Deck permit application checklist

What’s inside the PDF

• Document inventory — survey, title, zoning certificate, deed
• Drawings — site plan, elevation, framing plan, footing detail
• Dimensions to confirm — setbacks, lot coverage, height to underside
• Ontario Building Code references that typically come up at review
• Pre-submission self-review (the 12 things plan examiners flag most)
• Application companion — who signs, what fees to expect

How to use it

• Print, attach to your project folder, and check items off as you assemble them
• Take a photo of the checked-off copy to email along with your application
• Use the OBC reference column to pre-empt the examiner's likely questions
• Re-run the pre-submission review the morning of the appointment

Why this template exists

Permit applications for residential decks get rejected for boring reasons — a missing dimension on the elevation, an unsigned site plan, no setback confirmation against the rear property line. The checklist is structured around what GTA plan examiners actually flag in 2026: setback compliance, lot-coverage math, footing depth detail, guardrail height when the deck is over 24 inches off grade, and stair geometry when there's a drop to grade. None of these are difficult to satisfy; almost all of them get missed once when the package is rushed. The pre-submission review at the bottom of the sheet is the same one I'd run before any city appointment — twelve fast checks that cover roughly 90% of the resubmission requests I've watched homeowners receive.