Building permit fees | City of Kitchener

Before we can issue you a building permit for your upcoming construction work, we must collect the relevant fees.

On this page:

Permit fees

Our fee schedule includes our current building permit fees.

A rebate fee may apply to your building permit. We automatically refund this fee when the inspector approves the final building inspection.

Find permit fees:

in our fee schedule
on our residential building permits page
on our industrial, commercial and institutional building permits page

Pay your fee

You can pay your fee:

By credit card

You can pay by VISA or Mastercard for:

building permits
rebate program
freedom of information request fees
survey request fees

The maximum credit card charge is $5,000 per permit.

We do not accept credit card for development charges or damage deposits.

You can pay by credit card in person at City Hall or online.

Online

You can pay by VISA or Mastercard from the online services portal for:

building permits
rebate program
freedom of information request fees
survey request fees

The maximum credit card charge is $5,000 per permit.

We do not accept credit card for development charges or damage deposits.

Pay online

Electronic funds transfer

To pay your permit fee by electronic funds transfer (EFT), follow these steps.

Please note that EFT is not an e-transfer or a bill payment option.

Step 1: Set up your payment

Your building permit fees are due when you get your invoice from our building division.

Before starting an EFT payment, you must contact your bank to set up a payee for our account.

Please send us an email asking for the EFT account numbers, including your project address and permit number.

Step 2: Fill out the EFT form

After sending the EFT payment, immediately complete our online form.

We cannot continue to process your payment before you submit this form.

Step 3: Get a digital receipt

We will send you a digital receipt after processing the EFT payment.

Step 4: Approval or hold

If there is a discrepancy in the fee payment, we will contact you. We may place a hold on the permit until the payment is resolved.

By cheque

Mail a cheque for your payment that includes your permit number to:

City of Kitchener
Building division - 5th floor
200 King Street West
Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7

You can also drop a cheque that includes your permit number in the drop box outside City Hall on Young Street.

In person by appointment

Please book an appointment to pay your permit fee in person. We accept debit and credit cards at City Hall.

Book an appointment

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Rebate fees

Find the rebate fee for your project on these pages:

These projects do not require rebate fees:

decks
pools
sheds
foundation permits
tents
bar and restaurant outdoor patios
portable classrooms

Damage deposit

We collect a damage deposit on applicable projects to ensure the road around the project is not damaged during construction. If the road is damaged and not fixed, the money collected will be used to make the repairs needed.

The damage deposit, and the related inspection fee, are required before we issue your building permit.

damage deposit: $142.32 per metre of frontage
inspection fee: $51 per metre of frontage, to a maximum of $488

Once grading and all site work have been completed, call us at 519-741-2406 or send us an email to request your damage deposit refund. We will perform the site inspection; if no damages are found, we will refund your damage deposit only. This may take up to four weeks.

Stormwater management fee

We collect a stormwater management fee on applicable projects before we issue a building permit. Please contact us at 519-741-2406 for more information.

Development charges

Development charges may also apply before we issue your building permit. Please review all necessary information ahead of submitting your permit application.