Kitchener Building Permits

Building permits approve how the construction will take place. They require a review of detailed building plans to confirm compliance with the Manitoba Building Code and other applicable codes, standards and bylaws. Building permits must align with prior development permit approvals.

Projects that require a permit include: building a detached garage or accessory structure, other than a shed, 108 square feet or greater (measured to the outside face of exterior walls); building a shed that meets any of these criteria: more than 161 square feet, more than one storey, attached to another structure, used for any purpose other than storage, contains plumbing; building an attached carport or other roof structure of any size; building a porch or deck greater than 24 inches above grade; finishing the basement of a house; adding a bedroom to the basement; constructing an addition to a building; building an enclosure for a swimming pool with a depth of 36 inches or greater (including temporary or inflatable); creating a duplex (in-law suite, accessory apartment, granny flat); adding or moving plumbing fixtures; removing a load-bearing wall, column, lintel or beam; re-insulating walls, ceilings or floors; adding a wood stove or wood-burning fireplace; installing a new window or door, or increasing the width of the existing opening; building a retaining wall that is greater than three feet and three inches in height, pending location; mounting solar panels to a building that have a face area of five square metres or greater; installing or altering a septic system; installing site servicing (water or sewer lines) for all building types; building new residential dwellings; demolition of residential buildings, buildings with residential units and minor demolitions; installing a tent or group of tents that is more than 60 square metres (646 square feet) in aggregate ground area, attached to a building or constructed within three metres (nine feet and 10 inches) of any structure; constructing or altering an industrial, commercial, institutional and multi-residential building; installing a backflow prevention device for lawn irrigation systems connected to potable water; changing the heating source in an existing building (ex. electric baseboard heaters replaced with forced air gas, or vice versa).

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