Customer Service Standards
Building Services is committed to creating a positive experience for our customers.
Our customers will be our priority. We are committed to the following:
Approach
We will treat our customers with empathy, respect, courtesy, patience, fairness and in a professional manner. We will listen, ask questions to clarify the situation. We will be solution-focused.
Knowledge
We will use our technical knowledge with the objective of assisting the customer to understanding the intent and purposes of the prescriptive standard, to understand the legal obligations for compliance and to resolve a construction issue. Where we do not know a prescriptive standard or are unsure of how a standard might apply or are unable to answer a question, we will offer to provide an answer following consultation with fellow staff or through research and we will do so in a timely fashion.
Problem Solving
We will respond to a problem or complaint quickly and we will communicate to the customer how it will be handled and tell them when they can expect a response. We will not make promises we cannot fulfill.
Follow-up
We will regularly evaluate how we have dealt with our customers by asking them whether we have resolved their problem and whether we can improve our service.
Team Approach
We will operate as a team and will coordinate our efforts to providing a consistent, comprehensive and solution-focused approach to customer service.
Building Permit Awareness
We will keep the public informed of the benefits of the Building Inspection Service through programs such as Building Awareness Week and sharing new information and technologies with the public and the building industry.
Professional Development
Staff will be required to undertake continuous professional development to maintain minimum building code qualifications (hard skills) and to continuously develop communication and leadership skills (soft skills).
It can take anywhere from 10 to 40 days to obtain your building permit. Delays in issuing permits are often a result of:
- Incomplete drawings
- Zoning compliance mistakes
- Incomplete applicable law approvals (such as Planning approvals or Conservation Authority permits)
When the permit application is received it will be deemed complete or incomplete. A complete application includes all required forms, documents and drawings and applicable law approvals.
Our target review timelines for an application depend on the application’s status as complete or incomplete. Below is a summary of our target review timeframes for the first review cycle, measured in business days. These timelines begin from the date that you complete the Pre-Application Review ("Pre-screen").
Building Category | Complete Applications | Incomplete Applications |
|---|---|---|
Houses, tents and other small projects | 10 | 20 |
Small buildings other than houses | 15 | 30 |
| Large Buildings | 20 | 40 |
| Complex Buildings | 30 | 60 |
| Interior alterations of non-housing projects | 10 | 20 |
| Demolition permits | 10 | 20 |
| Sign Permits | 10 | 20 |
| Pool Enclosure Permits | 10 | 20 |
| Plumbing - Housing | 10 | 15 |
| Plumbing - Other than Housing | 15 | 20 |
We cannot process incomplete applications. We may abandon your application if it is inactive for 6 months or more.
2 Business Days
Building inspections will be conducted within 2 business days in accordance with Division C, Sentence 1.3.5.3.(1) of the Ontario Building Code. The time frame from which notice is given begins on the following business day that an inspection notice is received and does not include, Saturdays, Sundays or holidays and/or days the Building Services’ office is closed.
2 Business Days