How to read a Toronto building permit

A building permit is the City's record that someone got approval to build, alter, or demolish something at an address. Every permit leaves a paper trail, and that trail is public — which means you can check it before you buy, rent, or renovate.

Here's how to read one.

The fields that matter

• Type — what the permit is for: a new building, an interior alteration, a deck, a basement, plumbing, HVAC, demolition. The type tells you the scope of the work.
• Status — where the permit is in its life. The ones you'll see most:
  • Issued / under review — approved or being assessed; work may be in progress.
  • Inspection — the City is checking the work meets code.
  • Closed — finished and signed off. This is the one you want to see.
  • Cancelled / revoked — the permit didn't proceed.
• Dates — when it was applied for, issued, and closed. A permit issued years ago and still open is worth a second look.

Why an open permit matters

An open permit isn't automatically bad — but it means the City hasn't signed off that the work is complete and to code. If you're buying, an open permit on the property can become your problem after closing: you may have to schedule the final inspection, redo work, or pay to close it out. It's a normal thing to raise with your agent or lawyer.

For renters, permits are mostly context — they tell you what's been done to the building over time, and whether anything is mid-renovation.

What permits don't tell you

A clean permit history doesn't prove there was never un-permitted work — only that nothing was recorded. Finished basements, decks, and bathrooms are common places work happens without a permit. Treat the record as a strong signal, not a guarantee.

Check any address

You can pull the full permit history for any Toronto address — issued, open, and closed — on the Permit history tool. Pair it with open orders & violations to see whether anything is outstanding, and turn on monitoring if you want an email when a new permit appears.