It starts with a sentence.
Say what you want in plain words. Add photos or an old survey if you have them. The address tells us which City’s rules apply.
Kitchener · deck · 16 × 12 ftDecks · fences · bathrooms · basements · OntarioGet the permit.
Get the permit.
Skip the runaround.
Tell us what you want to build. We design it to the Ontario Building Code, draw the plans, fill in your City’s forms and show you exactly what’s left. You submit it. You build it. Nobody asks you to learn CAD.
No account needed to try. City forms are built in for Kitchener and Waterloo, and the permit rules for 9 more Ontario cities are on the site.
137 rules, each with its clause and source
- Ontario Building Code 2024 · O. Reg. 163/24
- Supplementary Standard SB-12 · energy
- Supplementary Standard SB-7 · guards
- Kitchener Municipal Code · Ch. 630
- Waterloo by-laws 2013-017 and 2013-018
Sound familiar?
The permit runaround, in your own words.
Things Ontario homeowners keep asking about permits. Tap a card to see what we do about it.
One deck, start to finishFrom a sentence
From a sentence
to a stamped package.
Scroll and watch one project go through DivineDesigner, the way yours would.
Your brief
Footings1.2 m deep
Joists2×8 @ 16″ o.c.
Guard900 mm · OBC 9.8.8.3
Stair rise4 × 229 mm6 × 152 mm
Ledger½ in lags into the rim
A real design in a minute or two.
Footings, posts, beams and joists are sized from the Ontario Building Code tables and the City’s deck guide, not guessed.
Footings 1.2 m deep · OBC 9.12.2.2Every rule, checked. Problems fixed.
Guards, stairs, handrails and the ledger are checked as the design changes. A 229 mm stair rise breaks the 200 mm limit, so it becomes six equal risers of 152 mm, and you see why.
Stair rise · OBC Table 9.8.4.1The drawings draw themselves.
Site plan, framing plan, elevations and construction details come from the same model. Change the deck once and every sheet updates.
Sheets A1–A9 · printed to scaleReady for the City.
Answer a few plain questions. Download one package with the forms filled in, and submit it to your City’s portal yourself.
Kitchener deck permit · $95 flat feeTry the rulesDrag the height.
Drag the height.
Watch the rules change.
The same permit, guard and stair logic the app runs for decks. Want the whole thing? Design a full deck.
- Building permitNeededOver 24 in (610 mm). Kitchener flat fee $95; DivineDesigner prepares the application.
- Guard900 mm highMore than 600 mm above the ground. No opening over 100 mm. OBC 9.8.8.
- Stairs6 risers × 152 mm5 treads, 1.40 m run. Handrail required. OBC Table 9.8.4.1.
- Footings and bracingLedger to the house½ in lags into the house rim joist, never into brick. Footings 1.2 m deep.
See it firstSee it before
See it before
you build it.
Drag the divider. Every project starts from the space you already have.
BeforeAfterIllustrationA patio door 1.2 m above the lawn becomes a cedar deck with guards, stairs and a handrail.
What you getEverything the City asks for.
Everything the City asks for.
Nothing it doesn’t.
A real 3D design
Not a mood board. Every joist, post and stair, sized and placed.
A permit check that cites its sources
137 rules from the Building Code and City by-laws, checked as you edit.
The full drawing set
Site plan, plans, elevations and details, regenerated with every change.
The City’s forms, filled in
Kitchener and Waterloo forms, declarations and fees, ready to upload.
Measurements that matter
We ask for the few you need, when you need them, and say why.
A materials list and budget
From the same model, so the lumber list matches the drawings.
ProjectsFour projects.
Four projects.
One way of working.
For designers and contractors
You didn’t get into this to redraw the same deck forty times.
DivineDesigner does the repetitive part: the standard assemblies, the span checks, the sheet set, the forms. You keep the judgment calls, the client and the signature.
- Edit any construction value; your numbers override the standard assemblies.
- Every City’s quirks in one place, cited, so new staff don’t learn them the hard way.
- City comments come in as items; revised sheets go out as a new revision.
- Company workspace, roles, invitations and client proposals.
Where it worksBuilt for Ontario.
Built for Ontario.
City by city.
The Building Code checks work anywhere in Ontario. Each City’s permit lines, fees and by-laws are checked against its own pages, and City forms are built in starting with Kitchener and Waterloo.
- Forms built inKitchenerDeck permit $95 · checked 2026-10-06Kitchener permit rules
- Forms built inWaterlooDeck permit $132 · checked 2026-10-06Waterloo permit rules
- Rules checkedTorontoDeck permit $214.79 · checked 2026-10-07Toronto permit rules
- Rules checkedOttawaDeck permit $12.75 per $1,000 of construction value, minimum $117 · checked 2026-10-07Ottawa permit rules
- Rules checkedMississaugaDeck permit $244 · checked 2026-10-07Mississauga permit rules
- Rules checkedBramptonDeck permit $326.21 · checked 2026-10-07Brampton permit rules
- Rules checkedHamiltonDeck permit $5.36 per m² of deck, minimum $291 · checked 2026-10-07Hamilton permit rules
- Rules checkedLondonDeck permit $260.37, or $368.85 if it holds up a roof · checked 2026-10-07London permit rules
- Rules checkedOakvilleDeck permit $220 · checked 2026-10-06Oakville permit rules
- Rules checkedCambridgeDeck permit $143 ($118 permit plus a $25 zoning review) · checked 2026-10-07Cambridge permit rules
- Rules checkedGuelphDeck permit $160 · checked 2026-10-07Guelph permit rules
- NextVaughan, Markham, Windsor, Richmond Hill and moreOn the list. We add a city once its sources check out.See all permit rules
Questions
Good to know.
Do I need drawing or CAD skills?
No. You describe the project and answer plain questions. DivineDesigner prepares the 3D design, the drawing set and the City forms; you review and adjust them.
Can it guarantee my permit?
No one can. DivineDesigner checks the design against the Ontario Building Code and your City’s by-laws, cites every rule and shows what is left, but the City’s plans examiner makes the decision.
Which cities are covered?
The Building Code checks work anywhere in Ontario. Kitchener and Waterloo are fully built in, forms included. Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, London, Oakville, Cambridge and Guelph have their permit rules and fees checked and on this site; their forms aren’t built in yet.
What if I don’t have every measurement?
Start with what you know. The design uses clearly marked estimates, and the application asks for each measurement when it matters.
What happens if the City asks for changes?
Keep the City’s comments with the project, make the revision and download the updated drawings. Everything stays connected to the same design.
I’m a designer or contractor. Is this for me?
Yes. Company workspaces add team roles, invitations, editable construction values, client proposals and shared files on the same design engine.
Start with what you have.
A sentence, a photo or an old survey is enough. Try the real thing free, no account.