Midland Building Permits
Two Desks, One Order, Priced by the Floor
A new house in Midland clears Planning before Building will look at it, and the fee follows what every part of the floor is. Both are decided by the drawings you file.
Permits & Approvals
Zoning review, permit drawings, conservation and septic approvals, handled for you.
See the service →Midland building permits for a new house are not one review but two, and they happen in a fixed order. The Town of Midland's Planning Services checks the project against the Zoning By-law first and issues a Zoning Certificate. Only then does the Building Services Department start its Ontario Building Code review. A file that stalls at the first desk never reaches the second.
The other thing worth knowing before you apply in Midland: since February 9, 2026, the Town has priced permits under a new fee by-law that charges different rates for different parts of the same house. Finished floor, garage, covered porch, deck and basement are each counted on their own line, and an unfinished basement that sits wholly below grade is not charged at all.
Put those together and the drawings carry more weight than people expect. They set how long the permit takes and what it costs. Here is how it works in Midland, and where we fit in.
Planning First, Then Building
The Town's Building Permit Application page sets out the sequence plainly. Planning review needs a site plan and typically takes up to 5 business days. Once it is approved, a Zoning Certificate is issued. After that, the building review clock applies: 10 working days for a residential house, 15 for small buildings, 20 for large buildings and 30 for complex ones.
Three requirements sit alongside that sequence in Midland, and each can hold a file up if it is missing:
- A qualified designer. The Town asks for drawings prepared by a designer with a BCIN (Building Code Identification Number), though it notes some designs can be done by a homeowner.
- A lot grading plan. For a new house, the Town requires an individual lot grading plan prepared by a Professional Engineer, an Ontario Land Surveyor or a CET, and reviewed for approval before the permit is issued.
- An upfront deposit. The Town requires a deposit before submission, and applications go in through Cloudpermit, where you can follow the status.
The Town is also clear that zoning still applies where no permit does: even if a building permit is not required, compliance with the Zoning By-law is required. That is why the Planning desk comes first. It is the one review nothing in Midland gets to skip.
What Midland Charges, Line by Line
The fees come from Town of Midland By-law 2026-2, passed on February 4, 2026 and in force from February 9, 2026. It sets a minimum fee or deposit of $2,421.87 for any new low-density residential building, then totals the rates for each part of the house. Floor area is measured between the outside surfaces of the exterior walls.
A few rules in that by-law change how a Midland house should be drawn and described:
- A residential basement contained wholly below grade, with no interior finishes and no proposed use, carries no permit fee.
- A walkout basement is charged on half of its total floor area.
- A basement finished as part of the house construction is charged at $6.19 per m², well below the $17.38 rate for the rest of the floor.
- Openings in a floor such as stairwells are not deducted.
As a worked illustration only, using those published rates: a house with 170 m² of finished floor, a 40 m² attached garage and a 20 m² covered porch would total about $2,954 for the floor, $325 for the garage and $163 for the porch, roughly $3,442 before any other fees. Your own figure depends on the real drawings, and the Town calculates it.
Midland also charges deposits that are separate from the permit fee. An Extra Services Deposit of $538.19 is collected at issuance for a new dwelling, to cover inspections or administration the Town did not anticipate, and the unused part is refundable. A lot grading deposit of $5,000 per lot applies unless a development agreement says otherwise, and it comes back once the Town inspects the finished grading and the permit can be closed.
Septic Lots in Midland Add a Second Permit
Most of Midland is on municipal services, but not all of it. The Town's own zoning gives its R5 zone separate minimum lot sizes for lots on public water with a private septic system and lots where both are private, and its Rural zone covers more land again. On those lots, the Town's permit list is explicit: new septic systems and septic system alterations need a building permit of their own.
By-law 2026-2 prices them by class. A new Class 4 or Class 5 sewage system is a flat $740.55. A new Class 1, 2 or 3 system is $427.33. A sewage system is designed to the house it serves, so on a private-services lot in Midland the septic and the house drawings have to be settled together. A bedroom added late can change the system, and a changed system means a revised permit.
Refunds Run Downhill, So File It Complete
The fee by-law also explains why it pays to get a Midland application right the first time. If you cancel before the Building Code plans examination has been done, 75 percent of the permit fees are refundable. Once the Chief Building Official has released the permit for issuance, that drops to 50 percent. Nothing under $100 is refunded, and requests go to the Chief Building Official in writing.
There is a clock after issuance as well. The by-law treats a permit as archived when no inspection has been requested within one year of the last building inspection. Deposits collected under the extra services table, or under a conditional permit, have to be claimed in writing within two years of occupancy being granted; after that the money is treated as forfeited.
None of that is unusual for an Ontario municipality, but in Midland it is spelled out in a by-law that is only months old, and it rewards one habit above all: deciding the house before filing for it.
How We Put a Midland Permit Together
Permits are part of our design-build service, not an extra. Laura McAdam leads planning applications and municipal approvals for us, and the order below follows the Town's own.
Zoning before design
We review your lot against Midland's Zoning By-law before you commit to a design, or a property, so the Planning desk has nothing to send back.
Drawings that answer the fee table
Permit drawings show each part of the house clearly: finished floor, garage, porch, deck and basement, finished or not, so the Town can price it without a query.
Grading and septic in step
We coordinate the lot grading plan with its engineer, surveyor or CET, and on a private-services lot the septic permit and inspections with the build.
File, follow, close
The application goes into Cloudpermit with its deposit, we answer the Town's questions, book inspections through the build, and close the permit so deposits come back.
Who Files Your Midland Building Permits
We are A&R Design Build, a family builder since 1973 with more than 1,500 homes and cottages behind us. We are based in Innisfil, Midland is among the towns named in the service area on our site, and we are a member of the Midland, Penetanguishene & District Builders' Association. We are an HCRA licensed builder (#B46716) and a Tarion registered builder since 1983.
We handle Midland building permits as part of building the house, so the permit and the drawings are prepared by the same team that will build from them. If you are buying a lot in Midland and want to know what a permit will involve before you sign, that is a good time to call. A zoning review costs far less than finding out afterwards.
Midland Permit Questions
How long does a building permit take in Midland?
For a new house, Planning review takes up to 5 business days and ends with a Zoning Certificate. The building review then runs 10 working days for a residential house. Time spent answering questions about an incomplete file comes on top of those reviews.
How much is a building permit for a new house in Midland?
Under By-law 2026-2, the minimum fee or deposit for a new house is $2,421.87, and the total is built from per-square-metre rates: $17.38 for finished floor area, $8.13 for an attached garage or covered porch, and $6.19 for a basement finished with the house or an uncovered deck.
Is my basement included in the Midland permit fee?
A basement wholly below grade with no finishes and no proposed use carries no fee. A walkout basement is charged on half its floor area, and a basement finished as part of the house is charged at $6.19 per square metre.
Do I need a lot grading plan in Midland?
Yes, for a new house. It must be prepared by a Professional Engineer, Ontario Land Surveyor or CET and approved by the Town before the permit issues. A $5,000 lot grading deposit is returned once the finished grading is inspected and the permit can be closed.
Can I get a refund if I cancel?
Under By-law 2026-2, 75 percent of permit fees are refundable if you cancel before plans examination, and 50 percent once the permit has been released for issuance. Amounts under $100 are not refunded.
Will you apply for the Midland permit for me?
Yes. Permits and approvals are part of our design-build service: we review zoning, prepare the drawings and application, and coordinate grading and septic approvals with the build.
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Read the post →Planning a Build in Midland?
Send us the lot and what you have in mind. We will check the zoning and tell you what the permit will involve before you commit. We reply within two business days.