Basements · Ontario Building Code
Basement permit drawings — finished, legal, approved.
BCIN #511123. Finished basements, legal second units, separate entrances and walkouts — drawn to the OBC and filed with your municipality for you.
- Ceiling height and egress checked before we draw.
- Fire separation and alarms detailed for a legal second unit.
- Zoning check — is a second unit permitted on your lot?
- We file the application with your municipality for you.
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Tell us the municipality and what you're planning — same-day reply on weekdays.
What It Is
What are basement permit drawings?
A basement permit set is the drawing package your municipality needs before you can legally finish, convert or alter a basement. It shows the existing conditions, the proposed layout, and how the finished space meets the Ontario Building Code — ceiling heights, escape routes, fire separations, insulation, heating and plumbing.
The scope ranges from a straightforward finished basement with a bathroom and rec room, through to a fully self-contained second dwelling unit with its own entrance, kitchen and fire-rated separation from the house above. A separate entrance or a below-grade walkout adds a structural and grading component on top.
Code & By-Laws
What the Code and by-laws generally require
Every municipality applies these a little differently, and the trigger points change with the scope of work. In broad terms a basement project is reviewed against:
- Ceiling height — a minimum clear height over the required portion of the finished area.
- Bedroom egress — an openable window or door meeting the required opening size and maximum sill height.
- Fire separation — a rated separation between dwelling units, and protection of the exit path.
- Smoke and CO alarms — interconnected throughout, with CO near fuel-fired appliances.
- Stairs, headroom, handrails and guards to OBC Part 9 dimensions.
- Insulation and air/vapour barrier at the foundation walls, to the applicable energy package.
- Heating and ventilation — supply and return to every finished room, plus exhaust fans and combustion air.
- Plumbing — fixture venting, drainage, and a backwater valve where the municipality requires one.
- Zoning, for a second unit — whether an additional residential unit is permitted on the lot, plus parking, unit size and entrance location.
- Structural — beams and lintels wherever walls are removed or openings are cut.
This is a general guide, not a code review. What applies to your project depends on the scope, the municipality and the age of the building — tell us what you're planning and we'll confirm what's actually needed.
Recent Basement Permits