Half of Toronto's 5,774 small residential permits in the last 12 months were issued within 18 days of the application. The type of work matters most: underpinning typically took 5 days, while laneway & rear-yard suites took 61. Across our 30 neighbourhoods, the typical wait ran from 12 days in Parkdale & Liberty Village to 30 in Kennedy Park.
Days from application to permit. "Slow quarter" is the wait that 75% of permits beat. Tap a column heading to sort.
| Work | Permits | Typical days | Slow quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Underpinning | 92 | 5 | 11 |
| Deck | 172 | 6 | 13 |
| Garage | 214 | 6 | 12 |
| Interior alterations | 1,079 | 6 | 15 |
| Finishing Basements | 24 | 7 | 10 |
| Porch | 72 | 7 | 23 |
| New second suites | 275 | 7 | 22 |
| Walk-Out Stair | 57 | 7 | 13 |
| Garages & sheds | 101 | 8 | 20 |
| Fire Damage | 101 | 13 | 21 |
| Other | 194 | 13 | 25 |
| Canopy | 20 | 16 | 64 |
| Larger multi-part renovations | 2,068 | 27 | 55 |
| Additions | 359 | 41 | 82 |
| Laneway & rear-yard suites | 615 | 61 | 111 |
Typical days from application to permit in each of our 30 neighbourhoods. Shorter is better.
Source: City of Toronto building permits, Small Residential Projects issued since November 2025. Waits run from the application date to the issue date, including time the applicant spent revising plans.