# How much will my Hamilton building permit cost?

> Work out a Hamilton building permit fee from the City's own schedule: a house, an addition, a deck, a garage, a basement, an ADU or a commercial build.

- Canonical HTML: https://www.jdtconstruction.ca/guides/permit-fee-calculator/
- Section: Home > Guides > Permit fee calculator
- 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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Multiply the City of Hamilton's rate for the kind of work by its floor area in square metres, round to the dollar, and pay at least $291. A deck is $5.36 a square metre, a garage $6.58, a finished basement $4.06, a house or addition $18.32; an ADU is a flat $515 inside or $1,030 detached. JDT Construction built this calculator from the City's own fee schedule.

## Work out a fee

Kind of work
New house, or new floor area added to a house ($18.32 per m²) Finishing a basement ($4.06 per m²) New basement or cold cellar ($6.58 per m²) Deck, balcony, open porch or stairs ($5.36 per m²) Garage or storage shed ($6.58 per m²) Residential greenhouse or open carport ($5.36 per m²) Retail, finished ($20.05 per m²) Retail, finishing only (a fit-out) ($5.07 per m²) Office up to 10 storeys, finished ($24.14 per m²) Office up to 10 storeys, finishing only ($5.85 per m²) Restaurant or other assembly building ($27.21 per m²) Industrial, finished ($14.06 per m²) ADU inside an existing house ($515 flat) Detached ADU in the rear yard ($1,030 flat)

Floor area of the work, in square metres
(square feet ÷ 10.764)

Choose the work and the area to see the fee.

The result is the City's formula, not a quote: the City calculates the actual fee when you apply, and it is “subject to Harmonized Sales Tax (H.S.T.) where applicable” [(City of Hamilton, Building Permit Fees, read November 5, 2026)](https://www.hamilton.ca/build-invest-grow/construction-renovation/residential-building-renovation/building-permit-fees).

## Which rates does it use?

**City of Hamilton permit fee rates used by the calculator (Schedule A to By-law 15-058)**

| Work | Rate |
| --- | --- |
| New house, or new floor area added to a house | $18.32 per m² |
| Finishing a basement | $4.06 per m² |
| New basement or cold cellar | $6.58 per m² |
| Deck, balcony, open porch or stairs | $5.36 per m² |
| Garage or storage shed | $6.58 per m² |
| Residential greenhouse or open carport | $5.36 per m² |
| Retail, finished | $20.05 per m² |
| Retail, finishing only (a fit-out) | $5.07 per m² |
| Office up to 10 storeys, finished | $24.14 per m² |
| Office up to 10 storeys, finishing only | $5.85 per m² |
| Restaurant or other assembly building | $27.21 per m² |
| Industrial, finished | $14.06 per m² |
| ADU inside an existing house | $515 flat |
| Detached ADU in the rear yard | $1,030 flat |
| Minimum for any permit | $291 |

The City's formula is “Permit Fee = SI x A”, with fees “rounded off to the nearest full dollar” [(City of Hamilton, Building Permit Fees, read November 5, 2026)](https://www.hamilton.ca/build-invest-grow/construction-renovation/residential-building-renovation/building-permit-fees). New floor area on a house is charged at the house rate. Where no new floor area is made, the fee is 1% of the value of the work as set by the City. Extra fees can apply on top: a foundation permit ($453 for a house), water and sewer services, and for a new house development charges ([development charges](https://www.jdtconstruction.ca/guides/development-charges/)).

## Where do I learn more?

The whole schedule with worked examples is in [what a building permit costs](https://www.jdtconstruction.ca/guides/permit-fees/). Whether your job needs a permit at all: [decks](https://www.jdtconstruction.ca/guides/deck-permit/), [sheds and garages](https://www.jdtconstruction.ca/guides/shed-and-garage-permit/) and [basements](https://www.jdtconstruction.ca/guides/basement-permit/). Under JDT Construction Inc.'s agreement the homeowner applies for the permit and pays the City's fees; [who applies for a building permit](https://www.jdtconstruction.ca/guides/building-permits/) explains how that works.

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/)

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