Deck Design & Permit Drawings

An Ottawa deck permit application needs a completed and signed digital application, a complete set of scaled and fully dimensioned drawings, and Schedule 1 naming who took design responsibility: a BCIN designer, an architect, an engineer, or the homeowner. The City explains that the Building Code lets a homeowner take design responsibility for a house they own; the exemption does not cover estates, tenants or numbered companies, or a building with more than two dwelling units.

The drawings the City lists are a site plan (the deck dimensioned to buildings, property lines and any septic system), a foundation and framing plan (footings or helical piles, joists, beams, posts, decking sizes and spans, the connection to the house, and stairs), and elevations (the height of the walking surface above grade, footing depth, stair rise and run, and guards). Decking other than conventional lumber needs a CCMC or BMEC material report.

Zoning decides where the deck may go. For applications complete on or after March 11, 2026, Ottawa applies both Zoning By-law 2008-250 and the new By-law 2026-50, with the most restrictive provisions applying, and some parts of 2026-50 are still under appeal, so confirm the current rules with the City. The permit fee is $12.75 per $1,000 of construction value, $117 minimum. Published prices for deck permit drawings run roughly $399 to $2,500.