Permit Appeals
Get a Free Quote
Turned down by your local municipality? At Permit Masters, we can represent your best interests and defend your project.
Decisions made by the local municipality can often be appealed through a Subdivision and Development Appeal Board. This process is designed to reduce the complexity of a court of law and is usually worth the investment, even for small projects.
Why Might I Be Turned Down For a Permit?
When an application is made for a building or development permit, there will always be a pre-screening process to ensure all the necessary information is included. A building permit review will then be conducted by a number of safety codes officers (this usually includes officers with some expertise in the type of work being proposed).
Plans are rigorously reviewed for compliance with the relevant codes. If any deficiencies are discovered, the examiners will try to work with you to get revisions on the plans and reach a process that can be approved.
Sometimes, permits are issued with specific conditions; however, there are also cases where a plan is turned down after a building permit general review because no agreement can be reached about how to proceed. When this happens, the applicant has the right to submit an appeal, but if this appeal is to be successful they will need to present a strong case. This is where consulting experts in the building permit review process is the next best step.
Do I Need a Permit Appeals Permit?
The process of appealing against the rejection of your building or development permit application after a building permit general review is complex. If the reason for rejection is related to technical requirements set out in the Building Code, the appeal can be made to the Building Code Commission. This is an independent tribunal with a mandate to hear disputes relating to compliance with Building Code technical requirements. However, if the problem is in relation to any other applicable laws (such as an interpretation of the zoning bylaw), the appeal must be made to the Superior Court of Justice. This will require some legal assistance and may be challenging to succeed.
When appealing against a decision to reject your application for a permit, leave it to the experts! You will have invested time and money into the process of getting a permit to undertake your proposed project, which means that the last thing you want is for your process to be unsuccessful. Launching a successful appeal is complex and may even require obtaining a permit to appeal before you can even begin.
With our experience and expertise with these types of appeals, our expert team at Permit Masters will undergo all of the necessary steps to help you make a successful appeal.
How Can Permit Masters Help?
As experts on the building permit review process, we understand the ins and outs of every type of reason for permit application being rejected. We also understand what constitutes grounds for an appeal, meaning that we can advise on the necessary adjustments needed to make to your proposal if you want your appeal to be successful. The laws and regulations around the construction and the development of land in Canada are complex, which means it takes genuine expertise to give you the best chances of successfully securing a permit to proceed with your project.
We can start by offering the kind of expert advice you need before trying to launch an appeal. We’ll review everything that has happened so far and consult on why your application was turned down, in addition to reviewing what you can do to get it approved during an appeal.
We will also work through the approval process by making the appeal in the right way, to the right people. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the complexities of the process but need to appeal against a permit decision that didn’t go as planned, contact Permit Masters and trust our expert advice.
We're here to help with all your development and construction project permits:
Commercial Permit