clean drinking water. As a result, all building and planning projects are screened to determine if they fall within the Source Water Protection area.

If the project is within this Protection area, you will need to complete the Drinking Water Source Protection Screening form and submit it to the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority. Please contact the Building Department to determine if your property is located in a protection area.

Drinking Water Source Protection Screening Form Grey Sauble Conservation Authority

Visit the Saugeen Conservation Authority if you have an environmental concerns about your next building and renovating projects.

Saugeen Conservation Authority

Risk assessment process

View the Drinking Water Source Protection Screening Protocol for more information about the risk assessment process.

Drinking Water Source Protection Screening Protocol

Land use restrictions

Please refer to the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority and view the Risk Management Planning Brochure for additional information and to review the types of restricted land use.

Grey Sauble Conservation Authority

Why Do I Need a Building Permit?

Building permits allow us to inspect building and renovating proposals and construction sites to help protect the safety of our community. By reviewing and approving plans before any work is done, we ensure that construction within the Municipality of South Bruce complies with:

The Ontario Building Code (which sets minimum standards for design and materials)
The Zoning By-law (which controls building location, height, parking, etc. and uses that are suitable to the area)
Building By-law
Any other applicable laws

Ontario Building Code Zoning By-law Building By-law

Need Help Filing a Permit?

Permit applications can also be made through mail, email or in person at the Municipal Office by printing and completing all required forms required for your project, and submitting them with your project drawings, etc. If you have any questions, please contact the Building Department.

When Do I Need a Building Inspection?

All required building inspections can be found on your building permit. Please review your permit to find out when you need to book an inspection. Some examples include:

Before pouring the footings
Before backfilling a foundation wall
Before covering any underground plumbing
Municipal water and sewer line connections from the building to the property line
On completion of framing, truss drawings with engineer’s stamp and signature and any specifications and layout of floor systems must be on site (stairs must be in place)
At the beginning of any construction of masonry fireplaces, woodstoves and chimneys, factory built fireplaces and chimneys, and add-on furnaces using solid fuels
Rough-in of plumbing and water supply lines (air or water test on system is required and a smoke test on the final inspection may be required)
Before covering insulation and vapour barrier
Occupancy and final inspection to close the permit

Residential and Commercial Permits

New Construction

Building permits are required for all new construction projects. Required documents include:

Building Permit Application or through Cloudpermit
Schedule 1 Form
Energy Efficiency Design Summary - Prescription Method
Site Plan including location of proposed building, including setbacks to property lines
A Lot Grading Plan (if your property is located within a subdivision)
Construction plans including structural and architectural details (preferably in pdf format)
Roof truss drawings, stamped by an engineer (preferably in pdf format)
Septic system design and permit (if applicable)
Clearance from the Conservation Authority if you plan to build in a regulated area
Drinking Water Source Protection Screening form (if applicable)

Building Permit Application Cloudpermit Schedule 1 Form Energy Efficiency Design Summary - Prescription Method Drinking Water Source Protection Screening Form

Renovations and Additions

Building permits are required for all additions to residential and commercial buildings and some renovations. Renovations such as finished basements, installing roof mounted solar panels, altering location of or installing new plumbing appliances, etc. require building permits. Required documents include:

Building Permit Application or through Cloudpermit
Schedule 1 Form
Site Plan including location of proposed building, including setbacks to property lines and septic system (if applicable)
Drawings specific to the project (construction/building layout plans)
Evaluation of septic system (if applicable)
Roof mounted solar panels will require engineering for the connection system and an evaluation of the supporting building by a professional engineer
Clearance from the Conservation Authority if you plan to build in a regulated area
Drinking Water Source Protection Screening form (if applicable)

Building Permit Application Cloudpermit Schedule 1 Form Drinking Water Source Protection Screening Form

Accessory Buildings and Decks

Building permits are required for all accessory buildings greater than 15 square metres, such as sheds, detached garages and decks. Required documents include:

Building Permit Application or through Cloudpermit
Schedule 1 Form
Site Plan including location of proposed building, including setbacks to property lines and septic system (if applicable)
Construction plans including details pertaining to footing, framing, posts, beams, rafters, floor joists and guards (for decks) and building height
Clearance from the Conservation Authority if you plan to build in a regulated area
Drinking Water Source Protection Screening form (if applicable)

Building Permit Application Cloudpermit Schedule 1 Form Drinking Water Source Protection Screening Form

Swimming Pools

Building permits are required for all swimming pools which are capable of holding more than 0.76 metres of water in depth at any point. Required documents include:

Building Permit Application or through Cloudpermit
Site Plan including location of proposed pool, including setbacks to property lines, fencing detail and location of pool equipment
Clearance from the Conservation Authority if you plan to build in a regulated area
Drinking Water Source Protection Screening form (if applicable)

Building Permit Application Cloudpermit Drinking Water Source Protection Screening Form

