The cost of housing is high for people needing it, but the costs are also high for the people building it.
Alex Neumann is currently building a four-plex residential building on County Road 10 at the west end of Vankleek Hill. He was surprised by the cost of a building permit and other fees he had to pay before work could begin.
“Basically, if you’re building, you have to have pretty deep pockets,” Neumann said.
He estimated that building permit fees will end up consisting of 12 to 15 per cent of the total cost of the building project and will be around $36,000 to $38,000. All of the fees must be paid up front in order to be eligible for a mortgage.
Building permits are required in organized municipalities to ensure that construction meets the safety and quality standards specified in the Ontario Building Code. Municipal Chief Building Officials and Building Inspectors have the authority to issue or refuse permit applications, and to enforce the Building Code through directives to clients. They have the authority to issue fines or stop work.
In Champlain Township, the cost of a building permit is based on a flat rate, plus a rate for the square footage of the structure. According to Champlain’s Fees and Charges Bylaw, the permit cost for a residential dwelling, cottage, or mobile home containing up to three units is $1,950. Each additional unit costs $1,000, plus an additional 65 cents per square foot of the total building.
Neumann said he has also had to pay $1,700 for a permit from the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) to create a new driveway entrance onto a county road.
“There’s many layers of government, but there’s only one taxpayer,” remarked Neumann.
In addition to the permit fees, Neumann said it will cost him $12,500 each for two new connections to the municipal water system.
Neumann is hoping municipalities consider the cost of permits for independent, small-scale homebuilders like him, especially since there is so much demand for new, affordable homes.
Municipal building permit fees are intended to cover the cost of planning and enforcement of regulations involving building projects. They are intended to recover costs of specific functions of municipal government that do not affect the entire community. But they are also a source of revenue for municipalities. According to the 2025 Champlain Township budget, building permits are projected to bring $300,000 in revenue to the municipality this year.
Building permit fees and the formula for charging those fees vary in other local municipalities.
In the Town of Hawkesbury, the permit cost for a residential dwelling building of up to three units, a cottage, or mobile home, is $1,850 per unit plus 65 cents per square foot. In Hawkesbury, a residential structure containing four or more units is considered a residential apartment building. The permit cost for those buildings is $1,850 plus $1.55 per square foot.
The Township of Alfred and Plantagenet uses a different fee structure and formula for building permits. Each permit requires a $50 application fee. For new basements, there is a minimum fee of $204. The value of construction for each new basement is set at $20 per square foot. The permit fee is $9.92 per $1,000 of the $20 per square foot construction value. The permit fee for a new dwelling must be a minimum of $970 in Alfred and Plantagenet.
In the Township of East Hawkesbury, there is a minimum fee of $400 for new residential buildings. Additional costs based on measurement use metric square metres instead of square feet.
The fee for new single detached dwellings, semis and duplexes varies based on the level of the building. For the basement, it is $1.51 per square metre. The first storey fee is $5.25 per square metre, and additional storeys above the first storey are $3.39 per square metre.
For residential dwelling units in The Nation Municipality, the permit cost for a single detached home is $1,325.00 up to 1,200 square feet of gross building area per dwelling unit. Beyond that size, an additional 88 cents per square foot is charged for the permit.
