Start with the building department that serves the property. Describe exactly what you plan to change and ask which building permit, planning or zoning review, and outside approvals apply. Then obtain that authority’s current application and drawing checklist, prepare a complete site and drawing package, and submit it in the required format. Permit rules are local: a document required for an addition in one municipality may be unnecessary—or insufficient—in another.
1. Confirm the authority and approvals before drawing anything
The address determines which authority reviews your project. Depending on where the home is located, the building department may be a city, county, regional, or other local office. Some projects also require separate planning, zoning, environmental, septic, heritage, utility, or engineering reviews.
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Call or write the authority before you commission drawings. Give the property address and a concise description of both the existing house and the proposed work. Ask for:
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- The current building-permit application and submission guide.
- Whether the work is classified as an addition, alteration, renovation, change of use, or more than one category.
- Whether a planning or zoning review is required in addition to the building permit.
- The current drawing checklist, accepted file formats, sheet sizes, scales, signatures, and naming conventions.
- Any outside approvals, such as septic, conservation, grading, engineering, or utility clearances.
- Current fees, payment methods, review stages, and the process for answering correction comments.
Do not rely on an old application downloaded from a previous project. Municipal requirements change, and the authority’s online checklist or application portal is the controlling source for your filing.
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Why the project description matters
Reviewers decide what documents to request from the scope you describe. State whether the work changes the footprint, structure, room layout, use, height, roof, foundation, or building systems. Identify the existing house and the proposed work in the same description. For example, “construct a two-storey rear addition with a new foundation, extend the kitchen and family room, relocate plumbing, and alter the roof connection” gives the reviewer more useful information than “renovation.”
2. Define the scope in writing
Before preparing plans, make a written scope sheet. It becomes the reference for your designer, contractor, and permit reviewer and helps expose missing work.
Record the physical changes
- Which rooms will be removed, enlarged, or created.
- Whether exterior walls, roof lines, foundations, stairs, windows, or doors change.
- Whether the building footprint, lot coverage, height, or setbacks change.
- Whether the use changes—for example, adding a dwelling unit, bedroom, home business, or finished basement.
- Whether plumbing, heating, ventilation, electrical, gas, or fire-protection systems change.
- Whether excavation, retaining walls, grading, drainage, or a new driveway is involved.
Separate existing conditions from proposed work
Plans should let a reviewer distinguish what is already built from what you intend to construct. Use a consistent legend, line weight, hatch, or color convention and repeat it on every relevant sheet. Label existing and proposed floor areas, levels, and exterior elements rather than assuming the reviewer will infer them from a single plan.
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List unresolved items—such as an uncertain property-line location, unknown foundation depth, or an unconfirmed septic capacity—and ask the authority or a qualified professional how they must be documented. Do not conceal uncertainty in a drawing; an incomplete assumption can trigger a correction cycle or require redesign.
3. Assemble reliable property and site information
A site plan or current survey is a recurring requirement for additions because it shows where the work sits on the lot and how it relates to boundaries, streets, existing structures, and regulated features.
Use a current, locally accepted base plan
Start with a survey or other property plan accepted by the authority. A real-estate sketch, tax map, or hand measurement may not meet the submission standard. Ask the building department what evidence it accepts and when a surveyor is required.
Show the information reviewers commonly need
- Property address and, where used locally, the legal description or parcel identifier.
- Street names, access points, and the orientation of the lot.
- Property-line dimensions and the locations of existing buildings.
- The proposed addition or other work, with its overall dimensions.
- Distances from the proposed work to each relevant property line and building.
- Setbacks, rights-of-way, easements, and caveats that affect the site.
- Driveways, parking, walks, decks, retaining walls, wells, septic components, and other features relevant to the review.
- Existing and proposed grades, drainage direction, or grading information when the checklist calls for it.
Nashville describes site-plan review as a zoning-compliance check that includes setbacks and other bulk requirements. Edmonton’s site-plan guidance calls for the address, streets, property-line dimensions, building locations and setbacks, and applicable easements or caveats. These examples illustrate the purpose of a site plan; they do not create a universal list for every jurisdiction.
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Compare the proposed footprint with setbacks, lot coverage, height limits, access requirements, and any easement or right-of-way. If the addition crosses a zoning limit, find out whether a variance, minor variance, special approval, or redesign is required before spending money on detailed construction drawings.
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4. Prepare the drawing set
The exact sheets depend on the work, but official addition guidance commonly asks for a coordinated set showing existing conditions and the proposed construction. A typical package may include the following.
Existing and proposed floor plans
Provide a floor plan for each affected level. Dimension rooms, walls, openings, stairs, ceiling or floor elevations where relevant, and the relationship between the existing house and the addition. Identify structural walls, beams, posts, plumbing fixtures, heating equipment, smoke or carbon-monoxide devices, and other systems when they are part of the review. Show door and window sizes or schedules if the local checklist requires them.
An existing plan documents what is there; a proposed plan documents what will be built. Do not submit only a proposed outline that leaves the reviewer to reconstruct the existing condition.