Agricultural Buildings

Livestock and Manure Storage

Building permits are required for new and expanding livestock buildings and manure storage. Required documents include:

Building Permit Application or through Cloudpermit
Schedule 1 Form
Minimum Distance Separation (MDS) formula
Letter of approval from OMAFRA, which includes a Nutrient Management Strategy
Site Plan including location of proposed building, including setbacks to property lines, wells, septic systems, buildings and natural areas
Construction drawings (designed by professional engineer for buildings greater than 600 square metres and all manure storages require Engineer’s Commitment to Review
Truss drawings, stamped by a professional engineer (preferably in pdf format)
Clearance from the Conservation Authority if you plan to build in a regulated area
Drinking Water Source Protection Screening form (if applicable)

Building Permit Application Cloudpermit Schedule 1 Form Engineer’s Commitment to Review Drinking Water Source Protection Screening Form

Non-Livestock Housing

Building permits are required for all farm buildings such as grain bins, silos and drive sheds. Required documents include:

Building Permit Application or through Cloudpermit
Schedule 1 Form
Site Plan including location of proposed building, including setbacks to property lines, wells, septic systems, buildings and natural areas
Construction drawings (designed by professional engineer for buildings greater than 600 square metres require Engineer’s Commitment to Review
Truss drawings, stamped by a professional engineer (preferably in pdf format)
Clearance from the Conservation Authority if you plan to build in a regulated area
Drinking Water Source Protection Screening form (if applicable)

Building Permit Application Cloudpermit Schedule 1 Form Engineer’s Commitment to Review Drinking Water Source Protection Screening Form

Other Permits

Permits are required for a number of improvements or changes to your property, including special occasion tents.

As regulated under the Ontario Building Code, any tent over 60 m2 (646 ft2), any size tent attached to a building, or any size tent constructed less that 3 m from other structures, requires a building permit. Required documents include:

Building Permit Application or through Cloudpermit
Tent Drawings

Site Plan including location of tent, setbacks to property lines and buildings

Ontario Building Code Building Permit Application Cloudpermit

As per By-Law #2021-60, anyone wanting to construct, modify, relocate or alter an entrance adjacent to a municipal road allowance is required to complete an Entrance Permit Application form. This includes all rural and urban properties. This is to ensure proper drainage, safe ingress and egress to/from municipal road allowances and to ensure that proper techniques are adhered to.

Anyone constructing, altering, relocating or modifying an entrance without the permission of the Road Authority shall be responsible for all costs associated with removal, if required, of the unapproved entrance.

Apply for a permit

Please complete the Entrance Permit Application and submit it to the Public Works Department.

Approval process

Once we receive your application, the following steps will be followed:

Public Works will review and approve the application and communicate any alterations (if necessary) such as culvert requirements, etc.
Once approved, you will pay the applicable fee, install the entrance/driveway, following the specifications provided by Public Works
You will then contact us confirming that the installation is complete and request a final inspection
We will inspect and approve the entrance/driveway or let you know of any deficiencies to be addressed
Once the inspection is completed and approved, we will return your deposit

Fee

The fee is $675 which includes a $75 inspection fee and a $600 deposit. We will refund your deposit once the entrance/driveway has been installed to the satisfaction of the Public Works Department.

Entrance Permit Application

All septic systems with the exception of portable toilets require building permits for both new installations and repairs or replacement of existing systems. Required documents include:

Septic Permit Application or through Cloudpermit
Schedule 1 Form
Schedule 2 to Schedule 3D sewage system design information including soil information
Site Plan including location of proposed sewage system, including setbacks to property lines, wells, buildings and natural areas
Clearance from the Conservation Authority if you plan to build in a regulated area
Drinking Water Source Protection Screening form (if applicable)

Septic Permit Application Cloudpermit Schedule 1 Form Schedule 2 to Schedule 3D Drinking Water Source Protection Screening Form

Demolition permits are required prior to demolition of any building with the exception of farm buildings. Prior to demolition, please ensure the following:

Obtain a Demolition Permit via Application to Construct or Demolish or through Cloudpermit
Disconnect all services (hydro, telephone, gas, cable, water, sewer, etc.)
Upon completion of demolition owners are responsible to contact the building department for inspection and the tax department for request for reassessment
Site must be leveled and graded upon completion of demolition

Application to Construct or Demolish Cloudpermit

Cancel an inspection

You may need to cancel a building inspection due to inclement weather or construction delays. Please contact us or give us a call at 519-392-6623 and we will reschedule.

Electrical inspections

If you project includes electrical wiring, you need to book an electrical inspection through the Electrical Safety Authority.

Electrical Safety Authority

Cloudpermit Tech Support

You can also contact the Building Department by email or give us a call at 519-392-6623 to book an inspection. We will work with you to accommodate your requested inspection date; however, we respectfully request 48 hours of advance notice where possible.

Please include the following information in your request:

Your name
Phone number
Address of the property in question
Permit number
Type of inspection required

Cloudpermit Tech Support