Toronto ePLAN Permit Filing Support: Drawing Standards & Review Workflow

What Is ePLAN Toronto?

ePLAN (Electronic Plan Review) is the City of Toronto's web-based portal for submitting building permit applications, uploading drawings and supporting documents, tracking review status, and receiving formal comments and approvals — all electronically. The system replaced Toronto Building's traditional paper-based over-the-counter submissions for most commercial, institutional, and multi-residential permit types.

The platform is built on ProjectDox (Avolve Software), the same platform used by numerous major North American municipalities. Applicants, their consultants (architect, structural engineer, mechanical engineer), and the building department's plan reviewers all interact through the same project environment, with all comments, markups, and responses recorded in a permanent audit trail.

Which Projects Use ePLAN?

Toronto Building currently requires ePLAN for:

• All new Building Permit applications for Part 3 buildings (major occupancy buildings, generally >600 m² or >3 storeys)
• Part 3 alteration permits involving structural, mechanical, or architectural changes requiring full plan review
• Designated complex Part 9 residential projects as determined by Toronto Building
• Some conditional/phased permits for large developments (foundation-only permits, early site preparation)

Small Part 9 residential alterations (basement lowering, additions, interior renovations in houses) may still be processed at the Building Permit counter at a civic centre or through Toronto Building's online minor residential portal. When in doubt, the safest approach is to let your engineer or permit consultant confirm the correct submission pathway before drawings are finalized.

Authorized Filing Setup & Project Registration

1. Authorize the filing team: The usual path is for the owner to authorize Asvakas or another permit consultant to manage the ePLAN account and filing workflow on the project's behalf.
2. Register the project: The filing team completes the project registration with the property address, project description, building area, number of storeys, occupancy type, and estimated construction value.
3. Complete and attach the application: The City's Building Permit application form is prepared with the owner or authorized agent's signature and uploaded as part of the project registration package.
4. Upload Schedule 1: The Schedule 1 (Designer information and general review commitment) is coordinated with the required professionals and uploaded with the initial submission.

Drawing Standards for ePLAN Submission

Toronto Building specifies drawing standards in its ePLAN Drawing Standards document (available on toronto.ca/building). Key requirements:

• Format: PDF (PDF/A-1b preferred for archival quality). No AutoCAD DWG, TIFF, or other formats
• Paper size: Standard architectural/engineering sheet — 36×48 inches (914×1219 mm) or 24×36 inches (610×914 mm) for smaller drawings
• File size: Maximum 50 MB per PDF file. Large drawing sets should be split into multiple files per the Drawing Naming Standard
• Text legibility: Text must be legible at 2.5 mm minimum height when printed at actual drawing size
• File naming: Files must follow ePLAN's Drawing Naming Standard — a specific alphanumeric code format identifying drawing discipline, revision status, and sheet number

Structural Drawing Requirements

For a complete structural submission through ePLAN, the following drawings and documents are required:

Supporting Documents Checklist

• Completed building permit application form (signed by owner or agent)
• Schedule 1 — Designer information (signed by all required professionals)
• Survey/site plan showing property boundaries, existing structures, and proposed work
• Architectural drawings (floor plans, elevations, sections) — from the architect
• Structural drawings (as above)
• Mechanical, electrical drawings where applicable
• Geotechnical report for foundation work
• Energy compliance documentation (SB-10 or OBC Div. B Part 11 energy where applicable)
• Heritage permit (if within a Heritage Conservation District or on the Heritage Register)
• Conservation Authority clearance letter (if within a regulated area such as TRCA jurisdiction)

Submitting a Complete Application

Within the ePLAN portal, the permit team coordinates uploads, consultant deliverables, and final submission to Toronto Building. When Asvakas manages the structural filing, we organize the package, confirm the required documents are ready, and trigger the formal submission workflow with the owner's authorization.

The intake review confirms that all required documents are present and sets the permit fee. Incomplete submissions are returned with a deficiency list, and the formal technical review does not begin until Toronto Building accepts the application as complete.

The Review Process & Timelines

Once a complete submission is accepted, Toronto Building assigns the application to the relevant discipline reviewers — typically separate reviewers for zoning/planning, architectural code compliance, structural, mechanical, and building administration. Each reviewer works independently and posts their comments to the ePLAN portal, which the filing team then tracks and answers.

Toronto Building publishes service standards for complete applications, but the actual review period depends on project complexity, required agency coordination, current review volume, and how many rounds of comments must be resolved before issuance.

Responding to Reviewer Comments

Structural comments from Toronto Building's plan reviewer will reference specific OBC clauses, drawing deficiencies, or requests for additional information. Best practices for responding:

• Address every comment — reviewers track that each comment has been resolved; unanswered comments will result in re-comment on the same issue
• Provide a written response document listing each comment number and the resolution — this is separate from revised drawings
• Where a comment is incorrect or the design is compliant by an alternate means, provide a written justification referencing the specific OBC clause supporting the design approach
• Revised drawings must increment the revision number and update the revision cloud and delta on the affected sheets

Resubmission Process

All resubmissions go through the ePLAN portal. In practice, the engineer or permit consultant uploads the revised drawings and response document together, tracks comment closure, and coordinates any follow-up agency sign-offs. Multi-cycle review is common on complex projects, so owners are better served by having the filing team manage that process rather than trying to administer it themselves.

Common Rejection Reasons