Foundation plan and details
An addition commonly needs a foundation plan showing footings, walls, slabs, piers, crawlspaces, or other support conditions. Include dimensions, elevations, drainage or waterproofing details, connections to the existing foundation, and reinforcement or structural information where required. If the addition bears differently from the existing house, the connection and load path should be explicit.
Roof plan or roof-framing information
Show the proposed roof shape, slopes, ridges, valleys, overhangs, drainage, and connection to the existing roof. Where the authority requests framing information, identify rafters, trusses, beams, or other supporting members. Ottawa’s guidance identifies truss and engineering materials as conditional items, so they should be supplied when the project or reviewer calls for them rather than attached automatically to every renovation.
Elevations
Provide exterior elevations for affected sides of the building. Include overall heights, floor and roof elevations, wall and roof materials, window and door locations, exterior stairs, guards, decks, and the way the addition meets the existing façade. Elevations help the reviewer check height, massing, appearance rules, and the consistency of information across the plans.
Building sections
Sections cut through the construction and explain how floors, walls, roofs, foundations, insulation, air barriers, fire separations, stairs, and interfaces are assembled. Draw at least the critical junctions—such as the addition-to-house connection, a new foundation, a roof valley, or a floor-level change—and add enlarged details when a normal-scale section cannot show the work clearly.
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Construction details and schedules
Include wall, roof, floor, stair, guard, fire-separation, insulation, window, and waterproofing details when applicable. Schedules for doors, windows, finishes, equipment, or energy performance may be required by the local checklist. Keep the notes coordinated: a wall type named on the floor plan must match the section and detail.
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5. Meet local drawing standards
A technically sound design can still be rejected if the sheets do not follow the authority’s submission rules. Confirm each of these items before exporting the package:
- Recognized drawing scale for every plan, elevation, section, and detail.
- Complete dimensions, with units and a clear dimensioning convention.
- Standardized sheet size where required.
- North arrow, drawing titles, sheet numbers, revision dates, and a project address.
- Legible text at the printed or displayed scale.
- Required signatures, dates, designer information, and professional seals or stamps.
- Accepted digital file type, resolution, naming, page order, and maximum file size.
Toronto’s referenced guide calls for standardized sheet sizes and scaled, fully dimensioned, signed, and dated drawings. Ottawa asks for scaled and dimensioned digital construction drawings, while Guelph specifies recognized drawing scales. Those requirements demonstrate why a generic set of plans is risky: the same design may need a different file or signature arrangement in another municipality.
6. Decide who should prepare and take responsibility for the plans
Whether a homeowner may draw and submit plans depends on the authority, project type, building size, structural scope, and professional-practice rules. Ask the permitting office whether homeowner-prepared drawings are allowed and whether a qualified designer, architect, engineer, or other regulated professional must take responsibility.
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| Local rule | May the homeowner prepare the drawings, or must a qualified person sign, seal, or submit them? |
| Project complexity | Does the work involve a new foundation, major structural alteration, multiple storeys, unusual loads, fire separations, or a change of use? |
| Submission standard | Can you produce the required scale, dimensions, sheet format, digital files, schedules, and coordination? |
| Technical responsibility | Will the reviewer require structural calculations, energy documentation, mechanical design, truss information, grading, or another professional report? |
When self-prepared plans may be practical
Self-preparation is more plausible for a straightforward, small-scope renovation when the authority permits it, the existing conditions are well documented, and no professional stamp or specialized calculation is required. You still remain responsible for accuracy, coordination, and compliance with the applicable code and zoning rules.
When professional help is prudent or required
Use a locally qualified designer, architect, or engineer when the project changes load-bearing elements, adds a storey, introduces complex geometry, affects fire or life safety, requires energy or mechanical calculations, or falls under a rule requiring professional responsibility. Verify the person’s qualifications, insurance, scope of service, and authority to sign or seal work in the project’s jurisdiction.
7. Check conditional technical documents and outside approvals
Do not attach every possible report blindly. Instead, ask the authority which items apply to your scope and site. Conditional materials identified in municipal guidance include:
- Energy-efficiency forms, calculations, or compliance details.
- Mechanical, heating, ventilation, or plumbing information.
- Structural calculations, engineering letters, or connection details.
- Roof-truss drawings or manufacturer information.
- Grading, drainage, stormwater, or erosion-control plans.
- Septic approval or other wastewater documentation where applicable.
- Reports or approvals from another agency because of a slope, watercourse, conservation area, heritage status, road access, or utility condition.
Ottawa’s checklist, for example, identifies septic approval when applicable and lists conditional energy, mechanical, truss, and engineering materials. The requirement is triggered by the project and property, not by the city name alone; confirm the current checklist for your address.
8. Complete the application form accurately
Use the authority’s current form or online application. Copy the property address consistently across the form, drawings, reports, and file names. Describe the work in plain language and make sure the declared project value, floor areas, number of storeys, use, and applicant information agree with the plans.
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Coordinate the people named in the filing
Identify the property owner, applicant, designer, contractor, and professionals in the roles the form requests. Obtain signatures before submission. If an owner authorizes someone else to file, use the authority’s required authorization format rather than an informal email.
