# Who can draw building permit drawings in Hamilton?

> Who may prepare Hamilton building permit drawings: the owner, a BCIN designer checked in QuARTS, or an architect or engineer for most commercial builds.

- Canonical HTML: https://www.jdtconstruction.ca/guides/designers/
- Section: Home > Guides > Who may draw the permit drawings
- Business: JDT Construction Inc., Hamilton, ON, Canada (serves Hamilton)
- Phone: (905) 818-0106 | Email: johnny@jdtconstruction.ca
- Page updated: 2026-11-05

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Guides

In Hamilton, the owner, or a designer qualified and, where required, registered under the Ontario Building Code: a BCIN designer you can check in the province's QuARTS registry. For most commercial, industrial and institutional work the City says the drawings must be stamped by an architect, an engineer or both. The Building Division at 905-546-2720 says which applies. JDT Construction draws every job on your property before the price.

## What does the City require?

The City: “Most designs for Building Permits not completed by the owner, require a designer registered and/or qualified under Division C, Part 3, Section 3.2 of the Ontario Building Code.” And a designer is “anyone who is responsible for the design, which may also include preparing the drawings for submission.” [(City of Hamilton, Hiring a Designer for Building Permit Drawings, read November 5, 2026)](https://www.hamilton.ca/build-invest-grow/construction-renovation/residential-building-renovation/hiring-designer-building) The owner may draw their own; the City's application page says “As the owner, you may design your project and drawings”.

## How do I check a designer?

In QuARTS, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing's public registry. Designers file with the Ministry for a Building Code Identification Number (BCIN), and the registry lets anyone “verify their qualification information under the Building Code”. Architects who are members of the OAA and engineers of the PEO typically do not also file with the Ministry. The City suggests getting three or more quotes [(City of Hamilton, Hiring a Designer for Building Permit Drawings, read November 5, 2026)](https://www.hamilton.ca/build-invest-grow/construction-renovation/residential-building-renovation/hiring-designer-building).

## When does it need an architect or engineer?

**Who may prepare Hamilton permit drawings, by kind of project**

| Project | Who may draw it |
| --- | --- |
| Your own house, drawn yourself | The owner |
| Most house projects drawn by someone else | A designer qualified, and registered where required, with a BCIN |
| Most industrial, commercial and institutional construction | An architect, a professional engineer, or both, with original seals on at least one set |

The City: “For certain projects, such as most industrial/commercial/institutional construction, a qualified or registered designer is not sufficient and the drawings must be stamped by an architect, professional engineer or both.” It points to Division C, Section 1.2 of the Building Code for the exact cases [(City of Hamilton, Hiring a Designer for Building Permit Drawings, read November 5, 2026)](https://www.hamilton.ca/build-invest-grow/construction-renovation/residential-building-renovation/hiring-designer-building). The Building Division answers for a specific project.

## Where does JDT fit?

JDT Construction Inc. draws every job on a picture of your property before the price, so you see the work in place. Under its agreement it supplies the drawings it has and answers the plan examiner's questions about its part; structural engineering and architectural fees are outside the agreement unless it adds them in writing. On [commercial](https://www.jdtconstruction.ca/builds/commercial/) jobs the architect or engineer comes in early, before [site plan approval](https://www.jdtconstruction.ca/guides/site-plan/). The application itself is in [who applies for a building permit](https://www.jdtconstruction.ca/guides/building-permits/).

Published by JDT Construction Inc., Hamilton. Updated November 5, 2026. Free to share and quote, with a link back to this page.

## Planning a build?

JDT draws it on a picture of your property and prices it in one written proposal.

[Call (905) 818-0106](tel:+19058180106) [Request a quote](https://www.jdtconstruction.ca/request/?problem=commercial)

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JDT Construction Inc. Call (905) 818-0106. Full site: https://www.jdtconstruction.ca/