Ontario Building Permit Types for Structural Work: OBC Division C & P.Eng General Review

Building Code Act Framework

Building permits in Ontario are issued under the Building Code Act, 1992 (BCA) by municipal Chief Building Officials (CBOs). The BCA is provincial legislation; the Ontario Building Code (OBC, Ontario Regulation 332/12 as amended) is the technical standard that governs how buildings are designed and constructed once permit authority is triggered. The BCA creates the permit system; the OBC specifies the technical requirements that permitted work must satisfy.

Ontario's permit authority is entirely municipal. Toronto Building, Mississauga Building, Ottawa Building Services, Hamilton Building Division — each municipality administers its own permitting office under the provincial BCA. The technical requirements (OBC) are uniform across the province; the application procedures, fee schedules, and process timelines vary by municipality.

When a Permit Is Required for Structural Work

BCA Section 8 requires a permit before constructing, demolishing, adding to, altering, repairing, or changing the use of a building or structure — subject to exemptions set out in Ontario Regulation 332/12 (OBC), Division C, Section 1.3.1.3. Structural work that triggers a permit includes:

• Any addition of floor area or building volume (additions, mezzanines, penthouse floors)
• Structural alterations — removing, modifying, or adding load-bearing walls, beams, columns, or foundations
• Opening or enlarging openings in load-bearing walls or concrete/masonry structural elements
• Underpinning, excavation adjacent to existing foundations, or any work affecting the foundation system
• Change of use of a building or floor area if the change affects structural demands, fire resistance ratings, or OBC occupancy classification
• Demolition of the whole or part of a building (a separate demolition permit under BCA)
• Erection of temporary structures meeting BCA thresholds (typically over 55 m² for certain uses)

Structural repairs that do not alter the structural system, change load paths, or require engineering analysis may qualify for the OBC maintenance exemption — but this determination should always be confirmed with the local building department before proceeding.

Classes of Building Permit in Ontario

OBC Part 4: Structural Design Requirements

OBC Division B Part 4 governs structural design requirements. Part 4 applies to buildings that are:

• 4 or more storeys above grade
• Buildings of any height in Group A (Assembly) occupancy with certain thresholds
• Buildings with post-disaster importance levels (hospitals, emergency response facilities, bridges)
• Buildings of any occupancy where the Ontario Building Code Act's schedule of regulated activities applies specific structural requirements

Part 4 incorporates by reference the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) 2020 structural design provisions — including structural loads (dead, live, seismic, wind, snow), material standards (CSA A23.3 for concrete, CSA S16 for steel, CSA O86 for timber, CSA S304 for masonry), and performance requirements. For buildings under Part 4, a registered professional (P.Eng.) must perform the structural design and commit to General Review during construction.

Buildings not meeting Part 4 thresholds (typically 1–3 storey residential and small commercial) are governed by OBC Part 9 (Housing and Small Buildings), which contains prescriptive structural requirements that do not typically require engineer-of-record services — though structural engineering is still recommended for non-standard conditions.

General Review: The P.Eng's Ongoing Obligation

OBC Division C Subsection 1.3.3 requires that construction of buildings governed by Part 4 be subject to General Review by a registered professional. General Review means the professional:

• Reviews shop drawings and submittals for structural elements for compliance with the design documents
• Attends the construction site at regular intervals appropriate to the stage of construction to review the work
• Identifies any non-conformance with the approved design
• Provides a General Review Report to the chief building official certifying that the work covered was substantially in accordance with the OBC and the approved design documents

"General Review" is an ongoing professional duty in Ontario. It places responsibility on the engineer to observe and certify the construction, giving the CBO assurance that the design intent was implemented through periodic field review and reporting.

Schedule 1 — Commitment to General Review

OBC Division C requires that a Schedule 1 form (Commitment to General Review by Registered Design Professional in Responsible Charge) be submitted with the building permit application. The Schedule 1:

• Identifies the registered professional committing to general review of a specific category of work (structural, architectural, mechanical, etc.)
• Must be completed separately by each discipline's registered professional
• The engineer's PEO licence number and P.Eng. seal are applied to the Schedule 1
• The Schedule 1 is filed with the building department and becomes part of the permit record

At the completion of the work covered, the engineer files a General Review Report (Schedule 2 in some municipalities, or the CBO's required completion form) confirming that the work was substantially in accordance with the approved plans and OBC requirements. No occupancy of the building is permitted until the CBO receives and is satisfied by these final completion certifications.

Permit Application Documents for Structural Work

For a structural alteration or new construction permit application in Ontario, required submission documents typically include:

• Structural drawings: Scaled, dimensioned plans, sections, and details for all structural elements — foundation plan, framing plans (each floor), roof framing plan, typical sections, connection details, and material specifications. Drawings must be signed and sealed by the P.Eng of Record, with the engineer's PEO stamp.
• Structural calculations: For Part 4 buildings, full calculations demonstrating OBC compliance — gravity loads, seismic loads (using NBC 2020 seismic provisions, site-specific hazard data), wind loads, material design (CSA A23.3, CSA S16, CSA O86, etc.), and connection design. Calculations must be organized, complete, and signed/sealed by the P.Eng.
• Schedule 1 (Commitment to General Review): Completed by the structural P.Eng. of Record
• Geotechnical report: For foundations on non-standard soils, foundation bearing design requires a geotechnical investigation report signed by a geotechnical engineer. Most Ontario CBOs require this for new construction.
• Site plan: Showing property limits, building footprint, setbacks, grades
• Architectural drawings: Required in coordination with the structural drawings (separate set from the architect of record)

Toronto eBuild Portal: Structural Permit Filing

Toronto Building now processes most permit applications through the eBuild portal (toronto.ca/ebuild). For structural permit applications in Toronto, owners are usually best served by authorizing their engineer or permit consultant to manage that filing workflow:

• All drawings must be submitted as PDF files in the eBuild system — paper submissions are no longer accepted for most project types
• The permit team prepares drawings to conform to Toronto Building's submission guidelines on file name conventions, layering, and drawing organization
• Asvakas or the authorized permit team can set up and manage the eBuild filing, link the property address, upload the required documents, and submit the application with owner authorization
• Toronto Building assigns a file number and project status is tracked in eBuild throughout review
• Zoning review is coordinated through eBuild prior to structural permit review
• Pre-application consultation is available for complex projects through Toronto Building's pre-application consultation (PAC) process

Permit Review Factors Across Ontario

Permit timing varies widely across Ontario because every municipality manages intake volume, staffing, and interdisciplinary review differently. The most reliable way to shorten the process is to submit a complete package, coordinate drawings and schedules across disciplines, and respond to deficiency notices with a clear point-by-point resubmission.