BuildRules / Municipal permit fees

Basement Apartment Permit Fees in the GTA + Hamilton (2026)

Compare basement apartment permit fees in 10 GTA municipalities plus Hamilton, explore an 80 m² estimator, check 2026 refunds and avoid hidden charges.

Anik BeaucheminOctober 26, 20264 min read

Sources reviewed October 26, 2026View references

A basement apartment is priced differently from an ordinary basement renovation. Building-permit rates, registration charges and refundable deposits can vary by municipality, and an advertised rebate does not necessarily reduce what you pay upfront.

Start with the interactive estimator below. Choose your municipality and floor area to see the published fee components we can calculate. Then use the 11-city comparison for details, exclusions and original municipal sources.

Our illustration assumes one new self-contained apartment of 80 m² (about 861 sq. ft.) inside an existing house. No figure on this page is a final city quote or a property-specific approval.

11 municipalities · Official 2026 sources

Estimate the fees your municipality publishes.

Choose a city and floor area. We show the amounts supported by municipal records and explain what is still missing. An estimate is not a final city quote.

Interactive fee estimator

Calculate your published fee components

One new basement apartment within an existing house. Other work and approvals may add charges.

CAD · 2026

MunicipalityProposed apartment area (m²)80 m² ≈ 861 sq. ft. Use the area the city confirms is chargeable.

Selected published components

$978.73

Permit rate × 80 m²: $922.40
New dwelling-unit fee: $56.33

These selected municipal fees exclude other applicable charges and project expenses.

Municipal fee source Source checked 2026-10-14.

Fees are only part of the decision.

Check the rules and restrictions for the actual address before paying for plans or construction.

Check the rules for my address

2026 fee comparison

11 municipalities. One 80 m² example.

Compare like-for-like published fee components, then expand a city to read the conditions and source. “Not verified” does not mean free.

Download source data

Published basement apartment permit fee components in the GTA and Hamilton, for an illustrative 80 square metre project.
Municipality	80 m² illustration	What this figure covers	Municipal details
Toronto	$978.73Selected components	Rate per m² plus new-unit fee	Fees & conditions Permit rate: $11.53/m² New-unit charge: $56.33 80m² interior alteration rate plus one new residential unit fee; other permits, zoning or application costs may apply. Rebate status: No general secondary-suite building permit fee refund identified. Source checked 2026-10-14. Official municipal source
Mississauga	$906.40Base rate only	Published rate per m²	Fees & conditions Permit rate: $11.33/m² $11.33/m² 2026 ARU rate; residential minimum $244. The $50 non-refundable online prescreening payment is credited to the total permit cost, not an extra $50 added afterward. Request the assessed total from the City. Rebate status: Qualifying ARU permit fees automatically refunded after final construction and inspections; non-refundable administrative fees excluded. Source checked 2026-10-26. Official municipal source
Brampton	$1,386.24Selected components	Published flat fee and listed registration	Fees & conditions Flat permit fee: $1,186.24 Listed registration: $200.00. Confirm applicability. Published combined registration and change-of-use permit fees; extra inspection recall or other project-specific costs may arise. Rebate status: No verified building permit fee refund in the cited two-unit process. Source checked 2026-10-14. Official municipal source
Markham	$1,766.40Base rate only	Published rate per m²	Fees & conditions Permit rate: $22.08/m² Listed pre-application payment: $100.00. Confirm credit and applicability. 2026 secondary-suite alteration base rate is $22.08/m². A $100 non-refundable ePLAN pre-application payment is credited toward the assessed permit fee; it is not stacked on top of the final charge. Other fees can still apply. Rebate status: No fee rebate established from the cited schedule. Source checked 2026-10-26. Official municipal source
Vaughan	Not verifiedFee unverified	No verified construction-permit formula	Fees & conditions Returnable fee cap: $2,575.00. Separate from the permit price. $2,575 is a RETURNABLE fee cap (or the building permit fee if lesser), not the building permit tariff itself. Actual permit charge requires separate classification; the alleged $930 flat ARU rate is unverified. Rebate status: Returnable fee is not a permit-fee rebate; check conditions of its return. Source checked 2026-10-14. Official municipal source
Richmond Hill	Not verifiedFee unverified	No verified construction-permit formula	Fees & conditions A basement-finishing tariff is not safely interchangeable with the fee for establishing a separate residential unit. ARU permit fee is pending cross-check against active municipal schedule. Rebate status: Refund status not verified. Source checked 2026-10-14. Official municipal source
Oakville	$960.00Base rate only	Published rate per m²	Fees & conditions Permit rate: $12.00/m² Town's 2026 published rates list $12.00/m² for accessory dwelling units and a separate $800 ADU Registration. Whether registration applies to this interior conversion must be confirmed. The rate-based estimate excludes registration. Rebate status: No general refund verified. Source checked 2026-10-26. Official municipal source
Burlington	Not verifiedFee unverified	No verified construction-permit formula	Fees & conditions Separate zoning clearance: $1,145.00. Not a construction-permit fee. $1,145 is the 2026 zoning clearance certificate rate for an ADU, not a building permit. Whether required and scheduling route depend on exact application; construction permit rate pending. Rebate status: No blanket rebate verified. Source checked 2026-10-14. Official municipal source
Hamilton	$515.00Selected components	Published flat fee and listed registration	Fees & conditions Flat permit fee: $515.00 Official residential fee schedule lists $515 flat for an additional dwelling unit in an existing house. Other approvals and charges not included. Rebate status: No general fee refund verified. Source checked 2026-10-14. Official municipal source
Whitby	Not verifiedFee unverified	No verified construction-permit formula	Fees & conditions Listed registration: $268.00. Confirm applicability. 2026 budget lists $268 for the ADU registration permit; building permit fee formula pending current schedule confirmation. Rebate status: Housing Accelerator Fund incentive for eligible ADUs: complete application due Dec 31 2026; registration and incentive agreement deadlines March 31 2027. Eligibility applies. Source checked 2026-10-14. Official municipal source
Oshawa	Not verifiedFee unverified	No verified construction-permit formula	Fees & conditions 2026 building permit fees indexed by 3% from Jan 1; no validated apples-to-apples ARU amount extracted yet. Rental licensing could be another cost in certain settings. Rebate status: Refund status not verified. Source checked 2026-10-14. Official municipal source

