Town shifting to online-only building permit applications to streamline process

By Rob Paul

The Town of Caledon will move to an online-only building permit application to help streamline the process.

The change will take place on March 21 for builders and developers, and on April 1 for homeowners and contractors.

Ultimately due to the pandemic, the Town had to pivot with the applications for building permits and, with the benefits of moving it online, the decision was made to keep the process permanently. 

“The change in the process was to serve our clients while also adhering to public health guidelines throughout the pandemic,” said Mark Sraga, Director, Building and Municipal Law Enforcement Services/Chief Building Officer. “When we closed Town Hall and service delivery was impacted due to provincial mandates, we evolved so that our clients could still proceed with their projects. This led to the introduction of e-permitting and the new way that building permits will be reviewed moving forward.”

The entire process will now be online because of the time it saves in both applying for and issuing permits.

“The main difference is that all residential permits—new homes, additions, renovations, pools, decks, garages—will be submitted, reviewed and issued digitally,” said Sraga. “Staff are still available to assist those with no or limited internet access.”

This will make everything easier and more comfortable for builder, developers, and homeowners going forward and that was the main motivation behind the decision. 

“The impact on builders and other stakeholders is ability to apply for permits from the comfort of their own home/office without the need to visit Town Hall, the ability to respond to comments online as well as receiving their permits online,” said Sraga. “For builders and other stakeholders this is a welcomed change as it will save them time and money when applying for building permits.”

For more information regarding the Town's shift to an online-only building permit process and to access the online building permit application, visit caledon.ca/building.