Building and Development

Apply for Your Permit Online!

Grey Highlands is pleased to offer residents, builders, and the business community cloudpermit - an online system to apply for and track your building permits. 

The Cloudpermit building permit system allows you to apply for and to see the status of your application anywhere, at any time. You can start an application and finish it later, and receive email updates on the status of your permit application.

To start, please click the button below:

Apply Here

NEED HELP? Click here - How to Create a Building Permit Application

Grey Highlands is pleased to offer residents, builders, and the business community Cloudpermit – an online system to apply for and track your building permits. The Evolve building permit system allows you to apply for and to see the status of your application anywhere, at any time. You can start an application and finish it later, and receive email updates on the status of your permit application. To Create an Account To get started with Evolve, you need to Create an Account.

Note you will need an email address to use the system.

1. Go to the Cloudpermit site at ca.cloudpermit.com.

2. Click on “Create a New Account” found under the "continue" arrow.

3. Provide your email address.

4. Cloudpermit will send an email to the address you have provided.

5. Open the email and complete the registration process. The next time you visit the site, you'll login using your email and password.

If you need assistance, or a paper copy of the application, please contact a member of our Building Department team.

Visit the Development Charges page for all information related to DC's.

Inspections are required during construction and are listed on your building permit.

Contact building staff

Normal inspections include:

• Excavation - prior to placement of concrete
• Services - installation of sanitary, storm and water services
• Septic - after excavation of distribution piping bed and prior to system backfill
• Foundation - prior to backfill
• Under floor drains - prior to covering
• Framing - prior to insulation
• Air Barrier - prior to starting exterior cladding
• HVAC - rough in
• Plumbing - rough in
• Insulation/Vapour barrier - prior to covering
• Radon Gas Rough-in
• Occupancy - this must be obtained prior to occupancy
• Final plumbing inspection
• Final building inspection

Two copies of drawings are required for all permit applications:

 House Construction

• site plan
• cross section(s)
• elevation views
• structural framing details
• footing/foundation plan
• floor plans
• roof plan for complex designs
• survey/drainage and grading plan
• for the installation of any wood-burning appliance please ensure to include a detailed installation plan and the manufacturers installation instructions.
• heat loss/gain calculation and ventilation HVAC summary

 House Additions

• all requirements noted for a house, as well as a full and complete site plan for the entire lot
• foundation/floor plans and cross sections to include the adjacent structure
• elevation views of all affected building sides

 Detached garages and sheds

• full and complete site plan for the entire lot
• foundation/ footing and pier plan
• floor plan
• cross-section
• elevation views

 Decks

• full and complete site plan for the entire lot
• foundation/ footing and pier plan
• deck framing plan
• guard and handrail details

 Septic systems

•  2 copies of a report prepared by a professional engineer or qualified designer based on lot area

• Adding a bedroom to the basement
• Adding dormer to existing roof
• Additions to a building
• Attached garage, carport, shed or other roof structures
• Backflow prevention device
• Basement or main floor walkouts
• Creating a duplex (a.k.a. in-law suite, accessory apartment, granny flat)
• Decks greater the 24 inches in height, plus decks less than 24 inches in height that have a hand railing
• Demolition of a structure greater than 108 square feet in building area
• Finishing the basement of a house
• Industrial, commercial, institutional and multi-residential construction or alterations or changes of use
• Installing a new window or door - when increasing the width of the existing opening
• New residential dwellings
• Pending location, a retaining wall that is greater than one meter in height
• Plumbing fixtures added or relocated
• Re-insulating walls, ceilings or floors
• Removing a load bearing wall, column, lintel or beam
• Renovation or converting an existing building (change of use)
• Septic system installations, alterations and decommissioning
• Site servicing (water or sewer lines) for all building types
• Solar Panels that are mounted to a building
• Woodstove or wood burning fireplace

When in doubt if a permit is needed, please consult with Building Services staff.

What does not require a permit

• Decks less than 24 inches in height, that do not have a hand rail
• Door and window replacements (within the existing opening, where no structural members are changed)
• Installing a gas fireplace
• Installing new shingles on existing roof
• Installing a water softener
• Painting, wall papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops, and similar finish work
• Replacing a plumbing fixture (i.e. toilet, bathtub or sink) with a new fixture in the same location
• Storage sheds not exceeding 15 metres squared, single storey and not attached to any other structures
• Structure less than 108 square feet measured from the outside face of walls (that does not contain plumbing)

When in doubt if a permit is needed, please consult with Building Services staff.

Fences

The Municipality of Grey Highlands regulates fences through our Zoning By-law (Height restrictions on page 48). 

For information or disputes between neighbours about fences on property lines, please see the Line Fences Act and our Question and Answer page. Please note that the municipality does not get involved in property line disputes. 

Please also note: The person applying for the fence viewing in response to a dispute is responsible for the payment of application fees in accordance with the fees and charges by-law for each boundary line fence under dispute (current costs in 2022 is $200/boundary line). 

The parties to the dispute will also be held responsible for the payment of the fence viewers time and mileage in arbitrating the dispute,  as well as the construction of the fence in accordance with the award of the viewers. The description of the fence (including length, height, materials, posts painting, staining, etc.) is the sole decision of the fence viewers. The award determination (allocation of costs) may not be 50/50 and is also at the sole discretion of the fence viewers. The decision of the viewers is binding upon the parties. 

Septic Information

The Municipality of Grey Highlands encourages you to properly maintain and service your septic system. A building permit is required to replace, remove, enlarge, or install a septic system.

The following list of resources provide additional information related to septics:

• Decommissioning your septic system
• Find a septic professional
• Guide for operating and maintaining your septic system
• Homeowners guide to a healthy septic system

Site plan: Means a scaled drawing showing lot lines, buildings or structures existing and/or proposed on a lot, and including such details as parking areas, access point, landscaped areas, building areas, setbacks from lot lines, building heights, floor area, lot coverage, lighting, septic tank tile fields, utility lines, site servicing details, grading and drainage and stormwater management.

Lot Grading: Means a Site Plan providing Grading / Drainage and Servicing detail, completed by a Competent Designer – Professional Engineer (P.Eng.), a Certified Engineering Technologist (C.E.T.) or an Ontario Land Surveyor (OLS).

For more details Click here.

Radon Gas Mitigation 

Radon Gas Mitigation requirements checklist.