A calculated amount is a selected fee component, not a complete bill. Registration, zoning, returnable fees and rebates are separate where their applicability cannot be confirmed. Our sourcing methodology.

Rebates and incentives in 2026

Mississauga: eligible permit-fee refund after completion. The City says eligible additional residential unit building-permit fees are refunded after construction and all required inspections. You still pay your assessed permit cost at application. Its $50 non-refundable online prescreening payment is credited toward the permit cost, so it must not be added twice. ARU program and conditions (opens in a new tab) · Permit payments and timing (opens in a new tab).

Whitby: conditional ADU fee reimbursement, with a 2026 deadline. Eligible projects under the Housing Accelerator Fund incentive must have a complete application by December 31, 2026. Whitby advises submitting at least two weeks earlier. Additional incentive-agreement and ADU registration milestones apply by March 31, 2027. Approval, eligible charges and deadlines must be confirmed with the Town. Whitby ADU program (opens in a new tab).

Burlington: previously offered funding, now closed. Its ARU incentive previously described conditional forgivable loans of up to $70,000 for eligible interior/attached units, with affordable-rent conditions. Applications closed October 1, 2025. This is historical context, not funding you can count on for a new 2026 application. Burlington program status (opens in a new tab).

A refund, a reimbursement or forgivable loan, and a returnable deposit are different. In particular, Vaughan's published $2,575 returnable-fee cap is not its construction-permit quote. Never subtract a potential future refund from the amount you need to pay upfront.

What the example includes

Every calculator result uses your selected floor area for one new self-contained dwelling unit inside an existing house. The default 80 m² area is hypothetical, not an official assessment of your property's chargeable floor area.

The comparison does not assume a new below-grade entrance, addition, underpinning, minor variance, existing legal second unit or service upgrade. Those details can change how a municipality classifies the work and how much you owe.

For some municipalities we can calculate selected permit components. For others, only a base rate or an unrelated charge is published clearly enough to show. “Not enough data” means the total is unverified, not $0. See each city's expandable details and official source in the table above.

How long does a basement apartment permit take?

