Oakville basement permit: when you need one and what to submit
The short answer
Yes. Finishing or renovating a basement needs a building permit. City fee: $4.90 per m², minimum $200.
Last verified 2026-10-06 · Town of Oakville: Finished basement, Town of Oakville: 2026 Building Services fees (PDF), Town of Oakville: Accessory apartment- City fee
- $4.90 per m², minimum $200
- Where to apply
- Town of Oakville Online Services
A walk-up basement entrance is $400 each. An accessory apartment also needs a zoning certificate of occupancy and has to be registered.
What an application usually includes
Oakville’s checklist has the exact list; apply through Town of Oakville Online Services.
- Existing and proposed floor plans with room names and sizes
- Ceiling heights, beams and ducts
- Window details for bedroom escape
- Insulation and energy information, and heating and ventilation where they change
- The application form and the owner or designer declaration
Local quirks
- The Town's deck page and its permit checklist word the deck rule differently. Treat an attached deck as always needing a permit.
- Private trees 15 cm or more across need their own permit unless a building permit requires the removal.
- Grading work needs a development engineering permit unless it stays 0.3 m from the property lines and doesn't change drainage.
Design your Oakville basement to the Building Code.
The design, drawings and code checks work in Oakville today. Oakville’s own forms aren’t built in yet, so you’ll fill those in on the City’s portal.