BuildRules/Cambridge/Basement apartment / secondary suite/Cost

Cambridge, Ontario / Permit cost

What does a basement apartment / secondary suite permit cost?

See the published permit fee information BuildRules has verified for a basement apartment / secondary suite project in Cambridge, Ontario, with the source and limits visible.

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Focused project answerLast verified Oct 29, 2026
Published fee information

2026 City-confirmed building-permit component for a new basement additional residential unit (ARU) within an existing house: $0.50 per square foot of conversion area. Cambridge Building Official Caleb Baldwin provided an 80 m² example of $430.50 in writing on October 29, 2026. The City-issued 2026 simplified fee schedule (effective January 1) lists a $143 minimum for residential interior alterations/finished basements; applicability to smaller ARUs and zoning review charges await specific City confirmation. The schedule also instructs applicants to ADD a class-specific zoning review charge: its Group C residential section shows $25 for alterations/interior finishing while its renovations section shows $150, so DO NOT infer the final payment from the building permit component. Plumbing, grading, school-board charges or other project-specific fees are not included. The $430.50 is the municipal illustrative permit component, not a guaranteed total.

Use this as a municipal-fee reference, not as the total project budget. Design, engineering, related applications and construction costs are separate.

Scope before arithmetic

Make sure the fee belongs to your project.

Cambridge requires a building permit for creation of a new additional residential unit. In writing on October 29, 2026, Building Services supplied its 2026 fee schedule and Municipal Building Official II Caleb Baldwin confirmed a permit fee rate of $0.50/sq. ft. for an existing-house basement ARU, giving $430.50 as the City illustration for 80 m². The City official said drawing reviews occur after the permit application, and no numerical post-submission review timeframe was supplied. This does not establish that no post-submission processing standard exists. The attachment is a City-issued 13-page Simplified Building Permit Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026, pages 1, 5, 8; it was provided to BuildRules in the municipal email thread and is retained privately, because the old public PDF URL is broken. The schedule requires zoning review fees in addition to base permit rates; the correct amount for this ARU is awaiting written City confirmation, as are smaller-project fee minimum details. City and Region of Waterloo development charges are not collected for ARUs according to the City ARU guidance, although school-board charges may apply. Do not treat $430.50 as the final application bill or promise a permit issuance period. Official landing guidance: https://www.cambridge.ca/business-building-development/building-planning/additional-residential-units/ .

Published municipal guidanceCheck the scope and stated conditions

Cambridge lists creation of additional residential units among typical projects requiring a building permit.

2026 permit-fee evidence$0.50/sq. ft.; City 80 m² example $430.50

Cambridge Building Official confirmed this base permit component in writing October 29. The 2026 Schedule (pp. 5, 8) separately charges zoning review. The exact applicable $25 versus $150 zoning fee is awaiting written City confirmation. The City says drawings are reviewed after filing; no specific post-submission processing time was confirmed. City-issued schedule held by BuildRules.

Official sources behind this page

Published municipal guidanceCheck the scope and stated conditions

Cambridge lists creation of additional residential units among typical projects requiring a building permit.

Official sourceCity of CambridgeBuilding Permits · Permit triggers for structures, garages, openings and retaining walls
Verified2026-10-01Open proof
2026 permit-fee evidence$0.50/sq. ft.; City 80 m² example $430.50

Cambridge Building Official confirmed this base permit component in writing October 29. The 2026 Schedule (pp. 5, 8) separately charges zoning review. The exact applicable $25 versus $150 zoning fee is awaiting written City confirmation. The City says drawings are reviewed after filing; no specific post-submission processing time was confirmed. City-issued schedule held by BuildRules.

Official sourceCity of Cambridge Building Services2026 Simplified Building Permit Fee Schedule (City-issued PDF supplied directly to BuildRules; publicly linked page is the Building Permits landing page) · Schedule effective January 1, 2026; pp. 1–2 (fee method), 5 (Group C), 7 (accessory structures), 8 (renovations), 9–11 (other permits). PDF attached to official city email of Oct 29; original attachment held privately.
Verified2026-10-29Open proof

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