A first review is not a permit approval. Prescreening, complete-application review, corrections, zoning or applicable-law approvals, and final permit issuance are separate steps.

As one concrete example, Mississauga currently lists roughly 7–10 business days for prescreening, a 15-business-day first review for a complete second-unit application, and an average of about 10 weeks to issue a second-unit permit. Those are different measures, and the city says incomplete submissions or resubmissions may add time. They are not guarantees for your property. Mississauga's published timelines (opens in a new tab).

Ontario's 2024 Building Code (O. Reg. 163/24, as amended) sets the provincial technical framework. Local zoning and other approvals still matter. Ontario Building Code (opens in a new tab).

Costs outside the estimate

Additional municipal charges may include zoning clearance, registration, plumbing-related building permit charges, plan revisions, deposits, entrance work or a minor variance. The applicable charges depend on your municipality and scope.

Project costs may include drawings, structural engineering, fire separations, electrical inspections, plumbing work, new entrances, excavation and service upgrades. These are not included in the fee calculator and cannot be estimated responsibly from floor area alone.

Six checks before you pay for drawings

Confirm the exact address and municipality. A municipal fee schedule alone cannot establish zoning permissions for your lot.
Define the scope. Converting a basement into a separate rental unit is not the same as finishing a basement for family use.
Check existing units and restrictions. Existing legal dwellings, lot conditions, parking and servicing can change your route.
Request an itemized fee breakdown. Ask the municipality to separate permits, registration, zoning, deposits and any work-specific charges.
Check rebate eligibility before spending. Confirm intake status, submission deadlines, eligible costs and payment timing.
Save the official source and municipal response. Record the fee schedule's effective date and the classification used for your project.

Check permit requirements for my address · Find a local contractor

Sources, calculations and limitations

This comparison covers 10 GTA municipalities plus Hamilton, using official municipal schedules and guidance for a hypothetical interior secondary-suite conversion. The calculator distinguishes selected published fee components, base-rate illustrations and amounts not yet verified. Charges are not silently combined when their applicability is uncertain.

Research cross-check: October 26, 2026. Individual dataset rows have their own checked dates, and municipalities may revise schedules at any time. BuildRules provides planning guidance, not municipal approval or legal advice.

For city-by-city permit conditions, compare secondary-suite rules, or start the property check.

A little more clarity

Questions & answers

How much is a basement apartment building permit in Toronto in 2026?

For a hypothetical 80 m² secondary-suite interior conversion, Toronto's published $11.53/m² alteration rate plus $56.33 new residential unit charge totals $978.73 in selected fee components. Additional costs may apply. Confirm the chargeable area and project scope with the City.

Which municipalities offer basement apartment permit-fee rebates in 2026?

Mississauga describes refunds for eligible additional residential unit permit fees after final inspection. Whitby has a time-limited conditional ADU fee reimbursement program, with a December 31, 2026 complete-application deadline. Burlington's previously promoted ARU incentive closed to applications October 1, 2025.

Does the calculator show the full cost of a basement apartment permit?

No. It shows only municipal fee components that can be derived responsibly from official sources. Zoning clearance, registration, deposits and other project-specific charges may be separate. A missing total does not mean the permit is free.

Why is Oakville's ordinary basement-finishing fee different?

Oakville's 2026 fee schedule distinguishes accessory dwelling units at $12/m² from ordinary basement finishing at $4.90/m². The schedule also lists a separate $800 ADU registration item. Confirm the relevant permit and registration categories for your proposal.

Is Vaughan's $2,575 returnable fee the building permit price?

No. The 2026 Vaughan schedule lists a returnable fee associated with certain alterations. It must not be treated as the construction-permit price, and its return depends on the City's conditions.

How long does a basement apartment permit take in Mississauga?

Mississauga lists roughly 7–10 business days for prescreening, 15 business days for the first review of a complete second-unit application and an average of about 10 weeks to issue a second-unit permit. These measure different stages, not a guaranteed completion date.

Do I need a permit to create a basement apartment?

Creating a new self-contained secondary suite typically requires a building permit. Requirements depend on the property's jurisdiction, existing legal units, the type of work and applicable law. Check the official municipal guidance and seek a property-specific answer before construction.

Follow the evidence