Request a Free QuoteNiagara Region, Ontario · LANE: NIAGARA PERMIT REVIEW TIMES
Fence and Deck Building & Repair Experts
Ontario's Building Code puts a clock on every building permit. Under Division C, Article 1.3.1.3, once a complete application reaches the chief building official, the town has to issue the permit or refuse it within a set number of days. For "a house where no dwelling unit is located above another dwelling unit", and for "a detached structure that serves" that house and "does not exceed 55 m2 in building area", the period is 10 days. The days do not count Saturdays, holidays or any other day the building office is closed to the public, so 10 days is about two working weeks. Here is what each town in our area posts about its own timing. Niagara Falls: "The time required to process a building permit application is 10 to 30 days, depending on the building's class and size." Decks and detached structures such as sheds are listed with the 10-day group. Staff first check the application "within 2 business days to ensure it is complete". Fort Erie: "between 10 to 30 business days", with decks and detached sheds, garages and carports listed under 10 days. Grimsby: "Residential applications: 10 business days" for the initial review of a complete application. Grimsby also posts its average processing times, which run longer: 7 weeks for residential alterations and 13 weeks for a new house. Welland: its residential housing checklist (dated January 1, 2025) says "10 day permit/decision" for houses, additions and alterations. West Lincoln: "The permit process takes approximately three weeks." It adds that some projects take longer. St. Catharines posts no number. It says the Code's timelines "will start after we've reviewed your permit application and documentation", and its deck guide says only that staff will review your submission "as quickly as we can". Thorold, Pelham, Port Colborne and Niagara-on-the-Lake: we read their building pages and permit guides and found no posted review period, so we are not stating one. Ask the building department when you apply. None of these lists names a pergola or a fence. A fence is covered by the town's fence by-law, not this clock. For a pergola, ask the town whether it needs a permit at all before you plan around a review time.
The 10 days only start once the application is complete. The Code spells out what complete means: the town's form, filled in by the owner or their agent, every field and schedule done, the plans and documents attached, and the fee paid. The clock starts the day after that complete application is submitted. A complete application can still be held. If the plans or documents the Code asks for are missing, or the project would contravene an applicable law, the chief building official can set the timeline aside by telling you so, with written reasons, within two days. Corrections restart the wait. Grimsby says it plainly: "For resubmitted revised drawings, there is no guaranteed review time", and "Each resubmission could potentially extend the review period by two or more weeks." Niagara Falls and Fort Erie both say their timelines are for complete applications that meet zoning and applicable law. That is why the posted 10 days and the real wait can differ. Grimsby's own figures show the gap: 10 business days for the first review, 7 weeks on average for a residential alteration. Grimsby's own advice: "We advise applying for your building permit well before your planned construction date." For a deck or shed you want built in spring, that means getting the drawings and site plan ready and the zoning questions answered over the winter, so the application goes in complete the first time. Our deck permit guide covers what each town asks for, and our shed permit guide covers when a shed needs a permit at all. Peter builds decks, sheds, pergolas and fences across Niagara. If you are planning a spring project, use the contact details below and tell him which town you are in.
The Building Code gives the town 10 days, not counting weekends and holidays, to issue or refuse a permit once the application is complete. Niagara Falls and Fort Erie list decks in their 10-day group. Grimsby posts 10 business days for a first review, and West Lincoln says about three weeks. Corrections add time.
The day after a complete application is submitted. Complete means the form, every field and schedule, the plans and documents, and the fee. St. Catharines says the Code's timelines start after staff have reviewed the application and documents.
Usually because something was missing or needed revising. The town can set the timeline aside with written reasons within two days, and Grimsby says each resubmission can add two or more weeks. Grimsby's average for a residential alteration is 7 weeks.
A detached structure serving a house and no larger than 55 m2 is in the Code's 10-day row. Niagara Falls and Fort Erie both list sheds there. Many small sheds do not need a building permit at all. Our shed permit guide covers when they do.
We found no posted period for Thorold, Pelham, Port Colborne or Niagara-on-the-Lake, and St. Catharines gives no number. The Code's 10-day rule still applies to a complete application there. Ask the building department when you apply.
FRESHNESS Last reviewed:
The shop