Build a document index
Create a one-page index listing every submitted sheet and report, its revision date, and the person responsible. Use stable file names such as 123-Main-St_A1-01_Proposed-Floor-Plan_2026-10-17.pdf when the portal allows descriptive names. Keep the index and a complete copy of the uploaded package for your records.
9. Submit through the current channel
- Open the authority’s current submission instructions. Confirm whether applications are accepted through an online portal, email, appointment, counter service, or a combination.
- Check file preparation. Export drawings at the required scale and resolution, combine or separate pages as instructed, and verify that every file opens and prints legibly.
- Upload or deliver the package. Include the completed application, site plan or survey, existing and proposed drawings, and every conditional document identified for the project.
- Pay the stated fee. Use the authority’s current fee schedule and payment method. Do not reuse a fee from another municipality or an older project.
- Save proof of filing. Keep the receipt, confirmation number, submitted files, payment record, and the date and time of submission.
- Monitor the review channel. Respond through the process the authority specifies and preserve each revised sheet and response.
10. Understand fees and review timing without guessing
Fees and timelines are local and can change. A fee shown in one city’s guide is not a reliable estimate for another jurisdiction, and a published processing target may depend on a complete application, project type, workload, and outside reviews. Toronto’s referenced guide displayed fees effective January 1, 2026; that date-specific schedule should not be treated as a general or permanent price.
Ask the authority:
- Which fee categories apply to the declared work.
- Whether fees are calculated from construction value, floor area, permit type, or another measure.
- When payment is due and whether refunds or additional review fees can apply.
- What makes an application complete enough to enter review.
- How correction notices are issued and how revised drawings must be identified.
11. Handle review comments methodically
A correction notice is not a signal to resubmit random replacement pages. Read every comment, identify the affected sheet or calculation, and prepare a response that states what changed and where.
Use a comment-response log
- Copy the reviewer’s comment without changing its meaning.
- Assign it a number and note the responsible designer or consultant.
- Record the revised sheet, detail, calculation, or external approval.
- Explain the resolution in one or two precise sentences.
- Cloud or otherwise mark revisions if the authority requests it, then remove superseded files only as instructed.
Submit the complete coordinated revision package when required. A new floor plan that conflicts with an unchanged elevation or structural detail can create another review cycle.
12. Common mistakes and how to prevent them
Using the wrong authority or an obsolete checklist
Symptom: The application is rejected before technical review or routed to another office.
Fix: Verify the authority by property address and download the current form, checklist, fee schedule, and portal instructions immediately before filing.
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Symptom: Setbacks, easements, access, or lot coverage cannot be verified.
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Fix: Use a locally accepted survey or property plan and dimension the proposed work to the relevant boundaries and existing structures.
Showing only the finished room layout
Symptom: The reviewer requests foundation, roof, elevations, sections, or construction details.
Fix: Match the drawing set to the scope. Add the sheets needed to explain structure, enclosure, height, interfaces, and systems.
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Unscaled or incomplete drawings
Symptom: Dimensions are missing, the sheet scale is unclear, or the digital file cannot be measured reliably.
Fix: Use the authority’s recognized scales, include a scale note and dimensions, and test-print or inspect the final PDF before submission.
Assuming a homeowner can always sign the plans
Symptom: The authority requests a professional seal, calculation, or designer qualification after filing.
Fix: Confirm responsibility rules at the start, especially for structural, multi-storey, fire-safety, energy, or change-of-use work.
Leaving conditional approvals until the end
Symptom: A septic, grading, engineering, or mechanical review delays an otherwise complete application.
Fix: Ask for the conditional-document list during the initial scope call and schedule outside approvals early enough to coordinate their findings with the plans.
13. Final pre-submission checklist
- The property address and project description match on every document.
- The correct building and planning or zoning authorities have been identified.
- The current application form and fee schedule were used.
- The site plan or survey shows streets, lot lines, existing and proposed buildings, dimensions, setbacks, and applicable easements or caveats.
- Existing and proposed floor plans are included for each affected level.
- Foundation, roof, elevations, sections, and construction details are included where the scope requires them.
- Plans use the required scales, dimensions, sheet sizes, signatures, dates, and file format.
- Energy, mechanical, structural, truss, grading, septic, engineering, and other conditional documents have been checked.
- All professionals and owners have signed or authorized the application as required.
- The uploaded package opens correctly, is legible, and has been saved locally.
- Payment, submission confirmation, and the final filed package are stored together.
14. A small drafting aid, not a substitute for compliance
An architectural scale ruler can help when reviewing printed plans or checking dimensions manually. It is optional: a digital drawing workflow may make it unnecessary, and owning one does not make a plan accurate or guarantee approval. Accuracy comes from a verified base plan, coordinated drawings, correct dimensions, and compliance with the authority’s rules.
What a complete preparation process looks like
A strong permit application is a coordinated explanation of the property, the existing house, and the proposed work. Begin with the authority for the address, define the scope, verify zoning and outside approvals, prepare a site plan and the drawings the scope demands, follow local standards, and submit the current package with a record of what you filed. Because requirements vary among jurisdictions and projects, the final checklist from the authority—not a generic list—is what determines whether your application is ready.
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