Data reuse · Version 1.0 · Effective October 12, 2026
Use the data. Keep the evidence.
BuildRules publishes researched indexes and comparisons to help people understand building-permit guidance. You can cite and study them without asking. Reproducing substantial parts of our own curated compilations in another commercial data product requires permission.
These terms describe the permission BuildRules offers for its original contribution. They do not claim ownership over government records, public facts or third-party material. Always consult the original authority and its applicable licence.
1. What this licence covers
These version 1.0 terms apply to the BuildRules-original editorial summaries, classifications, comparisons, selection and arrangement, and other value-added material published in our public dataset exports, only to the extent BuildRules owns or is permitted to license those contributions.
Municipal by-laws, official government documents, underlying government datasets, third-party contributions, trademarks and independently available facts are not licensed by BuildRules. Follow the rights and attribution conditions of the relevant original publisher. If a separate source licence permits a use, this licence does not narrow those source rights.
2. Uses you can make without contacting us
You may access and download the public exports for personal study, internal analysis, academic research and teaching. You may also quote limited, non-substantial extracts in reporting, reviews, educational material, professional advice and commercial editorial publications, with attribution.
Ordinary linking, search indexing, search snippets and citation of publicly available material are welcome, subject to applicable law, the site's published crawling instructions and the rights of original data providers. A link to BuildRules is not permission to misstate a municipal decision.
3. When permission is needed
Contact BuildRules before copying, mirroring, bulk redistributing, selling or commercially republishing a substantial portion of BuildRules-original curated dataset content, or offering our curated compilation as a substitute database, API or white-label product. This also applies to systematic extraction outside the limited permissions above.
These conditions do not restrict your independent collection or reuse of municipal and open-government information under the original source licences. They do not prohibit citation, linking or lawful use of public facts.
4. Give credit to both sources
When quoting BuildRules-original material, identify BuildRules, link to the relevant dataset or project guide, and include the source review date when available. Where you rely on a government rule or dataset, credit and link to the original municipal or provincial authority separately, following its own licence.
Source: BuildRules Ontario Building Permit Index (buildrules.ca/permit-index), municipality and project guide, reviewed on the date shown. Original regulatory evidence: the linked municipal authority.
5. Accuracy, changes and endorsement
Identify BuildRules summaries as guidance or interpretation, not official municipal decisions. Keep qualifying conditions and review dates when reproducing an answer. Do not imply endorsement by BuildRules or a government authority. Data and regulations can change after our last review. All materials are provided as is, without a guarantee of completeness, timeliness, fitness for a particular purpose or approval of any project.
6. Licence version and requests
This document is BuildRules Data Reuse License, version 1.0, effective October 12, 2026. This version has a stable address; changes to future licensing terms will be published at a new versioned URL. Permission under this version is conditional on compliance with these terms and does not transfer ownership of BuildRules-original material.
For bulk or commercial redistribution, request written permission at hello@buildrules.ca. See the site terms for general service conditions.