Building and Renovating

Pre-Building Approval Application

Notice. You need a Zoning Clearance Certificate before you can apply for a Building Permit. You need a Grading and Drainage Clearance Certificate before a Building Permit can be issued. You need a Tree Permit before construction can begin.

The Pre-Building Approval process looks at your application for compliance with the Zoning Bylaw, Grading and Drainage Clearance Certificate Bylaw, Public Tree Bylaw and Private Tree Bylaw.

It is for residential projects to:

build a deck,
build an accessory structure or building like a shed or gazebo,
make renovations to a house,
build a new house,
build additional residential units,
build a residential building with 10 units or less.

Pre-Building Approval Process

The City of Burlington’s Community Planning Department is accepting online submissions for Pre-Building Approval Review. Hard copy submissions are not being accepted at this time.

Complete the Pre-Building Approval Process Application Form

Please download and complete the Pre-Building Approval application form for Residential Applications (10 units or less)
This form can also be used to apply for a Grading and Drainage Clearance Certificate and/or a Tree permit with a Zoning Clearance Certificate.
Please review the zoning, engineering and forestry checklists and FAQ documents prior to applying.
Please review the fee schedule before you apply.
If you application does not meet submission standards or is incomplete, it cannot be accepted. This will slow down your application review and approval.

Email completed form

Email your completed application form for your Pre-Building Approval Process to zoning@burlington.ca

Staff will check your Application for Completion

Our application review process may take several days. We need to make sure that your application is complete. We will let you know if we need additional supporting documentation to support your application and will ask you to resubmit your application if necessary. We cannot consider an application complete until we have received all the required documents from you.

Application Pre-Screen

Your application will be scheduled for review during our weekly pre-screen meeting. Subject Matter Experts from Zoning, Engineering and Forestry will review your application for completeness.

Application File Number and Payments

When your application has been deemed complete, we will give you an application file number which you can use to track the progress of your application and let you know about your fees. E-Transfers are our preferred payment method and must be sent from a bank that recognizes auto-deposit.

Application Circulation and Progress Tracking

Community Planning will send your application to Zoning for review. We will also share it with Engineering and Forestry if you've applied for those with your Pre-Building Approval Application. During the application circulation process, you will be communicating with subject matter experts from zoning, engineering and forestry separately. The process has been updated by “un-consolidating” the review of the Zoning By-Law, Grading and Drainage By-Law, and Tree By-Law to help speed up the ability to apply for a building permit.
During the circulation process you can track the progress of your pre-building approval application using the myfiles pre-building approval application portal and your provided application file number.
Application process is as follows:
- Once you have received your Zoning Clearance Certificate Approval, you can apply for building permit.
- Once you have received your Grading and Drainage Certificate Approval, your building permit may be issued.
- Once you have received your Tree Permit, you may start construction.

Myfiles Pre-Building Approval Process Tracking

The myfiles tracking tool is only for Pre-Building Approval applications submitted after April. 24, 2023 and does not apply to any other applications. An application file number is required prior to using this service. The Pre-Building Approval process is also separate from the Building Permit process.

If you have applied for Pre-Building Approval, you can login or create a myfiles account to track the progress of your file.

Notice of Collection: Personal information collected in the "myfiles" Pre-Building Approval Process Visibility Tool is collected under the authority of the Planning Act, RSO 1990. Personal information will be used for the purpose of allowing applicants to monitor the status of any pre-building application, submitted by the applicant, that is currently under review, and will also be used to monitor process performance. Questions about the collection of personal information should be directed to the Manager of Planning Implementation, Community Planning Department, 426 Brant Street, PO Box 5013, Burlington, Ontario L7R 3Z6. Phone: (905) 335-7777 ext. 7892.

Pre-Building Approval Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do I need to apply for Pre-Building Approval Review?

The review process is a single application which is reviewed by Zoning. It can also be used for Development Engineering and Forestry reviews if applied for at the same time. Once you have zoning approval, you can apply for your building permit.

Examples of work that require Pre-Building Approval review include:

Residential Applications of 10 units or less
New porch or deck construction
New accessory building or structure
Changes to your roofline
Basement walkout addition
Large and small building additions, including second storey additions
New dwelling construction
Additional Residential Unit

What documents do I need to apply for a Pre-building Approval?

Each application checklist has what you need to apply for your approvals. If your project is not included in these checklists or you have questions about your submission, please email us at planning@burlington.ca.

For more information on Grading and Drainage Clearance Certificates refer to the Engineering page.
For more information on Tree Permits refer to the Tree Permits page.

Application Form:

Pre-Building Approval Process Application Form

Additional Checklists for Submission:

Who should I contact if I have questions about an active application?

For help with your application requirements, application process and/or application status updates, please contact planning@burlington.ca. Pre-Building Approval Applications are reviewed in the order they are submitted. The processing time for approval may be up to 4-6 weeks due to current volumes.

Once you have received your Zoning Clearance Certificate Approval, you can apply for building permit.
Once you have received your Grading and Drainage Certificate Approval, your building permit may be issued.
Once you have received your Tree Permit, you may start construction.

For steps, fees and forms, visit the Building Permit page.

How can I track the progress of my application?

You can track the status of your Pre-Building Approval Application by using our myfiles pre-building approval application portal. An application file number is required prior to using this service.