Garage, carport and shed permits in Richmond Hill: forms, plans and fee

Check whether you need a permit

Permits are needed to build accessory structures (such as garages, carports, sheds) attached to a house or detached exceeding certain size in area.
The Garage, Carport or Shed checklist recommends checking Zoning By-laws about lot coverage, location, height and setback requirements.
During the planning phase of your project, you must determine what zoning requirements apply to your property. For all zoning and compliance-related information, visit Zoning and Compliance Letter Requests.
Contact Building Division staff at 905-771-8810 or building@richmondhill.ca if you have any questions about building permits.

Small accessory buildings and sheds: no building permit

You don't need a building permit for the following projects:

Constructing a detached accessory building that has an area of 10 m2 (≈ 108 sq ft) or less and contains no plumbing.
Constructing a one storey storage shed, that has an area of 15 m2 (≈ 161 sq ft) or less and contains no plumbing.
Projects that do not require a building permit still need to follow Richmond Hill's zoning by-laws.

Only if the detached building is greater than 400 ft2 in footprint area

Detached buildings greater than 400 ft2 in footprint area require a site alteration permit prior to applying for a building permit

Forms must be completed and signed electronically. All City of Richmond Hill Building forms are available online in fillable format.

There are two steps to the online submission process: Pre-screening and Formal application.

When a pre-screening submission is made, a reference number will be assigned and the Building Division will pre-screen your submission to determine if all of the submission requirements are included.
Where it is determined that the acceptance criteria has been satisfied through the pre-screening stage, you will be advised by email from Building Division staff the requirements to move to the formal application stage, including the applicable fee based on the fee schedule.
Where the submission is deemed to be insufficient, you will continue to coordinate with Building Division staff until such time the submission is determined to be acceptable.

Once a confirmation email is received with a list of outstanding items (including the applicable fee), you are ready to complete your application.
Following the instructions provided, you will reply to the email with a reference to the assigned reference number and attach any outstanding PDFs as requested (if any). If no further attachment is necessary, simply advise the Building Division staff member before you make the required payment.
Please note that the formal submission must be made and the applicable fee must be received in full within two weeks from the date in which the confirmation email is sent by the Building Division. Otherwise, the reference number will no longer be valid and you will need to resubmit all relevant files and documents.
When the building permit is issued, it is the responsibility of the permit holder to print the permit card and relevant drawings/documents (in colour) and keep them on the construction site.
You are responsible for notifying us when you reach each stage of the housing inspection process.

$382.30 flat fee for accessory structures less than 50 m2 (≈ 538 sq ft) in building area
$546.14 flat fee for accessory structures equal to or more than 50 m2 (≈ 538 sq ft) in building area
Building permit fees are calculated according to By-law 19-24.
All permit fees are due at the time of permit application.
Online applications must be paid online by credit card (Visa or Mastercard).
Payment by Visa or MasterCard is limited to a maximum of $100,000.00. Any balance of payment may be paid by cash or cheque.